MAMMALIA. 



ciples are sufficient to carry us through so extensive 

 and complicated a study as" that of the organisation 

 of the mammalia. We must, however, advert to the 

 particular structures of the toes and claws of the lion, 

 and the simple yet effectual manner in which they 

 protect the instrument, and give it effect when it is 

 required. 



Upon looking back to the smaller portion of the 

 cut, which represents a single claw upon a larger 

 scale, and as it is situated when the claw is retracted 

 so as to save its point, it will be observed that the 

 last phalange or bone of the toe, except the one 

 which immediately carries the claw, stands nearly 

 perpendicular, while the bone which does carry the 

 claw is applied obliquely upon the upper side of it. 

 An elastic ligament which is applied to the bone just 

 at the root of the claw holds it backwards and up- 

 wards, and the tendon of the flexor muscle which 

 pulls this joint and depresses the claw, passes down 

 the one side of the second bone across the bottom, 

 and up the other side ; so that this tendon cannot, 

 while the bones are in this position, move the one 

 npon the other. When, however, the extensor mus- 

 cles, which are the two whose tendons are marked 

 uppermost, and which are inserted in the upper side 

 of the head of the second bone, act with a powerful 

 contraction, the opposite or under extremity of that 

 bone is drawn upward by a very swift motion, and 

 when that and the third bone are nearly in the same 

 straight line, the joint supporting the claw is brought 

 into such a position as that the tendon of the flexor 

 muscle can obey its muscle, and depress the claw 

 with great force. The claw itself is of a peculiarly 

 strong form ; and when the tendon of the flexor 

 muscle draws it downwards, its point moves in the 

 circumference of a circle, of which the centre is the 

 same as that of the motion of its bone. When this 

 takes place, the entire toe from the third bone to the 

 claw is lengthened, because the three bones come 

 much more nearly into a straight line with each other 

 than in the state of repose. This is attended with 

 a double advantage in the action of the claw ; the pad 

 on the second bone, which is shown of considerable 

 thickness in the sketch, and which, as has been ob- 

 served of all the pads on the lion's foot, secures the 

 active structures at all times, is drawn upward at the 

 very same time that the claw is descending. In con- 

 sequence of this the advantage of the momentum 

 gained both ways is given to the claw, and the point 

 of it penetrates with much more force than would 

 readily be believed. The pressure of the weight of 

 the animal tends farther to elevate the pad, and 

 while the joints are stretched, and the flexor muscle 

 continues to act, there are very few animals that can 

 shake off the lion, and the few that can do so are 

 animals of great strength, great thickness of skin, and 

 great power of action. 



As both the extensor and the flexor muscles have 

 their tendons passing through strong pulleys of liga- 

 ment, situated near to each other on the wrist of the 

 animal, the extensors spread the toes at the same 

 time that they stretch them, and enable the ligaments 

 to retract the claws. The flexors, on the other hand, 

 while they stretch the distal joints, and protrude and 

 bring down the claws, draw the points of them 

 together. Both these sets of muscles act at the same 

 time when the animal is strongly excited and springs 

 with violence upon its prey; and as it bends the 

 joints of the legs, and thus presses against the body 



of the animal on which it is fastened, it retains its 

 lold very much by the bending of the joints alone, 

 and without any great waste of muscular exertion. 



The whole of the cat tribe have this peculiar 

 structure of the claws, though of course the strength, 

 and also the violence of the action, depend in a great 

 measure upon the size and spirit of the animal. It is 

 not easy to say whether, in the entire action of these 

 most formidable instruments of prehension, the lion, 

 or the great tiger of the Indian jungles, deserves the 

 preference upon the whole action. The lion is per- 

 haps the more terrible animal of the two in one single 

 effort, because the body of the lion is more compact, 

 and his strength is more concentrated upon the 

 anterior part. The tiger, on the other hand, is more 

 elongated, more graceful, more lithe, more active, 

 and perhaps requires, as estimating weight for weight,, 

 more prey than the lion does. There is an adaptation 

 to the principal haunts of the animals even in this 

 difference of the forms of their bodies. The lion is a 

 lurker and Iyer in wait for his prey as well as the 

 tiger, and therefore he is to a great extent a bush and 

 forest animal. But the country in which he is found 

 in greatest vigour and perfection, approaches more to- 

 the character of a desert than that of the tiger, and 

 therefore the lion performs more of his journeyings in 

 stalking about, or prowling in bare places, than the 

 tiger does. The tiger's favourite haunts are those 

 jungles upon the rich grounds, where the surface 

 vegetation is much more vigorous than it is on the 

 lion's pasture, and therefore the tiger is unable to 

 stalk about as the lion does. Hence he has to leap 

 a great deal more, in beating about for his prey. His 

 leaps too are more of an upward character than those 

 of the lion, as he has to clear the tall grass and reeds 

 with which the jungles are covered in the openings 

 between the trees, and other very tall vegetables, 

 which rise above the tiger. This habit requires a 

 greater equality of strength in the fore and hind legs, 

 than the single spring of the lion upon his prey, and 

 also more length and elasticity of the backbone ; and 

 as we associate notions of elegance or gracefulness 

 with this peculiarity of form, and also as the tiger is 

 more richly coloured than the lion, we are apt to 

 regard him as the more graceful animal of the two. 

 Each of them, however, is sufficiently powerful for 

 vanquishing any animal upon the upper part of whose 

 body it can retain its hold. The pulling together 

 of the clutched feet, which, though they tear and lace- 

 rate, have not cutting edges on their under sides, is 

 attended with vast pain to the animal on which they 

 fasten ; and at the same time the very powerful teeth 

 are at work rending and mangling its flesh, which 

 operation is rendered more destructive and agonising 

 to the animal, by the continual tugging produced by 

 the wriggling motion of the strong neck of the spoiler. 

 It is only a very strong animal which can afford to 

 run even a very short distance under the weight and 

 infliction of either of those animals ; for the weaker 

 ones are struck down at once, and not unfrequently 

 have their bones broken to pieces by the force of the 

 spring, and are thus killed without any action, of the 

 teeth. The strong manner in which the claw comes 

 down, and the great action and weight of the paw, 

 cause a single claw to act with such terrible effect 

 that it is sufficient to fracture the skull of a man, even 

 though the tiger springs over him and hits him in no 

 other way. Indeed, when the weight and momentum 

 of the animal are in this manner delivered upon a 



