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THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 



ruminants, which are the most abundant herbivores of to-day, 

 seldom molesting the short-necked, thick-skinned pachyderms 

 such as the rhinoceros and the elephant. The Sabre -Tooth 

 appears to have used his great canine fangs in a quite different 

 method of attack; the whole structure of the animal indicates 

 that he struck them forcibly into the side of his prey, the mouth 

 gaping wide meanwhile, and then presumably withdrew them 

 with a ripping, tearing stroke, leaving a great gash whereby a 



FIG. 20. THE HEAD OF SMILODON. OUTLINE RESTORATION 

 To show the widely gaping jaw. By Chas. R. Knight 



large animal would soon bleed to death. By this method he 

 would be peculiarly fitted to attack the great pachyderms, with 

 which his exceptional muscular strength especially fitted him to 

 cope while his lack of speed and agility would render him much 

 less dangerous to the swift-footed ruminants and horses of the 

 time. We may infer therefore that, while the true Cats were 

 evolved to prey upon the larger swift running quadrupeds and 

 developed speed and agility to catch their prey, the Sabre-Tooth 

 was evolved to prey upon the powerful and massive contingent 

 of the Herbivora, and developed enormous muscular strength 

 and peculiar weapons of attack to cope with these animals. 



The true Cats are not common as fossils, and our collections 



