CARNIVOROUS QUADRUPEDS. 



THE Carnivora, which may he considered as analo- 

 gous to the Raptores among birds, form the third 

 family of the Carnassiers in the arrangement adopted 

 by Cuvier ; the first family being composed of the 

 insectivorous and frugivorous Cheiroptera, the se- 

 cond of the Insectivora properly so called, both of 

 which have already been passed under review. The 

 animals which now come to be described subsist 

 chiefly on the flesh of quadrupeds and birds, or on 

 fish, to procure which they are generally endowed 

 with great agility, an excitable temperament, and a 

 disposition to employ stratagem when open force 

 is insufficient. Their molar teeth are not terminated 

 by sharp conical prominences, like those of the 

 Moles, Shrews, and other insectivorous species; nor 

 are they flattened, like those of animals that feed 

 exclusively on vegetable substances ; but are thin- 

 edged, and more adapted for cutting than bruising ; 

 their canine teeth are very large, and between them 

 are generally six incisors in each jaw. Some spe- 

 cies are, however, less essentially carnivorous than 

 others, and may be distinguished by a peculiarity 



