The Caracal 



of its fore-paws. It likewise possesses a speed which 

 falls little short of that of the hunting-leopard. Taking 

 advantage of these attributes, the native chieftains of 

 India have lon^ been in the habit of trainina; caracals to 

 capture the smaller deer and antelope, as well as hares, 

 cranes, peafowl, etc. According to Vigne, who travelled 

 in Kashmir and India between the years 1836 and 

 1840, the number of tame caracals then kept by some 

 of the chiefs was very large. Pairs of these animals 

 were frequently matched against one another to kill the 

 greatest number out of a flock of pigeons teeding on 

 the ground, the caracals springing suddenly into the 

 midst of the flock and knocking down the birds before 

 and as they rose to fly. In the wild state various 

 kinds of game-birds, together with gazelles, hares, and 

 the smaller deer, form the chief prey of caracals ; 

 the habits of which are, however, still imperfectly 

 known. 



THE LYNX 



{^Felis lynx isabelUna) 



Native Names. — Patsalan, Kashmiri ; Ee or Ech^ 

 Ladaki ; Tsogde^ Balti 



(Plate viii, fig. 11) 



Although frequently regarded as a distinct species, 

 there can be little doubt that the Tibetan lynx {F. 

 lynx isabellina) is merely a pale-coloured race of the 

 ordinary lynx of Northern Europe and Asia, especially 

 since there appears to be a more or less complete 

 transition between the two forms in the Gilgit district. 

 Desert animals, in harmony with their environment, 

 are always of a more sandy, or " isabelline," tone of 

 colour than their relatives inhabiting grass-clad or 

 forest districts ; and since the lynx ot Scandinavia and 

 other parts of Northern Europe is a forest-dwelling 



341 



