QUADRUPEDS. 



341 



of new teeth, as the old ones become unfit for the masti- 

 cation of its food."'" 



In the Ruminantia generally the dentition is still in- 

 complete ; the incisors are absent from the upper jaw, the 

 gums forming there a callous pad to receive the action of 

 the lower teeth. Canines are found only in a few families. 



It is not until we reach the Unguiculate or Clawed 

 quadrupeds that we see the full complement of teeth. 

 Among the Carnivora, for example, both the upper and 

 under jaws are armed with molars, canines, and incisors; 

 the molars terminate in triangular cutting lobes, the 

 canines are stout, conical, and pointed; and the incisors 

 numerous, but small, flattened, and chisel-shaped. And 

 this seems to be the most perfect form of dentition in the 

 Animal Kingdom, that which belongs to a type of organi- 

 zation in which the characteristic attributes of an animal 

 are most fully developed. 



Let us, then, examine one of the Cat tribe {Felida) a 

 little more in detail. How admirably every part of the 

 structure is adapted to one end — the capture and destruc- 

 tion of living active prey — and how thoroughly all the 

 organs, and all the parts of the body, are ancillary to each 

 other ! The feet — the front pair in particular — are armed 

 with five strong, hooked, compressed, sharp talons. These 

 are the weapons principally relied on for dealing the death- 

 blow; it is needful, therefore, that they be kept always 

 clean, pointed, and in order. A beautiful mechanism 

 secures this. Every child knows, who has handled the 

 velvet paw of a Cat, that, in its ordinary condition, the 

 talons are quite concealed, but that in excitement they 



* Corse, in Brewster's "Encyclop." 



