THE MISSING TOOTH 83 



round about. Picking up the skull, I found the jaws 

 locked together as if they were a single solid bone. 

 One of the two incisor teeth of the upper jaw was 

 missing, and apparently had never developed. The 

 opposite tooth on the lower jaw, thus unopposed 

 and so unworn, had grown beyond its normal height 

 up into the empty socket above, then on, turning 

 outward and piercing the cheek-bone in front of the 

 eye, whence, curving like a boar's tusk, it had 

 slowly closed the jaws and locked them, rigid, set, 

 as fixed as jaws of stone. 



At first the animal had been able to gnaw ; but 

 as the tooth curved through the bones of the face 

 and gradually tightened the jaws, the creature got 

 less and less to eat, until, one day, creeping out of 

 the burrow for food, the poor thing was unable to 

 get back. 



We seldom come upon the like of this. It is com- 

 moner than we think ; but, as I have said, it is 

 usually hidden away and quickly over. How often 

 do we see a wild thing sick a bird or animal suf- 

 fering from an accident, or dying, like this muskrat, 

 because of some physical defect ? The struggle be- 

 tween animals the falling of the weak as prey to 

 the strong is ever before us ; but this single- 

 handed fight between the creature and Nature is a 

 far rarer, silenter tragedy. Nature is too swift to 

 allow us time for sympathy. 



At best there is only a fighting chance in the 



