ANIMALS WITH AND WITHOUT COMBS 49 



of rainfall. In the cold season the evaporation is 

 greatly less than in summer. Hence though less rain 

 falls in December and January than in July and 

 August, it fills the dykes much more effectually. The 

 ground is wetter, the springs and rivers fuller in 

 average winter than in average summer weather. 



ANIMALS WITH AND WITHOUT COMBS. 



I sit by the fire and lazily watch Theta cleaning and 

 smoothing her fur. She not only washes, but combs 

 her fur with her tongue. We have all allowed some 

 pet Cat to lick our hands, and know very well that 

 she has a rough tongue. Cuvier tells us that the 

 Lion's tongue is so rough that it can be used to rasp 

 the flesh from the bones, and it has been said that the 

 Cat's tongue is used in the same way. In the case of 

 the Lion, the horny, recurved, claw-like papillae are 

 nearly a quarter of an inch long, but I doubt whether 

 the Cat's tongue is an efficient rasp. What then is the 

 use of the horny papillae which the Cat too possesses ? 

 I think that they are chiefly serviceable as a comb, and 

 that it is because the Cat bears fur, and not because 

 she devours flesh that she has a prickly tongue ? Are 

 then all fur-bearing animals provided with a prickly 

 tongue ? By no means. There are other ways in 

 which fur can be kept sleek besides combing. The 

 Rabbit, for instance, washes his face like a Cat, but 

 there are no prickles on his tongue. How he keeps 

 his fur in good^rder I do not know. The Fur-seals 

 would, I imagine, find it an unpleasant task to lick 



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