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VERTEBRATA. 
We place at the head of this article an engravmg of the soft, pleasant, purring puss of our 
firesides, for, gentle as she seems, she is the representative of the most predaceous family among 
quadrupeds. She is, in fact, cousin-german to the lion, the tiger, the cougar, and jaguar, all 
of which belong to the tribe of cats. The difference between these creatures and puss is, that 
while she feeds on mice, they feed on sheep, deer, antelopes, and buffaloes, or, if a chance offers, 
upon man himself. They all make prey of living animals, and are admirably fitted by nature 
for the war they incessantly wage on other creatures. In their structure, the head is short and 
almost rounded in its form, for although the zygomatic arches and ridges ai-o greatly developed, 
the muscles for moving the jaws <ire so exceedingly large as to fill up all the cavities, and pro- 
duce a smooth, plump surface. The jaws are short, the dentition consisting of six incisors and one 
canine, above and below; four prje-molars above and two below, on each side; and two molars 
above and one below, also on each side. The canines are long, sharp, compressed, and cutting ; 
the prfe-molars are furnished with two roots, compressed, pointed, and serrated ; the flesh-teeth ■ 
or true molars are very large, sharp-edged, and terminated by two or three points; and behind 
the flesh-tooth in the upper jaw there is a small tubercular tooth which is wanting in the lower 
jaw. In addition to this formidable apparatus of cutting teeth, the tongue in these animals is 
covered with small recurved prickles, with which they are enabled to lick the last particles of 
flesh from the bones of their prey. 
In the form of their bodies the cats are all light, and excessively muscular, so that their 
activity is astonishing. Their legs are usually of moderate length, but exceedingly powerful ; 
and the toes — five before and four behind — are armed with long, curved, and acute claws, which 
are preserved from being blunted by a peculiar arrangement of the phalanges. For this purpose, 
the last or claw joint of each toe is drawn back, by ligaments attached to the penultimate joint, 
until it assumes a perpendicular position, when the claw, which it supports, is completely retracted 
within a sort of sheath, and is entirely concealed by the fur. This is effected by the elasticity 
