36 
LOWER MAMMAL GALLERY. 
strongly built, with short heads and ears, and, except in the 
Lynxes, long hairy tails, which are never prehensile. They are 
invariably digitigrade (that is to say, they walk on their toes^ 
not on their palms and soles), and are provided with five toes 
on the fore-feet, of which the first, or thumb, does not touch 
the ground, and four on the hind-feet, the first being entirely 
suppressed. Their sharp, powerful, and strongly-curved claws 
are retractile (i. e. they can be drawn back when not in use, to 
prevent them from being blunted by contact with the ground), 
the mechanism of this retraction being explained below. In 
disposition Cats belong to the fiercest of animals, and Man has 
succeeded in taming, to a certain extent, only one member of the 
group, the common Domesticated Cat. All the other species 
Bones and Tendons of Toe of the Cat. A, with retracted, and 
B, with extended claw. 
a, tendon of extensor muscle; b, retractor ligament; me, metacarpal; 
ph (1, 2, and 3), 1st, 2nd, and 3rd phalanges; s, hony sheath, into 
which the claw is fixed. 
become savage and blood-thirsty when adult, even if, as kittens, 
they are apparently docile and attached to their masters. The 
geographical distribution of Cats extends over the whole world, 
with the exception of Madagascar and the Australian region. 
Cats have unusually long and powerful canine teeth, admirably 
suited for seizing and killing their prey, and sharp-edged 
scissor-like sectorial teeth, equally well adapted for cutting up 
