CIVETS, MACHAIRODONTS, AND CATS 



171 



it is a veritable 

 double-edged 

 saw - blade. This 

 probably was the only 

 species of sabre tooth 

 that was seen by the 

 inhabitants of Britain. It was 

 not larger than a leopard, however. 

 The configuration of the skull of 

 these British Machairodonts (more 

 so than in the extreme South American 

 developments of the same genus) cer- 

 tainly resembled in a superficial way 

 the skull of the tiger quite sufficiently 

 to justify the name first applied to them of 

 "sabre-toothed tigers," but none of the 

 European species, except, perhaps, M. 

 cultridenS) was equal to the tiger in size, 

 resemblance to the tiger is largely due to parallel- 

 ism, and not to any close affinity of descent ; for 



EXAMPLES OF UPPER CANINE TOOTH IN LION AND IN TWO MACHAIRODONTS. 



Teeth are drawn natural size. 

 I. Upper canine tooth of Lion (Felis led) ; n. of Machairodus latidens ', in. of Machairodus cultridens. 



