278 Descriptive Zoology. 



with long, stiff legs and a very short neck. Even if he 

 were not stiff-legged and short-necked, it would be incon- 

 venient for him to dispense with the trunk so long as he 

 retains the tusks. These are the long upper incisors, 

 which are of solid ivory, the slight amount of enamel 

 which originally covered the tips soon wearing away. 

 Elephants are herbivorous and have one large grinding 

 tooth in each half-jaw. The skull is not heavy in proportion 

 to its size, as it has many large air spaces. The skin re- 

 tains a few scattered hairs, with a distinct tuft at the end 

 of the tail. Two species of elephants are found, one in 

 India, the other in Africa. Still larger than the elephants 

 were their (now extinct) relatives, the mastodon and the 

 mammoth. 



The Flesh Eaters. The flesh eaters, or beasts of prey, 

 are fitted for their life (i) by their activity; (2) by their 

 sharp teeth, especially the long canines; (3) by the claws, 

 usually sharp and strong ; (4) by their color, usually in har- 

 mony with their surroundings. The lower jaw is so hinged 

 that only an up-and-down, or true hinge motion, is per- 

 mitted ; this should be considered in comparison with the 

 lateral jaw movements of ungulates and the gliding for- 

 ward-and-back of the rodents. Instead of being flat-topped, 

 the molars are somewhat like saw-teeth, the upper and 

 lower shutting past each other like shear blades. The 

 flesh eaters have simple stomachs and relatively short in- 

 testines, as the digestion of flesh is short and easy as com- 

 pared with that of vegetable food. The senses are generally 

 very acute. As there is considerable variation in adapta- 

 tion to the conditions of life, let us consider four types of 

 flesh eaters as represented by the cat, dog, bear, and seal. 



The Cats. Cats are distinguished from the other beasts 

 of prey by having the claws retractile, that is, they can be 



