ORDEIIS OF irAMMALIA. 



349 



eminences, which render it rough and prickly, and adapt it for the 

 office of licking flesh from the bones of the prey. They are all 

 extremely light upon theii' feet, and excessively muscular ; and all 

 have the habit of seizing their prey by suddenly springing vipon it. 

 In this section are tlie Lion {Felts leo), the Tiger {Felis tigris), the 

 Jaguar {Felis onca), the Puma {Felis concolor), the Leopard {Felis 

 leopardns), the Lynxes, and the true Cats. 



The Lions are entirely confined to the Old World, inhabiting 

 Southern Asia and Africa. The males are maned, and the tail is 

 tufted. The Royal Tiger is exclusively Asiatic, as are most of the 

 Tiger-cats, but some of the latter are American. The Spotted Cats 

 or Leopards are represented, among others, by the Leopard and 

 Cheetah of the Old World and the well-known Jaguar of the Amer- 

 ican continent. The Puma is also American, but its colour is uni- 

 form. The Lynxes are distinguished by their tufted ears, and are 

 foimd both in the Eastern and Western hemispheres. 



Order XIII. Eodentia. 



In this order are a number of small animals, characterised by the 

 absence of canine teeth, and the possession of two long curved 

 incisor teeth in both jaws, which are separated by a wide interval 

 from the molars (fig. 254). There are seldom more than two incisors 

 in the upper jaw (sometimes four), but there are never more than 



Fig. 251.- 



-A, Side-view of the skull of a Rodent (Cynomi's). B, Molar teeth of the 

 upper jaw of the Beaver {Castor fiber). (After Giebel.) 



two in the lower jaw. The molar teeth are few in number (rarely 

 more than four on each side of each jaw). The feet are usually 

 furnished with five toes each. 



The most characteristic point about the Rodents is to be found 

 in the structure of the incisor teeth, which are adapted for con- 

 Ifi 



