130 



THE FLESH-EATERS. 



especially that of the skeleton, in most cases 

 combines great power of movement with 

 great strength. The ridges for the attach- 

 ment of the muscles are always very pro- 

 minent. The bony substance is very dense, 

 thus affording the greatest power of resistance 

 with the least bulk. 



The brain-case, which is in itself small, 

 appears larger during life in consequence of 

 the remarkable development of the ridges to 

 which the muscles of the jaws and the nape 

 of the neck are attached. In the great ma- 

 jority of beasts of prey there is a well-marked 

 longitudinal ridge on the middle line of the 

 skull, the sagittal crest, which is continued 

 behind into two lateral ridges surrounding 

 the back part of the skull. The wide sweep 

 of the zygomatic arch, which attains its highest 

 development in the cat tribe (the Felida), 

 also points to the extraordinary development 

 of the muscles of mastication. The orbits are 

 never closed, but are always continuous with 

 the temporal fossae or depressions at the 

 temples. At the base of the large zygomatic 

 arches are the cavities which receive the 

 hinder joints of the lower jaw. The cavities 

 in question form transverse pits, in which 

 the rounded ends of the bones of the lower 

 jaw can turn round their axis. This arrange- 

 ment does not permit of any lateral move- 

 ment of the lower jaw, which can only be 

 raised and depressed. The carnivore can 

 thus never grind his food by the process of 

 mastication. The movements by which this 

 is effected, as by the ruminants, are alto- 

 gether out of his power. The halves of the 

 lower jaw never become fused together, but 

 are always separated by a suture in front. 



The chest is always flattened at the sides, 

 so that the breast-bone often forms a pretty 

 prominent keel. The shoulder-girdle con- 

 sists only of a shoulder-blade. The collar- 

 bone is altogether wanting or quite rudimen- 

 tary. This structure would in itself show 

 that the fore -limb is not adapted for the 

 performance of complicated functions, that 



it cannot be a true prehensile organ or organ 

 of flight. In harmony with this structure 

 the power of rotating the bones of the fore- 

 arm about themselves, what is called in scien- 

 tific language the power of pronation and 

 supination, is extremely limited. 



The carnivore can run, strike with his 

 paw, can knock down his prey and hold it 

 fast, but he can only in exceptional cases 

 make use of his paw to carry his food to his 

 mouth. 



We reserve till further on the thorough 

 examination of the feet and teeth ; and as 

 to the brain, all that we wish to observe 

 here is that the large brain, or cerebrum, 

 which always exhibits distinct convolutions, 

 never covers the small brain or cerebellum, 

 and always displays a peculiar structure in 

 the disposition of the fissures and convolu- 

 tions, a structure entirely different from that 

 of the apes and monkeys. The stomach is 

 always simple, sack-shaped. The intestine, 

 very short in the pure flesh-eaters, becomes 

 a little longer in those species which adopt a 

 mixed diet. All the species have an un- 

 pleasant smell, due to the secretions of the 

 glands in the skin, and mostly also to special 

 glands situated in the neighbourhood of the 

 anus. In some forms this abominably smell- 

 ing secretion is a genuine means of defence. 



By the structure and arrangement of their 

 reproductive organs the Carnivora are alto- 

 gether separated from the insectivores. We 

 do not intend to go into details; and it is 

 enough to mention that the placenta, the 

 organ so important for the nourishment of 

 the embryo, has the form of a belt or muff 

 surrounding the ovum, the ends of which are 

 left free. A placenta of this form is called 

 zonary; and through attaching too much im- 

 portance to this structure, some naturalists 

 have included the carnivores, the elephants, 

 and the hyrax in the large group of the 

 " zono-placental mammals," greatly to the 

 advancement of a rational system of classifica- 

 tion! 



