191 



THE OUNCE. 

 Felis uncia LINN^US. 



PLATE XIII. 

 The Ounce, Plate in Griffith's Animal Kingdom^ a. p. 468 f 



WHEN the present series of volumes were com- 

 menced, we hoped that they would come into the 

 hands of many, besides those of the professing na- 

 turalist. While it is attempted to give a general 

 view of the different branches, as far as they can 

 be carried by our knowledge at the time, it is also 

 hoped that rare or doubtful species may be occa- 

 sionally restored, by having the attention of indivi- 

 duals directed to them. In the present tribe of ani- 

 mals there are many opportunities where this might 

 happen ; for among the many thousands of skins 

 which are annually imported as articles of trade, how 

 few are looked at with the view of furthering the de- 

 scriptions of the animals that once bore them ; and 

 when one is noticed as different from the rest, it is 

 generally passed over as merely an accidental occur- 

 rence. This is the only apology we can offer for 

 introducing the Ounce with a separate plate and title, 

 and it may succeed in directing the attention of those 



