42 ICHNEUMON. 



Persian Lynx, or Caracal. It is stated to be the 

 habit of the Persian Lynx to follow the lion, for the 

 purpose of feeding on the remains of his victims. Hence 

 it is, that the Arabs, by a perversion of terms, have 

 denominated him "the lion's conductor," He is so 

 powerful, as to be able to overcome any animal of his 

 own stature. When tamed, which, however, is attended 

 with much difficulty, he is trained to the hunting of 

 hares, rabbits, and even birds of large size; and in 

 this pursuit he conducts himself with great skill and 

 address. 



His size is about that of the fox. The body is of a 

 pale reddish-brown colour above, and whitish below. The 

 head is small. The ears are long, slender, and black ; and 

 tufted with long black hairs. The nose is white. The 

 eyes are small. The hind part of each foot is marked 

 with black. 



15. WEESEL T.RIBE. 



The animals which constitute the present tribe have 

 long and slender bodies, and short legs. They chiefly 

 move by a succession of leaps, and are very swift of foot. 

 They all subsist on animal food. 



Ichneumon. This is, with justice, considered to be 

 the boldest, and, at the same time, the most useful of 

 all the animals of the weesel kind. In Egypt it is 

 tamed and kept in houses, for the same purposes as cats 

 are in Europe. But its strength, its agility, and, in 

 many respects, its sagacity, are much greater than those 

 of the cat. In a wild state, it would seem that serpents 

 and reptiles are its most natural food. These it un- 

 sparingly seizes whenever they come in its way. Its 

 mode of attack is to steal towards its prey, gliding, as 



