caenivoea. 67 



Obd. CAENIVORA. 



Fer^ nohmaleb, Gray. — Secuudates, apud Blyth. 



n 



Incisors, -^; canines large, acuminate; molars uniformly enamelled, 

 6 



with acute uneven crown, and one or more of the hinder teeth tubercu- 

 lated. Toes mostly cloven for a short distance, but with more or less 

 membrane between them ; usually five in front, and four behind. 



This order includes all those animals usually called beasts of prey. 

 Their limbs are mostly adapted for rapid exercise, their muscular energy 

 is great, and their circulation and respiration rapid. They are not all 

 exclusively carnivorous, some hving partly on vegetable food, and in these 

 the tuberculated teeth exceed the cutting ones ui extent. The incisors are 

 of small or moderate size, and cutting, the outer pair always the largest, 

 and medial the smallest, especially in the upper jaw. The canines are 

 stout and separated. The molars graduate from trenchant to tuberculate. 

 The teeth of the lower jaw pass within those of the upper. One of the 

 molar teeth, which exceeds the rest in size, is furnished with a sharp 

 cutting edge, and is the " scissor-tooth" of some naturalists, the " flesh- 

 tooth," "la camassiere" of F. Cuvier. According to Owen, the typical 



4 4 3 3 



number of prsemolars is, j — i i of molars, ^ — - ; but they vary in the 



different famihes. 



The cranium is characterised by the shortening of the bones of the face 

 and the smallness of the posterior aspect. A strong occipital crest sepa- 

 rates it from the anterior portion of the skull. A large median crest exists 

 in many, to afford a strong and extended surface of attachment to the 

 powerful temporal muscles. The orbit and large temporal fossa are con- 

 founded in one great excavation. The zygomatic arch is perfect and of 

 great size. The nasal bones are small. The ascending ramus of the 

 lower jaw is large, and is articulated by a hinge joint, which confines the 

 motion to a perpendicular one. In some there is a long process in the in- 

 ternal surface of the cranium, separating the cerebrum from the cerebellum. 

 The clavicle is absent or rudimentary, except in the Bears, and perfect in 

 none. The sternum is usually well developed longitudinally. The two 

 bones of the forearm are distinct. 



The stomach is simple; the intestinal canal short; and there is a small 



