CARNIVORA. 413 



them ; that the jaw of the Carnivore is strong by virtue of 

 certain proportions ; that it has a peculiarly shaped and arti- 

 culated condyle, with a plate of bone of breadth and height 

 adequate for the implantation of muscles, with power to 

 inflict a deadly bite ; that those muscles are of such magni- 

 tude as to require a large extent of surface for their origin 

 from the cranium, with concomitant strength and curvature 

 of the zygomatic arch ; the relation of the strong occipital 

 crest and lofty dorsal spines to vigorous uplifting and retrac- 

 tion of the head when the prey had been griped. When 

 Cuvier had recognized these facts, and studied their corre- 

 lations in a certain number of typical Carnivora, he felt 

 justified in asserting that " the form of the tooth gives that of 

 the condyle, of the blade-bone (s), and of the claws, just as 

 the equation of a curve evolves all its properties ; and exactly 

 as, in taking each property by itself as the base of a particular 

 equation, one discovers both the ordinary equation and all its 

 properties, so the claw, the blade-bone, the condyle, the femur, 

 and all the other bones individually, give the teeth, or are 

 given thereby reciprocally ; and in commencing by any of 

 these, whoever possesses rationally the laws of the organic 

 economy will be able to reconstruct the entire animal." The 

 principle is so evident, that the non-anatomical reader will 

 have little difficulty in satisfactorily comprehending it by the 

 aid of the subjoined diagram. 



In the jaws of the lion (fig. 160, h, m), there are large 

 pointed teeth (laniaries or canines, c) which pierce, lacerate, 

 and retain its prey. There are also compressed trenchant 

 teeth (h), which play upon each other like scissor-blades in 

 the movement of the lower upon the upper jaw. The lower 

 jaw (m) is short and strong ; it articulates to the skull by a 

 transversely extended convexity or condyle (d), received into 

 a corresponding concavity (V), forming a close-fitting joint, 

 which gives a firm attachment to the jaw, but almost restricts 



