12. THE CAT FAMILY 



FOR their size the lion and the tiger exhibit a greater out- 

 burst of energy than any other known animals. Taking 

 their food fresh, the lion and the tiger derive the maximum 

 energy content of the flesh of their kill. After the gorge 

 both the lion and the tiger sleep and loaf until hunger 

 drives them to kill again (Fig. 5). 



The lion and the tiger, being dependent upon flesh, must 

 kill within certain intervals or starve. Therefore, the 

 carnivore that is the most powerful, that has the best scent, 

 the most stealthy stalk, the best calculated spring is the 

 one that will survive when food becomes scarce. The less 

 fit lions and tigers will finally be taken by the hyenas; the 

 more fit will reproduce their kind. 



The total number of lions or tigers in a given area is 

 determined by the number of Herbivora, the stock of which 

 the lions and tigers are constantly improving through 

 elimination of the less fit. 



On the other hand, the herd, through perfect line breeding 

 from only the fittest male, is continually raising the qualities 

 of its enemy by starving the less fit lions and tigers. Thus 

 the fiercest interaction is established between the herd and 

 the carnivores, resulting in a gradual stepping up to a 

 maximum of physical fitness in all. 



If our conception of the respective roles of the brain- 

 heart-thyroid-adrenal-sympathetic system is correct, then 

 we should find that in the lion and in the tiger the brain, 

 the heart, and the thyroid gland are not larger than in an 

 antelope of equal weight. 



In the supreme energy effort of both the lion" and the 

 tiger, all the available energy is mobilized. Adrenalin, 

 circulating through the blood stream, causes a flash of 

 oxidation not only in the millions of brain cells but in the 

 entire sympathetic nervous system. The celiac ganglia and 



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