OR, PLAIN TEACHING. 



171 



The desman measures upwards 

 of ten inches in the length of the 

 head and body, the tail being 

 additional seven inches. It is 

 abundant in the lakes and rivers 

 of Southern Russia, When it 

 burrows on the banks, it takes 

 care to make the opening of its 

 dwelling too high lor the water 

 to enter, making allowance for 

 the swelling of the lakes and 

 rivers by occasional rains. It 

 exhales a strong musky odour, 

 and hence takes the name of the 

 mush rat J* 



The carnivora include a great 

 number of animals, among which 1 

 are those monarch s of the wilds 

 of nature, lions and tigers. These 

 animals are fitted by nature, not 

 only for eating flesh, but for 

 seizing and killing the creatures 

 upon which they are destined to 

 prey. 



The dental peculiarities of the 

 carnivora are strongly marked in 

 2 the teeth of 



the lion, 2. 

 The canine 

 teeth, 3, are 

 largely de- 

 v e 1 o p e d, 

 and project 

 forwards, slightly in front of the 

 line of the other teeth. The 

 incisors are situated in front 

 between the canine teeth, and 

 possess sharp cutting edges; the 

 molar teeth, situated behind the 

 canines, are peculiarly adapted, 

 by their unequal surfaces, to 

 lacerating animal substances. 



The foot of the lion, 5, exhibits 

 a most formidable weapon, pro- 



* Of British threws nnd hedgehogs we shall give a 

 description in " Our Walk «n the Fields." 



50G. 



507. 



vided with tremendous talons, 6. 

 which are darted G 

 forth at the will of 

 the animal by the 

 action of power- 

 ful muscles and ten- 

 dons, 7, 8. When 

 striking with 

 great violence, the 

 muscles strongly 

 contract, brace up 

 the tendons, and throw the talons 

 out. When the action is over, 

 the talons are drawn back into 

 their fleshy sheath, by the action 

 of elastic ligaments ; they are thus 

 preserved from being blunted and 

 injured by the movements of ti e 

 animal. 



The lips of the lion are sup- 

 plied with stiff bristly whiskers, 9. 

 These are important organs oj 

 touch. They are intimately con- 

 nected with acute nerves em- 

 bedded in the skin, by which they 

 communicate to the animal the 

 most vivid perception, not only 

 of contact with substances, but 

 of movements in the surround- 

 ing air. When a lion or tiger 

 is stealing cautiously through 

 karroos, 139, or jungles, 140, these 

 whiskers are of the utmost im- 

 portance ; they indicate the pre- 

 sence of any obstacle, prevent the 

 animal from rustling the leaves, 

 or producing any disturbance 

 which might alarm the prey of 

 which he is in pursuit; while the 

 soft pads that lie under his feet 

 enable him to move forward with 

 noiseless steps. These features — 

 the canine teeth, sharp talons, and 

 sensitive whiskers, are common to 

 a great number of the carnivorous 

 tribes. 



