48 COJIPAEISONS OF STRUCTURE IN ANIMALS. 



peculiarities more narrowly, we shall find that 

 they appeal to us, in the strongest manner, as 

 proofs of consummate design. The lion — and 

 our observation appUes to the feline tribe 

 generally — ^is, for the most part, nocturnal in its 

 habits. These animals are endowed with the 

 sense of sight in exquisite perfection, and it is 

 by this sense rather than by that of smell, that 

 they follow theii- prey, crouching and stealthily 

 moving towai'ds it with noiseless steps, till it is 

 within the range of their sudden bound. All 

 their movements are easy, light, vigorous, and 

 free ; their patience is very great, and they wiU 

 watch in ambush for their victim for hours 

 together ; and with instantaneous quickness 

 they seize the proper moment of assault. Let 

 us see how the structure of the fore-limbs 

 harmonizes with these habits. Let us look at 

 the lion's paw. How heavy, how sinewy, how 

 sohd, and how strongly-knit every joint ! 

 How efficient as a weapon of laceration ! Ob- 

 serve the pads or cushions on its under surface 

 and the power of protruding and retracting the 

 claws. Heavy as the lion is, yet he treads with 

 a silent foot-fall ; his foot is padded on the sole 

 or palm, with a large elastic cushion of fatty 

 cellular tissue, upwards of two inches in thick- 



