206 DIVISION OP CARNIVORA INTO FAMILIES. 



size would make their resistance formidable, or whose swiftness 

 would give them a good chance of escape from direct pursuit. 

 But when they have made their spring, the claws are caused to 

 project, by the action of the muscle just mentioned ; and they 

 are then used to seize and tear their prey, for which purposes 

 their strength, sharpness, and curved form render them very 

 efficient. The movement here described may be readily observed 

 by every one, in the foot of the Domestic Cat. 



185. The division of this order into families is chiefly based 

 upon the conformation of the teeth and extremities, which here 

 afford very constant and distinct characters, and are closely 

 connected with the general structure and habits of the animals. 

 Of those with digitigrade extremities, we have, 1. FELIDJS, or 

 the Cat tribe, which is evidently the typical family of the order, 

 being the one in which the carnivorous propensity is most strongly 

 manifested, and in which the instruments of destruction are most 

 completely adapted for ite exercise. The family is characterised 

 by the short, powerful jaws, the retractile claws, and the peculiar 

 adaptation of the teeth for cutting. The dentition is as follows ; 

 incisors , canines ~, false molars Jf*, carnivorous molars ~ 9 

 tubercular molars {^. The canines are very large, the molars have 

 sharp edges, the carnivorous tooth is very large and sharp, and 

 the tuberculated molar very small in the upper jaw, and entirely 

 wanting in the lower. 2. CANTON, or the Dog tribe, in which 

 the carnivorous propensity is not so strong ; the jaws are more 

 elongated, and the claws not retractile. The dentition is as 

 follows ; incisors , canines |^, false molars ~, carnivorous mo- 

 lars \~, tubercular molars *"*. 3. HY^ENID^E, or the Hyaena 

 tribe, which combine somewhat of the form of the Dogs, with a 

 dentition approaching that of the Cats, whilst, like the Civets 

 forming the following family, they possess a pouch under the 

 anus. The claws are non-retractile. The dentition is, incisors |, 

 canines ~, false molars ~, carnivorous molars , tubercular 

 molars i^-. These are followed by two families in which a por- 

 tion of the sole of the hind feet at least is applied to the ground 

 in walking, whence the animals are called semi-plantigrade. 



