FLESH-EATING MAMMALS 7 



The dental formula of the Cat is as follows (fig. 305): — 



Incisors = , canines = . premolars = - — - , molars = . 



2-2 i-i 2-2 i-i 



It will be seen that the total number of teeth is thirty, two less 

 than in Man, and that there are more above than below. The 

 eight incisors, being small and pointed, are of comparatively- 

 little use in dividing food, but the four 

 canines are large pointed tusks, emi- 

 nently adapted for seizing and holding 

 living prey, while the cheek-teeth 

 have sharp cutting edges quite unfit 

 for grinding, but very well suited for 

 dividing flesh. This is especially true 



,* , ,-^ -' . , Fi-g. 305. -Skull of Cat 



tor what are known as the carnassial 



teeth, which are the much-enlarged first lower molars and last upper 

 premolars {i.e. the third cheek-teeth above and below, counting 

 from the front). These work against one another like the blades 

 of a pair of scissors. It is also to be noticed that the Cat's lower 

 jaw is united to the skull by a very perfect hinge -joint, which 

 only allows of up-and-down movements without any lateral play. 

 The jaws of a Carnivore consequently form a very perfect ap- 

 paratus for seizing prey and afterwards dividing up its flesh by 

 a series of snaps. Other noteworthy features are the small spiny 

 projections with which the tongue is covered, converting it into 

 a very efficient rasp of great use in cleaning fragments of meat 

 from bones, and the comparative shortness of the digestive tube, 

 in striking contrast with what obtains in a vegetable feeder. 

 Plant food, in fact, is harder to digest than meat, and a very 

 large surface is necessary by which the digested matters can be 

 absorbed into the blood and lymph systems. 



What is true for a Cat as regards structure is in the main 

 true for all cat-like Carnivores, such as Lions, Leopards, Tigers, 

 and Jaguars. As a general rule, too, these animals are coloured 

 in such a way that they harmonize with their surroundings, and 

 are therefore better able to steal upon their victims without being 

 observed (fig. 306). This kind of coloration is of the kind 

 termed by naturalists general aggressive resemblance, which is seen 

 in many groups of widely -differing animals. The conspicuous 

 black and tawny stripes of a Tiger {Felis tigris) do not at first 



