Cats, Dogs, Lions. 103 



They never have collar-bones. The skull of a 

 carnivore can be easily known by the prominent 

 medial crest for the attachment of the powerful 

 muscles which move the lower jaw (fig. 49, 7). 



The dog is a typical carnivore, whose teeth are 

 represented by the formula 



33 i i 44 33 



In progression dogs are digitigrades, that is they only 

 rest on the last joint of their toes in walking, and 

 their claws are blunt, not capable of being retracted. 

 The numerous races of dogs cannot be sharply 

 marked off from each other, nor can some of the 

 varieties of the dog be sharply differentiated from 

 wolves. The wolf has usually erect ears and larger 

 teeth, but no absolute point of difference can be 

 relied upon. The fox has an oval pupil and a more 

 bushy tail. All the true dogs have comparatively 

 smooth tongues. 



The family Felidcz, or cats, are also digitigrade 

 carnivores, but they differ from the Canidce, or dogs, 

 in having the claws capable of retraction when not in 

 use, and thus they are preserved from undue friction 

 and are sharp ; the retraction is accomplished by 

 mean 3 of lateral elastic ligaments. The cats are 

 more purely flesh-eaters than the dogs, and usually 

 hunt and kill their prey ; their dentition is 



33 I I 22 I -I 



The lion is a native of Africa and Asia, the tiger, the 



