SOME COMMON ANIMALS 



end they have become " re tractile/ ' or capable of being drawn 

 up into a sheath, so that the points shall not be worn down in 

 walking (Fig. 6). As the jaws are not used to pull down the 

 prey they are shorter than in the dog, while the teeth are fewer 

 but more powerful. 



The large and small cats differ in one very interesting par- 

 ticular in their method of feeding; for while lions and tigers, 

 for example, grip their food 

 between the fore-limbs and tear 

 off lumps of flesh with the 

 teeth, the smaller cats tuck 

 away the fore-limbs under the 

 body, and shear off the flesh 

 from the bones by means of 

 the scissor-like " cheek-teeth/' 

 But both large and small cats 

 agree with one another, and 

 differ from the dog, in the ex- 

 treme roughness of the tongue, 

 which is beset with numerous 

 hard, pointed bodies, giving the 

 tongue the character of a rasp, 

 whereby the last particle of 

 flesh may be licked off the bones 

 of their victims. 



Dogs are more or less whole coloured, and, except hyaenas, 

 are never striped. Cats are generally either striped or blotched. 

 When, as in the lion or puma, the adults are whole coloured, 

 the young are striped and blotched. 



The young of both the cat and the dog for some time after 

 birth are perfectly helpless, and for many days cannot even 

 see, the eyelids being sealed up. When first opened the eyes 

 are blue in colour, though later they change either to a dark 

 brown or, as in the cat tribe, to some shade of yellow or green. 



FIG. 6. The toes of a lion, showing the 

 position of the claw when extended and 

 when retracted, c, horny sheath of claw ; 

 s, the bony claw, the base of which is 

 surrounded by a bony collar affording 

 attachment to the horny sheath ; /, the 

 tendon which brings the claw into use ; 

 , the tendon by which it is pulled back. 



