1"h£ lynX 193 



ift the Asiatic form these spots disappear, except on the 

 flanks and limbs, and even there they may be wanting in 

 some examples. Towards their roots the individual hairs are 

 brownish ; and the tips of the longer ones are whitish, some 

 of those on the middle of the back being often black at the 

 extremity. Ears externally grey, with black margins, tips, 

 and terminal tufts ; terminal portion of tail black ; a varia- 

 ble number of black hairs intermingled with the ruff; in 

 some cases an imperfect dark band across the throat, and 

 occasionally blackish or black spots on the under-parts. 

 Length of head and body, 33 inches; of tail, 7^ inches. 



The Lynx is very variable as regards coloration, and more 

 especially in respect to the spots; and the pale-coloured Lynx 

 of Ladak and Tibet was long regarded as a distinct species, on 

 account of its lighter-coloured fur and the shorter hairs on 

 the toes, under the name of F isabellina. On this subject, 

 Mr. Blanford, in his " Mammals of British India," writes that 

 " both these differences are probably due to the Tibetan Lynx 

 living in open ground among rocks, whilst the common Lynx 

 of Europe dwells chiefly among forests. The Lynx of Gilgit, 

 where there is some forest, is intermediate in coloration, and 

 I can find no constant character of importance by which 

 F isabellina is distinguishable from the common Lynx. Some 

 skins procured from Tibet are indistinguishable from Gilgit 

 and Turkestan specimens." 



Distribution. — Northern Europe, Siberia, Baikal, Amurland 

 and Saghalien, Eastern and Western Turkestan, Gilgit, and 

 Western and Eastern Tibet. As mentioned in the sequel, it 

 is by no means certain that the Canadian Lynx is anything 

 more than a local race of this species. Still far from un- 

 common in Northern Scandinavia, Russia, and Northern Asia, 

 the Lynx also lingers in some of the mountainous districts of 

 Central Europe, although in the lowlands it has been pretty 

 7 O 



