THE WOLF. 
279 
was so warm and dry that there was no 
danger of taking cold, Miss Winston con¬ 
sented. The girls hastened to clear away 
the remains of the supper, and were soon 
ready to sit down with their work, while 
Sidney gathered a quantity of oak-leaves 
and proceeded to make wreaths and trim¬ 
mings for their dresses. 
“The genus Canis, or the dog family,” 
began Miss Winston, “ is distinguished, like 
the genus Felis, by certain invariable cha¬ 
racteristics, though there is even more va¬ 
riety in its different members. They are 
digitigrade; that is, they walk upon their 
toes only, instead of upon the whole foot, 
like men and bears. Their claws are not 
retractile, but are strong, blunt, and fitted 
more for digging the ground than for 
tearing of holding their prey. Certain va¬ 
rieties have the sole of the foot protected 
by hair, which renders their movements 
particularly noiseless. The ears are large, 
pointed and movable, sometimes erect like 
those of the wolf, sometimes drooping like 
those of the spaniel. The tongue is long, 
soft, and thin at the edges. The teeth con¬ 
sist of six incisors or cutting-teeth above and 
