.176 ORDER V. 



vided with arms for subduing their prey. The 

 whole family is cast in the same mould, differing 

 very little except in size, and apparently trivial dis- 

 tinctions ; the muzzle is short and round ; the jaws 

 short, in which there are two false molars both 

 above and below ; the superior carnassial tooth has 

 three lobes, and a blunt heel inwards, and the lower 

 two pointed and sharp edged lobes without a heel ; 

 behind there is only a small tubercular tooth in the 

 upper, and none corresponding in the lower jaw. 

 Some Felida9 have vertically contractile pupils, and 

 in others they remain constantly round, yet all have 

 chiefly nocturnal habits. But what offers a marked 

 distinction, and proves to be a most destructive 

 weapon, is the complete power they have of with- 

 drawing the claws by means of ligaments, which, in 

 the usual state of repose, bring the points upwards, 

 and thus keep them always very sharp and ready 

 to be drawn down, giving great efficiency to the 

 stroke of the fore paws, which, particularly in the 

 larger species, are peculiarly heavy. There are 

 many species known, and others, even of the largest 

 size, such as the Wobo of Abyssinia, are still ob- 

 scurely noticed ; but these, and the new continually 

 discovered, with few exceptions, or rather normally 

 considered, all without exception, are spotted, streak- 

 ed, or barred ; the young Lion, the young Puma, 

 and the black species, not being exempted from the 

 general livery. Where so much uniformity of de- 

 sign in their structure exists, it follows, that no 

 characters of real importance can be pointed out, to 



