The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-08-07
THE MORNING NEWS: SUNDAY, AUGUsT7, 1905

largest carnivOra are merely the spear
head" but che force which works
these Instruments is prodigious. 1t seems
as if for a moment the animal threw all
las bodily energy into the combination OF
muscular action which we call bite"
In most cases the mere shock of impact
as tho animal bite Itself ON its enemy. Is
entirely demorallzing or lnticts physical
injury. a muzzied mastif will hurt d man
to the ground in the effort 10 fasten IT'S
teeth in his throat or shoulder. Then, the
driving and crushing force of the jaw
muscles is astonishing. The swapping pow
er of an alhgator's laws = more or less
Ineligible. They are long, and furnished
with a row Of pointed teeth from end 10
end, But the jaws Of the lion leopard,
tiger, otter ferret or bab0on are short,
and the LONG and pointed teeth are few.
Yet each OF their species has a biting
power which in proportion TO Its size as
almost incredible.
Sir Samuel Baker who had a long and
varied acquaintance with the bites Of the
carnivora, noticed that the tiger usually
seized an Indian native by the shoulder,
and with one jaw on one side ard the
other on The other bit clean through
chest and back THE fatal wound was the
bite, which, through back and chest Pen
etrated the lungs" Europeans are killed
by the tigers bite as well as ldcerated by
the claws. a Mr.. Lawes, son of mis-
sionary of that name, was killed afer be-
ing shaken for a few moments by a tig-
ress, which then left him. He died next
day In nearly all cases the bite pene-
rates the lungs. This kind OF wound Is
characteristic Of the attack of many of
the felidoe. Scarcely any bird RECEIVERS
from a cats bite, for the same reason.
The canine teeth are almost instantly
driven through the lung under the wing.
The cheetah, which has a very small
mouth ALWAYS bites through the blaCk-
bucks throat.
The leopard when Selling smaller animals
such as dogs brushes the head, when at
lacking men It aims at biting through
the lungs. Sir Samuel Baker must again
be quoted In Africa a native boy was
firing reeds, accompanied by his brother.
AZ leopard seized one boy and was almost
instantly killed by The other, VINO hurled
his spear so accurately that it separ1 ed
the vertebrae OF the leepard's neck. The
boy was carried to my hut says SIR
Samuel, "but there was no chance OF re-
covery, as the fangs had torn open The
chest and injured the lungs These were
exposed to view through the cavity be-
tween his ribs, He died during the night
The worst of the Swapping bites OF
mammals is that of the wolf. The Jaws
unlike those of the feelidae, are very long.
A male wolf S head often seems TO be
more than a quarter OF ats length with
out the tan. some Judges htt IL at lANe'AAg
third of the total length of its body. The
bite is always a snap, which Will ear
away a mass of flesh from a stll running
animal or inflict a mortal wound on the
lower parts Of the body. The crocodile
bite is the most formidable Of the snap
ping order. Though its teeth are only
row of spikes, it can cut off limb or
bite a fish weighing seventy pounds into
two pieces as cleanIy as If they were cl-
vided by a knife, .,.,'
Among the minor forms Of bite to which
persons in this country are Liable are those
of the fox, the ferret, the rat ana the
stoat The writer has seen a large grey
hound which coursed a fox completely us
abled by two bites inflicted instantaneous
ly-one across the greyhound's muzzle, the
other on its thigh. He has been pltteh
through the finger by a ferret, most
painful experience, and has seen SIX
pound pike lying apparently dead on the
grass, spring up and bite person hanu'
cutting the forehnger to the bone. Inc
pike did not bark like a dog" as did that
which Mr.. Briggs caught, but it certainly
bit like a cat Adders fat Is still sold in
the New Forest as an antidote for rat
! bites.
Horses usually seize person by the
arm or shoulder when they bite. Inc re-
suit is more often a very serious brulse,
like a Jam in a door, than a wound. But
the great offender in this respect is our
friend the dog" and the greatest suffer
ers are young children. We have known
a little girl of 10 years almost bitten to
death by petted St Bernard dog, which
was Jealous of her, and boy of mauled
and lacerated by a bulldog for the same
reason. AS most persons keep dogs for
their own amusement, it is incumbent on
them to remember that, though the best
of domesticated animals, they are, poten-
tally. dangerous wild beasts, and If they
show signs of vice should be dismissed by
euthanasia, not sold TO some one else.