THE TEETH OF CARNIVORA. 



tubercle small. The fourth lower premolar does not 

 greatly differ from the third. The two upper true molars 

 are blunt, broad-crowned tuberculated teeth, but the second 

 is very small. 



In the lower jaw the first true molar or carnassial tooth, 

 has a well-marked blade, which articulates with the blade 

 of the upper carnassial tooth ; but towards the posterior 

 border there is a somewhat thick and blunt tuberculate 

 portion, barely represented in the corresponding tooth of 

 the Felicias; the tubercular portion articulates with the 

 broad flat first upper molar. The second lower molar is 

 smaller, not being one-fourth the size of the first ; the third 

 smaller still; both are blunt-crowned tuberculated teeth 

 (the third lower molar, rudimentary in all dogs, is alto- 

 gether absent in the Canis primsevus). 



The dentition of the dog, closely similar as it is to that 

 of the wolves and foxes, is such as to allow of a considerable 

 range of diet, there being tubercular molar teeth in addition 

 to a full armament of such sharply-pointed teeth as are 

 characteristic of flesh-feeding animals. 



Thus the Canidce, uniform as they are in dentition, have 

 somewhat different habits ; the Arctic fox, a flesh-feeder 

 purely, has a dentition indistinguishable from the North 

 Italian fox, which is reputed to be vegetarian in its diet ; 

 the Canis cancrivorus of Guiana eats small mammals, crabs, 

 and also fruit. Hence it is necessary to be very careful in 

 deducing from the character of the teeth what may pro- 

 bably have been the diet of the animal ; an approxi- 

 mate idea may often be reached, but the sources of 

 fallacy are sufficiently numerous to render the conclusion 

 uncertain. 



Amongst the various breeds of dogs some slight differ- 

 ences exist. Thus in the long-muzzled races considerable 

 intervals exist between the premolars, as is to some extent 

 seen in C. Dingo (fig. 163), while in the short-muzzled races 



