CARNIVORA. 



583 



dogs have sprung, is still uncertain. It is worth while remem- 

 bering, however, all our varieties of dogs are capable of inter- 

 breeding ; and there is a strong probability that the Wolf is 

 the parent stock of at least some of our domestic breeds. The 

 Dog, in fact, will interbreed with both the Wolf and the Jackal. 



Fig. 226. — Skull of Jackal (Canis aureus). 



The genus C&nis, besides the Dog, contains the well-known 

 ]a.c\ia\. {Cajiis aureus), and th&YfoM {Cants lupus),, and many- 

 writers place the Foxes in the same genus. The Foxes, how- 

 ever, are better considered as forming a separate genus ( Vulpes), 

 of which there are many species, all more or less like the 

 common Fox ( Vulpes vulgaris). One of the most remarkable 

 species is the Arctic Fox, which abounds in the Arctic regions, 

 and changes its colour with the season, being brown in summer 

 and white in winter. The soles of its feet are hairy. Other 

 well-known Foxes are the Red Fox ( V. fulvus) of North Ame- 

 rica, the Deccan Fox ( V. Bengalensis) of India, and the Caama 

 ( V. Caama) of Africa. 



The Jackals have a round pupil and a dental formula like 

 that of the Dogs. They inhabit Asia and Africa, are gregari- 

 ous, hunt in packs, and burrow in the ground. 



The last group of the Digitigrada is that of the Felidce or 

 Cat tribe, comprising the most typical members of the whole 

 order of the Carnivora, such as the Lions, Tigers, Leopards, 

 Cat, and Panthers. The members of this family all walk upon 

 the tips of their toes, the soles of their feet being hairy, and 

 the whole of the metacarpus and heel being raised above the 

 ground (fig. 223, C). The jaws are short, and owing to this 

 fact, and to the great size of the muscles concerned in masti- 

 cation, the head assumes a short and rounded form, with an 

 abbreviated and rounded muzzle. The molars and prsemolars 

 are fewer in number than in any other of the Carnivora (hence 

 the shortness of the jaws), and they are all trenchant, except 



