MAMMALIA 



381 



and Ontario, but ranging southward into the United States. The 

 Bay lynx, wild cat or bob-cat, is found east of the Mississippi in 

 wooded areas, and extends westward to the Pacific coast states. It is 

 a formidable enemy of cotton tail rabbits. 



Fig. 213. Jaguar. (Courtesy of N. Y. Zool. Soc.) 



The lion has been considered the king of beasts for centuries.^ 

 Amenenhat I. recorded proudly, 2000 B.C., " I hunted the lion." 

 The lion, explorers state, is by no means the bold animal that it is 

 traditionally supposed to be. The African buffalo is said to be more 

 than a match for a single lion. The zebra seems to be the lion's 

 favorite food. (Figure 215.) 



The tigo- is found in Persia, Siberia and Manchuria and ranges 

 southward through China and the Siamese and Malay Peninsula to 

 Java, but is not found in Borneo. Passing around the Bay of Ben- 

 gal, it has never crossed to Ceylon. It is considered a far more 

 dangerous animal than the lion. In 1927, the Indian Government 

 reported 1,033 persons killed by tigers. 



The leopard is a more active, sly animal than either the lion or 

 the tiger, and is probably responsible for many more losses among 

 sheep, cattle and ponies. Leopards killed 218 persons in India in 

 1927. 



1 The Marcomanni called the lions sent across the Danube by the Romans "dogs." 

 Herodotus II. 69. 



