LION 415 



(ser. 7, vol. XX. p. 436), has endeavoured to ascertain the nature of the 

 markings of their respective forebears. In the case of lion-cubs, the 

 author shows that the pattern of the markings is intermediate in 

 character between the stripes of the tiger and the rosette-like spots 

 of the leopard, although inclining perhaps more to the former type. 

 Another distinctly tiger-like feature in the lion-cub is the presence of a 

 white patch over the eye, which disappears in the adult. As regards 

 the stripes of the tiger, these certainly seem to be derived from the 

 rosettes of the leopard, the double striping frequently seen being a 

 remnant of the rosettes. If these conclusions are correct, it is clear 

 that lions, tigers, and leopards (and, it may be added, jaguars) form a 

 closely allied group. 



Puma-cubs, on the other hand, present a pattern quite unlike that 

 seen in any of the foregoing, and thus indicate the marked distinctness 

 of the American Felis concolor from the lion and tiger group. Pumas 

 may accordingly be regarded as large, uniformly-coloured derivatives 

 of one of the groups of smaller, and probably American, cats. 



In this place reference may be made to a lion's skull in the British 

 Museum (Natural History) entirely lacking lower canine teeth or tusks. 

 It was received among a number of other lion skulls and skins from 

 East Africa at the establishment of Mr. Rowland Ward, where the 

 abnormality was first detected. There is no trace whatever of even 

 the sockets of the lower canines, which were evidently never developed 

 at all, but in other respects the dentition is perfectly normal. When 

 rending its prey and stripping the meat from the bones, the animal 

 must apparently have relied solely upon its incisors, as the upper 

 canines, having no teeth to oppose them, must seemingly have been 

 more or less useless. It would have been interesting to know whether 

 during life this lion was as well nourished as its fellows. The skull, 

 although adult, is of rather small size. This is the only instance of 

 an abnormality of this description that has come under my notice. 

 Partial or complete duplication of the upper canine seems, on the other 

 hand, to be not uncommon in the dog family. Some years ago, for 

 instance, a fox's skull with completely double canines on both sides of 

 the upper jaw was figured in the Field. A precisely similar condition 

 obtains in a skull of the African long-eared fox {Otocyon mega/otis) 

 exhibited in the Natural History branch of the British Museum, where 

 there is also an English fox's skull with both upper canines cleft for 

 the greater part of their length. 



The African lion may be divided into the following seven local 

 races : — 



