PRIMEVAL MAN 237 



the bulky browsers and grazers, but not to over 

 take those that were smaller and swifter. The 

 massive jaws and teeth could smash heavy 

 bones and tear the toughest hide; and a hungry 

 pack of these monsters, able to assail in open 1 

 fight any quarry no matter how fierce or power 

 ful, must have spread dire havoc and dismay 

 among all things that could not escape by flight. 



There were two still larger predatory species, 

 which were much less plentiful than either the 

 wolf or the sabretooth. One was a short-faced 

 cave-bear, far larger than even the huge Alaskan 

 bear of to-day. Doubtless it took toll of the 

 herds; but bears are omnivorous beasts, and 

 not purely predatory in the sense that is true of 

 those finished killers, the wolves and big cats. 

 Unlike the wolves and cats, bears were geolog 

 ically recent immigrants to America. 



The other was a true cat, a mighty beast; 

 bigger than the African lion of to-day; indeed, 

 perhaps the biggest and most powerful lion-like 

 or tiger-like cat that ever existed. Seemingly 

 it was much rarer than the sabretooth; but it 

 is possible that this seeming rarity was due to 

 its not lurking in the neighborhood of pools and 

 licks but travelling more freely over the wastes, 

 being of a build fit not only for combat but for 

 an active and wandering life. It is usually 



