THE ZOOLOGICAL POSITION OF THE DOG. 7 



mg, as may be readily observed by comparing the teeth of 

 the dog (pages 174 and 175) with those of some ruminant 

 like the ox. Moreover, while the jaws of the ruminant 

 have very free fore-and-aft and lateral movements, those of 

 the dog are restricted almost wholly to the vertical plane. 



Such teeth, moreover, are the principal weapons of 

 defense and attack in the dog as in other carnivora. 



The limbs have freely movable toes or digits armed 

 with strong and sharp claws. 



Mostly the carnivora are digitigrade, have a strong 

 odor, are widely distributed, and have a two-horned uterus, 

 all of which applies to the dog, even to the odor which 

 is so pronounced in some breeds that in the house they are 

 unpleasant companions, though this feature can be greatly 

 modified by feeding, etc. 



On the next page is given a cut of the skeleton of the 

 dog and the technical names applied to its various parts. 



To bring the structure of the dog into comparison 

 with that of man we must place man on all fours, suppose 

 his jaws greatly lengthened out, his skull much flattened 

 and reduced in size, his chest flattened somewhat from 

 side to side, one rib added, his clavicle or collar-bone 

 absent, and, of course, his dentition modified to the car- 

 nivorous type. 



Turning to the limbs, we must suppose him to walk on 

 his fingers and toes (digits), which have been somewhat 

 bent or flexed, and the nails elongated, thickened, nar- 

 rowed, and pointed. It will follow that the bones be- 

 tween the digits and the wrist or ankle will be placed 

 more or less vertically, while what is known as the wrist 

 in man will become the " knee " in the dog, and the heel 



