44 SAVAGE SURVIVALS 



wolves and bears wild cattle wouldn't last long 

 without these bayonets on their heads. But in hu- 

 man pastures cattle have no use for bayonets. 

 They have no enemies. And men often cut these 

 useless parts off. 



The hind legs of whales are vestigial. The 

 whale was once a land animal and walked on four 

 legs. But in the struggle for life it has been 

 pushed off into the sea, and taken on a fish-like 



"RUINS OF HIND LIMBS IN THE WHALE" 



shape in adaptation to its surroundings. It has 

 its front legs yet, but its hind legs have almost dis- 

 appeared. There are only the ruins left. They 

 are the two small bones that are seen hanging 

 down from the backbone of museum specimens in 

 the place where hind limbs would be naturally if 

 it had any. 



Many mammals have vestigial toes. The cow 

 has two just back of the two useful toes. So has 

 the sheep, pig, and deer. One toe on the dog's 

 front foot is vestigial, never touching the ground. 

 The original mammals (the species from which all 



