HOW ANIMALS EAT. 69 



rel has two in each jaw, but remarkably developed ; the 

 Ox has none in the upper jaw, and the Elephant none in 

 the lower ; while the Sloth has none at all. 26 The canines, 

 so called because so prominent in the Dog, are conical, 

 and, except in Man, longer than the other teeth. They 

 are designed for seizing and tearing; and they are the 

 most formidable weapons of the wild carnivores. There 



FIG. 34. Skull of the Babirusa, or Malayan Hog, showing growth and curvature of 



the canines. 



are never more than four. They are wanting in all Ro- 

 dents, and in nearly all herbivorous quadrupeds. The 

 molars, or grinders, vary greatly in shape, but closely cor- 

 respond with the structure and habits of the animal, so 

 that a single tooth is sufficient to indicate the mode of 

 life and to identify the species. 27 In the Ruminants, Ro- 

 dents, Horses, and Elephants, the summits of the molars 

 are flat, like mill-stones, with transverse or curving ridges 



