714 



MAMMALIA. 



/ELUROIDEA. 



c.g.^ cat, civet, hyaena. 



CYNOIDEA. '■ 



e.g., dog, fox, wolf, jackal. 



ARCTOIDEA. 



c.s'-, bear, otter. 



Digicigrade. 



Typical dentition, 



3121 



Digitigrade. 



Typical dentition, 



I Plantigrade or sub-planti- 

 j grade. 



3143 



I Typical dentition, 



3143 



The tympanic bulla is much 

 dilated, rounded and thin- 

 walled, and is divided in- 

 to two chambers by an 

 internal septum (except 

 in Hyasnidae). 



The paroccipital process of 

 the ex-occipital is applied 

 to the hinder part of the 

 tympanic bulla. 



The caecum is small, rarely 

 absent. 



The tympanic bulla is dila- 

 ted, but the internal sep- 

 tum is rudimentary. 



The paroccipital process is 

 in contact with the bulla, 

 but it is prominent. 



The caecum is sometimes 

 short and simple, some- j 

 times long and peculiarly 

 folded. ! 



The tympanic bulla is often 

 depressed, and there is 

 no hint o{ an internal 

 septum. 



The paroccipital process 

 is quite apart from the 

 bulla. 



The caecum is absent. 



In retractile claws, the last phalanx of the digit with its attached claw 

 is drawn back into a sheath on the outer side of the middle phalanx in 

 the fore-foot, on the upper side in the hind-foot. When the animal is 

 at rest or is walking, the claw is retained in this bent position by an elas- 

 tic ligament, and is in this way protected. When the animal straightens 

 the phalanges, the claws are protruded. 



Digitigrade animals walk on their toes only, plantigrade forms plant 

 the whole sole of the foot on the ground, but between these conditions 

 there are all possible gradations. Most Carnivores are sub-plantigrade, 

 often when at rest applying the whole of the sole to the ground, but 

 keeping the heel raised to a greater or less extent when walking. 



/Eluroidea— Cat-like Carnivores. 

 Family Felidce, including the most specialised forms. The canines 



T 



are large, the molars are reduced to -, the carnassials are the 



I 

 last premolars above {with a three-Iobed blade), and the molars 

 beneath (with a two-lobed blade). The skull is generally 

 rounded, the zygomatic arches are wide and strong, the tym- 

 panic bullLie are large and smooth. The limits are digitio-rade, 

 the claws retractile. There is no alisphenoid canal. ^ The 



dentition of the typical genus FcUs is — — ■ 



1121 



Examples:— The lion [Fclis Ico) in Africa, Mesopotamia Persia 



N.-W. India ; the tiger {F. Tigris), widely distributed^ in 



Asia ; the leopard {F. Pardus) in Africa, India, Ceylon 



Sumatra, Borneo, &c. ; the wild cat {F. catus) ; the Caffre 



