Canadian Lynx 8 1 



form considered to be distinct. In the Adirondack Mountains it was 

 already rare when Dr. Merriam was writing the zoological history of that 

 district about 1880, since which date it has doubtless grown still scarcer. 



In most parts of its range the prey of the lynx consists of the ruft'ed 

 grouse, the spruce partridge, and various kinds of hares and such other 

 small mammals as it can capture and slay. But it is not above making a 

 meal off" the remains of the carcase of some larger mammal left by the 

 puma ; and it will also devour young fawns, as well as domesticated lambs 

 and pigs. As a rule, however, it keeps far from human habitations, its 

 favourite haunts being the sequestered depths of the mountain forests, 

 where the female produces two cubs at a time, usually in the shelter 

 afforded by some hollow tree -trunk or rocky cave. Like many other 

 members of the cat tribe, the lynx will take readily to the water and swim 

 strongly, an instance being recorded where one of these animals actually 

 swam the whole way across Lake Leman, a distance of about a mile. 



Although Mr. Selous was successful in bagging a pair in the Rockies, 

 the lynx, as a rule, is hunted by trappers more than by sportsmen ; the 

 former valuing it on account of its soft and warm fur, which is in great 

 demand. The animal is either hunted by its scent with dogs or tracked 

 through the snow till the tree in which it has taken refuge is reached, 

 when it is shot. Such a successful result frequently, however, involves a 

 long and weary tramp which may occupy the whole of one day, and even 

 a considerable portion of a second. 



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