MAMMALIA 



87 



2. Viverrines (Viverridae) ; 3. Hyaenas (Hysnidse) ; and 4. Earth- 

 wolves (Protelidae). 



I. Cats Proper (Felidse) include a vast variety of forms, 

 among which are the most highly specialized and, the most 

 rapacious of Carnivores. The teeth are fewer than in the other 



families and adapted to an 

 exclusively animal diet, and 

 the claws are usually pre- 

 vented from getting blunt 

 by being withdrawable into 



Fig. 54- — Lower part of the Fore-limb 

 of a Lion, to illustrate the digitigrade 

 structure, r, Radius ; u, ulna ; c, wrist- 

 bones; vt and d, bones of digits. 



F'g- 55.— One of the Digits of a Cat, (a) with 

 the claw in its ordinary position, (b) with the 

 claw pulled down. Ji, Tendon of the flexor 

 muscle, or muscle that pulls down the claw ; 

 el^ elastic ligament, which pulls back the claw. 



special sheaths, as everyone must have noticed in the domestic 

 cat (fig. 55). Members of the family are to be found in all 

 the continents except Australia, and they include: (i) the True 

 Felines, (2) the Lynxes, and (3) the Hunting Leopards. 



( I ) True Felines (genus Felis) have comparatively short strong 

 legs, and differ among themselves chiefly in the matter of size and 

 in the coloration and markings of the skin. The Lion {Felis led) 

 is the only species which, fortunately for the natives, does not 

 possess the power of climbing trees, and the absence of stripes or 

 spots may be noted. The mane of the male is also a characteristic 

 feature. Lions are chiefly found in Africa, but also range into 

 the south-west of Asia. The Tiger {Felis tigris) is the equal 

 of the lion as regards both size and strength, and its stealthy 

 habits render it much more dangerous. The dark stripes on the 

 skin are very characteristic, and their presence makes the animal 

 very inconspicuous in its natural surroundings. Both in Africa 

 and Asia spotted felines are to be found, to which the names 

 Leopard and Panther are indifferently applied. We have, for 



