Fig. 75.

The Wolf,[175] showing the dog-like form, and long mouth full of teeth.

Moreover, it is quite a mistake to suppose that the greater part of the life of a lion or a wolf is spent in killing and destroying, any more than ours is because we eat beef and mutton. The Lion, at any rate, never attacks an animal unless he is hungry, and even the wolf, generally considered so cruel and

Footnote 175. Canis lupus.

bloodthirsty and pitiless, spends the greater part of the year in some quiet place in the mountains with wife and cubs, only hunting for their daily food (though sometimes he is guilty of killing more than he needs), and playing, gambolling, and resting the remainder of the time.

It is when winter comes, and the young ones are stronger and food is scarce, that he grows wild with hunger, and starts off, with a number of others, to scour the forests, so that the animals fly in terror as they hear the howling from afar; and even the traveller, driving his sledge across the snow, urges his frightened horses to their utmost speed, since, with a pack of hungry wolves, even if he has firearms, his life is at stake.

The Wolf, with his relations, the foxes and jackals,[176] is the form of flesh-eating animals which has become least altered from the general type of milk-givers. He has the slim form peculiar to flesh-eaters, but the claws of his feet cannot be drawn in like those of tigers, nor has he those powerful hindquarters which enable them to bound and leap, or the strong paw and fore leg with which they give the death-blow to their prey. Moreover, his face is long like a sheep’s, and his jaws are full of teeth, some of which are blunter than the tiger’s teeth, and more fitted for grinding, for wolves and dogs are omnivorous. But then, on the other hand, he is not so much of a vegetarian as the bears, nor has he their clumsy gait and cumbersome body, for he walks

Footnote 176. These are united in one family, the Canidæ or Dog family; but this name is unfortunate, as there are no original wild dogs, only those which have run wild from man. Dogs are now almost certainly shown to be descended from wolves and jackals.

upon his toes and not his flat foot; lastly, his front teeth are large and sharp, and his fangs strong, for they are his chief weapons, and he uses them with wonderful effect. He is essentially a running animal, and chases his prey, rarely leaping on it but tearing it down with his teeth. Strong as he is, he seldom attacks an animal larger than himself, except when he has companions to help him, and then, indeed, he makes little account of a horse or a buffalo, for combination and co-operation are the great strength of the wolf tribe. Even their cowardly cousins the Jackals hunt in packs when they attack living animals, feeding at other times on offal and the remains of the lion’s feast. Yet such is the power of numbers that there is no part of the world, except a few islands, where some member of the wolf family is not to be found. In Northern Europe, Asia, and North America, the common wolves and the prairie wolves hunt in large packs, and in South America the Red Wolf takes their place. In Africa and India the jackals wander with their dismal howl; and even in Australia the wild Dingo dog, probably brought there long ago by savage man, is the terror of all peaceful creatures.

Nor must we forget the cunning clever Fox, with his keen face and bushy tail; for he, curiously enough, is the only one of the wolf family which always hunts alone. The reason of this probably is that he contents himself with small prey—birds, rabbits, and game; while his burrowing habits, his cunning, and his night-hunting, enable him to escape destruction. He is one of the most subtle and knowing of animals except, perhaps, the jackal; and the fact that the pupil of his eye expands and contracts like a cat’s, especially fits him for night-work. So, although he has only himself to depend upon, his race has spread from the Arctic regions, where the Blue Fox wanders over the frozen sea to eat dead seals, down to Africa where the tiny Fennecs feed upon dates, and South America where the Gray Foxes follow the jaguar, as the jackals in Africa do the lion.

And now, does it not seem strange that from a family so fierce and bloodthirsty as the wolf family, our own true, faithful, large-hearted dog should have sprung? But do not let us be too hasty. Remember that this hunting and killing is not for pleasure but for daily bread, and that the wolf and jackal at home are good, tender, and loving parents; and, moreover, that they have both of them been tamed, and shown great affection to man.

Surely we wrong the animals when we call bad men “brutes,” for men love and forget, but a dog will die on his master’s grave, and a tame wolf, whose mistress went away, pined and grieved till she returned, when, on hearing her footstep, he bounded to meet her, and springing up upon her, fell back dead,—his faithful heart had burst with the shock of joy.

And then, also, we must remember that the family of the wolf is the only one among the carnivora in which the animals hunt in packs, so as to learn sociable habits and to obey the will of others. And here, perhaps, we have the reason why, though we have tamed the cat and brought her to our homes, she still remains half-defiant, and can never be taught to work for man; while the dog, on the contrary, has become our obedient servant, and will tend our sheep, guard our homes, and defend our lives.

Fig. 76.

The Tiger.

Showing slim body, muscular thighs, strong front legs and paws, and short face with large teeth, all with sharp edges, especially one (the carnassial), near the back in both jaws.

Loving, and affectionate indeed, as she is, yet the cat will probably never entirely lose the free untamable spirit of her tribe, for if we search the whole world over we shall not find a creature better fitted for a hunter of prey than the wild cat, the lion, or the tiger. Gentle and loving at home with the wife and little ones, patting with soft paws in which the claws are hidden, and doing no harm to any one till food is needed, yet when they are once out on the chase we see that every part of their

structure is of use in approaching and overcoming their victims.

Look at the Tiger as he moves along, crouching to spring upon his prey. Here we have no round barrel-shaped body, with a tight-fitting skin, as in the horse and ox, but a slim slender-waisted animal, which is lithe and nimble, because feeding on nourishing flesh he can do with a small stomach and short digesting tube. So, too, his loose hanging skin, forming a flap under his body, saves him from wounds in his adventurous life, for, when seized by teeth or claw, this skin wrinkles up, so that even if a good grip be taken the tender flesh underneath may escape. This flesh itself is firm and solid, being made of powerful muscles, while the cords or tendons of the body are so thick and strong that he can kill an ox with a blow of his paw; and under this flesh again are bones polished like ivory, far more compact and firm than those of most animals, and bound together by strong ligaments, the rounded joints moving smoothly upon each other and causing those graceful movements which enable him to creep stealthily and spring upon his prey. Lastly, the tips of his toes, upon which he walks, are clothed underneath with a soft pad which breaks his fall when he leaps, and makes his footfall silent as he creeps through the jungle; while, nevertheless, he has sharp claws hidden within to strike when needful.

These movable claws are indeed peculiar to the cat or feline tribe (though the civets and ichneumons can draw theirs in half), and they are caused by the second joint of the toe being grooved, while the end joint, curved and covered with a horny claw, is drawn back by a strong elastic band (l) till it lies in this groove so that the outgrowing skin of the toe covers it. There it remains so long as it is not wanted; but when the animal bends its paw to strike, another band or tendon (t) under the toe is tightened and the claws are thrown forward, burying themselves in the flesh of the victim.

Fig. 77.

Claws of the Cat or Tiger.

A, claw held back by the strong ligament l; B, claw pulled forward by the tendon t being drawn back, so that l is stretched out.

So in shape, in limbs, and in claws, the tiger, the lion, and their relations, are the perfection of hunting animals; and when we examine the well-formed head set upon the strong neck, so that it can turn widely from side to side, ever on the watch, we see that here too everything is fitted for the work. Not only are his ears so quick of hearing that the smallest rustle in the grass startles him at once, while his large round eyes have a special reflecting mirror at the back to catch the faint rays of evening light when he prowls abroad, but the whisker-like tufts on his face are so provided with nerves at their base that when he raises them they are the most delicate feelers to guide him in the dark. Then, instead of the long narrow face, flat teeth, and sideways-moving under jaw of the horse or ox, we find that he has a large broad brain-case with a well-formed brain within, and a short face with rough bony ridges upon it, to support powerful muscles

which move the lower jaw up and down, so as to mince the food, and even crush solid bones.

Such a small mouth cannot hold many teeth, and the front ones, though sharp and pointed, are small, for the tiger does not fight with his teeth like the wolf, but strikes with his heavy paw. But the eye-teeth are immensely large, strong, and dagger-like, to hold the prey and tear the flesh apart, and all the double teeth behind, especially the last bottom tooth and the one to match it above, have very sharp cutting edges, so that, when the two jaws work against each other they divide the flesh like a pair of shears. Lastly, his tongue is not soft and fleshy, so as to serve for tasting, but very rough, and covered with horny pimples which serve to rasp the flesh from the bones of his prey.

Thus, in all the animals of the cat tribe, such as the lion, the tiger, the jaguar, and their relations, every part of the body has become fitted to help them in the work of destruction; and even their near relation the Hyæna, though he cannot keep his claws sharp by drawing them in, nor leap so well because his hind legs are short, makes up for this by his immensely strong jaw and conical teeth with which he attacks his prey, instead of using his paw, and which serve him to split open even the strongest thigh bone of a horse or ox, or to gnaw the ends to extract the marrow.

Page 37 of 47