Page:Natural History (1848).djvu/71



The food of the preceding orders, though not procured without the destruction of animal life, is yet obtained, almost entirely, from the invertebrate classes, Insects and Worms. For the capture and conquest of these no great vigour is required, and hence we have seen the animals to be small in size, and comparatively feeble in the organization necessary for the destruction of life. In this Order, however, to use the words of one of the greatest zoologists, "the sanguinary appetite is combined with the force necessary for its gratification. There are always four stout and long separated canines, between which are six incisors to each jaw. The molars are either wholly cutting, or have some

SKULL OF TIGER.

blunted tuberculous parts, but are never studded with sharp conical projections."