CARNIVORA VERA 



499 



Meles (V) and Ursus (VI), the heel is greatly developed, broad, and 

 tuberculated. The blade in these cases is generally placed obliquely, 

 its flat or convex (outer) side looking forwards, so that the two 

 lobes are almost side by side, instead of anterior and posterior. 

 The inner cusp (3) is generally conical, pointed, and placed to the 

 inner side of the hinder lobe of the blade. The special characters 

 of these teeth are more disguised in the Sea Otter (Latax) than 

 in any other form, but even in it they can be traced. 



The homology of the various parts of the Carnivorous carnassial 



FIG. 221. Left lower carnassial teeth of Carnivora. I, Felis ; II, Canis; III, Herpestes; 

 l\,Lutra; V, Meles; VI, Ursus, 1, Anterior lobe (paraconid) of blade ; 2, posterior (protoconid) 

 lobe of blade ; 3, inner cusp (metaconid) ; 4, talon (hypoconid). It will be seen that the 

 relative size of the two roots varies according to the development of the portion of the crown 

 they have respectively to support. 



with the primitive tritubercular type (p. 30) is indicated in the 

 figures. It may be observed, however, that the anterior lobe of the 

 three-lobed upper carnassial is an element added on to the more 

 primitive two-lobed type. When the talon of the lower carnassial, 

 as in Canis, consists of a large outer and small inner cusp, the latter 

 (not seen in the figure) is the entoconid. 



The toes are nearly always armed with large, strong, curved, 

 and tolerably sharp claws, ensheathing the ungual phalanges, and 

 held more firmly in their places by broad laminae of bone reflected 

 over their attached ends from the bases of the phalanges. In some 

 forms, most notably the Felidce, these claws are retractile ; that is to 



