External Characters of the Felidse. 129 



on all the digits the claw-sheaths are perfected by the 

 development of inner lobes. In the hind foot the plantar 

 pad is very broad, the webs are very nearly as deep as in the 

 fore foot, and all the digits, as in the fore foot, have well- 

 developed inner lobes (fig. 9, A, B). 



The feet of this species differ from those of F. viverriiia 

 in the larger size of the pads, the much deeper webs, and the 

 much better developed claw-sheaths. In all these respects 

 they more resemble the feet of Panthera described below. 



The Feet of some American Species. 



The feet of an American lynx, probably F. rufus 

 esquinapcB (fig. 7, A, B), from Tampico, resemble those of 

 F. lynx isabellinus in web-development, but the inner lobes 

 of the sheaths of the claws are relatively smaller, both on 

 the fore and hind feet, and the plantar pads are differently 

 shaped, being markedly longer as compared with their 

 width. Thus the median length of these plantar pads is 

 about three-quarters their total width. They are less over- 

 grown by hair than in F. lynx isabellinus^ and recall in 

 their shape and proportions the posterior plantar pad of 

 F. caracal. 



It may be recalled that Bangs has already pointed out 

 (Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. xi. pp. 48, 49, 1897) that the 

 plantar pads of the lynxes {F. rufus fascialus, etc.) of 

 the more southern portions of North America are larger 

 than those of the Canadian species {F. canadensis). Hence 

 it may be inferred, I think, that the pads of F. canadensis 

 probably resemble those of F. lynx isabellinus. The point, 

 however, to be noticed here is that the three species of 

 lynxes, namely, F. caracal, F. lynx isabellinus, and /'". ruffus 

 esquinapcB have feet of the same general form, and that those 

 of the Mexican animal are approximately intermediate in 

 character between the feet of F. caracal and of F. lynx 

 isabellinus *. 



F. geoffroyi. — The feet are more robust than those of 

 F. sylvestris, but are otherwise tolerably similar to them 

 in the size of the pads and the development of the webs and 

 of the claw-sheaths. The claw-sheaths are small. In the 

 fore foot the inner lol)e is negligible on the fourth and fifth 

 digits, small upon the second and larger, but still small, 



* The Tibetan lynx has been referred to the subgenus which at 

 present carries the inadmissible name Eiteervaria. That is a mistake, 

 the skull characters being those of the typical forms, F. lynx and' 

 F. cayiadensis. 



Ann. & Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 8. Vol. xix. 9 



