Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 04.djvu/281

CARNIVORA. acterizod by the presence of external ears. The sea-lions, sea-bears, sea-elephants, fur-seals, etc., are well-known examples. (2) TrichechidiP (or Kosniarida-), the walruses (q.v.). of which only two species are known, characterized by the prolongation of the upi)er canine teeth into two powerful tusks. (3) Phocidie, or earless seals, characterized by the absence of external ears and the lack of tusks; there are about ten genera and some twenty sjjccies.

Cuvier proposed to divide the typical carni- vores into Plant ijiradcs. walking on the entire sole (e.g. bears), and Digitigrades, walking on finger-tips (e.g. cats) ; but these functional dif- ferences are rendered useless by the multitude of transitional links connecting them, and it is more accurate and useful to divide the order into three sections, represented familiarly by bear, dog, and cat, and technically kno«-n as Arctoidea, Cynoidea, -Eluroidea. The distinctions are based on certain features in the base of the skull, but are corroborated by other more general char- acteristics.

( 1 ) The Arctoidea, which are less specialized and nearest the aquatic suborder, are composed of six families — namely, the fur-bearers (Mus- telidiv), the bears (Ursidte), the raccoons (Pro- cyonid;^), and three small related families.

(2) The Cynoidea resemble the Arctoidea in most respects, and are composed of the single family C'<inid* — dogs, foxes, etc.

(3) .TJliiroidea are the most specialized of carnivores, represented l)y cats, civets, etc., of which there are six families. The whole order of Carnivora embraces about 300 living species. Pedigree and History. The fossil history of carnivora is of great interest, for not only have some remarkable forms like the sabre-toothed tiger (Macharodus) been unearthed, but the various families are linked together, as the eats and civets, by Proviverra, and the ancestors of at least the cats and the dogs are found in primitive generalized carnivores, such as Miacis, Oxhya^na, and Arctocyon. The group affords beautiful illustration of increasing and of di- vergent specialization, as illustrated in the pas- sage from primitive forms to the lion on the one hand, and to the seal on the other. As to the relations of the carnivora to other orders of mammals, speculation is rife, but firmly based conclusions are hard to find. Looking backward, some naturalists have discovered affinities with the marsupials; while others, looking forward, have, with more abundant evidence, regarded the primitive carnivores as ancestral to Insectivora, and through them to Clu-iroptera. And now there seems to be some evidence of not very dis- tant relationship between Oarnivora and Pri- mates.

Bini.iocRAPiiT. Consult authorities referreo to under M.mmaija; Cat; Dog; Bear, etc.

CARNIV'OROUS PLANTS. A peculiar griiui> (if plants, ])art of v.liose food consists ot animals, especially insects, captured by various contrivances, hence called also 'insectivorous plants.' Most of these plants live in undrained swamps, where the soil is poor in nitrogen, and it is believed by many that the carnivorous habit is thus a decided advantage to the organism. The sundew I Drosini) is one of the commonest and most iiilere-iting of the group. The leaves bear glandular hairs, which secrete a stiekv glisten- VoL. IV.— 10. ing substance. If an insect alights on the leaf it is held fast by the sticky substance, and the neighboring glandular hairs move toward it anil press against it. The glands contain digestive substances, which act upon the body

A leaf of the Sundew (Dro sera), show ing- the tentacleswhich capture insects: the tentacles at the right illustrate how they bend in toward an insect which has alighted on the leaf.

a. A bladder of the Bladderword (Utricularia). Insects are cap- tured here after the fashion of an eel-trap.

b. Hairs (supposedly with digestive functions) within the bladder of Utricularia.

of the insect, and convert it into materials that can be absorbed and utilized as food. In the Venus-flytrap (Dioiicea) the two halves of the leaf close suddenly, entrapping the insect. In the pitcher-plants (Sarracenia, Hvejienthes, etc.), Pitcher-like l.Mves (ascidia") of the Pitcher-Plant .(Sarra-cenia). Insects are often present in the li(|uid within the ascidia.

insects walk down the inner surface of tho pitcher-like leaf and are prevented from escap- ing by the hairs that point downward. The aquatic bladderwort (I'triculuriu) has a sort of cel-trap device f<u- entrapping insects. Consult: Darwin, Insectivorous Plants (London, 1875)-

CARNOCHAN, kiir'no-kan, Joim iluRE.w (1S17-ST). -An American surgeon, bcirii in Savannali. Ca. He w:is educated at Edinliurgh I'niversity and at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New York, and in 1847 began practice in New York. Dr. Carnochan ra]iidly rose to the first rank among practicing physicians and surgeons, and acquired great celebrity for the boldness and success of his operations, such as the removal of the lower jaw; the cure of elephantiasis by ligature of the femoral artery; excision of the ulna while preserving to the arm most of its functions: amputating the tliigh at the hip-joint, ami particularly for removing,