KKi.in.i: 



n-i.ii'.r. 



tin- wolf. This comprehend* the Canadian but not the Mississippi 

 Lynx of Cuvier, and it said to inhabit the north of both the old and 

 the new continent* : it* fur, leoa valuable than that of P. ctnsaria, 

 i stated to be received equally from Sweden and from Hudson's 

 Bay. 



3. P. Lynx (true Lynx), different from, but nearly allied to P. 

 errraria, P. kortalu, P. ntfa, and 



4. P. pardina. Size of a badger, but the leg* longer, resembling 

 P. rufa in form and site ; tail short, but longer in proportion than 

 that of P. Lynje.-^iP. pardina is the Loup-Cervier of Pen-suit, and is 

 fotiinl only in the south of Kurope, the centre being the locality of 

 the true Lynx. On this species Colonel Sykes makes the following 

 statement : " Although Teuiminck, in his ' Monographic de Ham- 

 malogic,' p. 116, in a note, says the skins of this European Prlii is 

 well-known amongst the furriers as tho Lynx of Portugal, I hare 

 nowhere been able to meet with a specimen in London; and as 

 amongst my friends scarcely any one appeared to be aware of the 

 existence of a Spanish Lynx, I thought it might be acceptable to the 

 members to exhibit specimens iu a state of maturity and nonage. 

 In Andalusia, whence the specimens come, it is called Gate Clavo' 

 (clavo meaning the pupil of the eye), illustrative of the spotted 

 character of the skin. Some peasants in Andalusia make short 

 jackets of the skins. The animal inhabits the Sierra Moreno. I 

 bought both skins at Seville fur thirty reales, about 6. 3</. Neither 

 the British Museum nor the Zoological Society has specimens. 



" Temminck describes the Pardina as ' Toutes lea parties du corps 

 lustre, a peu pros de la niome teiiito que dans le caracal.' This is 

 certainly not the description of my animal, the colour of the adult 

 being reddish-gray, and that of the non-adult light fawn ; never- 

 theless there are so many other points common to both, that it would 

 be unadvisable to consider them distinct" (' ZooL Proc.,' 1838.) 



5. P. Caracal, Nubian Caracal, and Cat of the Desert of Bruce; 

 Persian Cat (Lynx) of Pennant 



6. P. aurata. Rather less than the Carae.il. Country unknown. 

 Skin purchased from a London dealer. 



7. P. Chaut (GiiMeiistc.lt), figured by Schrober. The other animals 

 described under thin name are considered to be refcrrible to 



8. P. caligata, Booted Lynx of Bruce ; P. Libyctu (Olivier) ; 

 Libyan Caracal of Button. 



Of these Baron Cuvier notices P. cerraria as the finest and largest; 

 P. borealit ; P. Lynx (which has almost entirely disappeared from 

 populous countries, but is still to be found in the Pyrenees, the 

 mountains of the kingdom of Naples, and even it is said in Africa) ; 

 P. panlina, Oken, from the south of Europe ; P. rufa, Gulden. ; and 

 P. C/iaui, or Lynx of the Marshes of Caucasus, Persia, and Egypt 

 Cuvier further observes that it is believed at present that the Booted 

 Lynx, P. caligala, Temm., may be distinguished from P. Chata ; but 

 he remarks that P. caligata is at least very nearly approximated to 

 it, and that it has the same habits. 



P. Caracal (Persia, Turkey, &c.), which he considers to be the true 

 Lynx of the ancients, closes Cuvier's list of species ; but he alludes in 

 a note to Lyru-fatcialtu, L. Ploridanut, and L. montantu of Rafinesque ; 

 and to P. aural a of Temminck, as belonging to this tribe. 



1 >r. J. E. Gray place* his genus Lynctu (sub-family Fclina) between 

 the genera Felit, Linn., and Prionodvn, Horafield. 



M. Lesson gives the following species : 1. /'. Lynx, the Loup- 

 Cervier of the furriers, Goupe of the Norwegians, and Wargelue of 

 the Swedes, who recognise three very different varieties of it He 

 state* that the whole of Europe is its habitat, where it has become 

 very rare, and he tays that they point out a pale variety P. rufa, 

 Pennant (.'), and that ' Le capitaine Brooks en iudique trois,' which 

 may be, in his (the captain's) opinion, regarded as species. 2. P. 

 pardina, Oken, Temm. ; Loup-Cervier of the Krvnch Academicians ; 

 to this Portugal, Sardinia, Sicily, and Turkey are assigned as localities. 

 Next follows P. Serral, which cannot be considered a Lynx. S. P. 

 ctrvaria, Temm. 4. P. borealit (Chat du Canada, Geoff.), to which 

 the northern countries of America and Asia an given as its distri- 

 bution. 5. P. Caracal, the Lynx of the ancient* (Africa, Persia, and 

 Arabia). M. Lesson describes the differences of the Caracals of 

 Algiers, of Nubia, and' of Bengal. 6. P. Ckrytotkrix and P. attrata, 

 Temm.; country unknown. 7. P. Chant, Gulden. (Egypt, Nubia, 

 and Caucasus). 8. Booted-Lynx (P. caligata, Bruce, Temm.; P. 

 Liiycta, Oliv.). To this a range is given from Egypt to the Cape of 

 Good Hope in Africa, and the south of Asia, M. Lesson also notices 

 as specifically different the P. Manul of Pallas and Desmarest, a 

 n|>ccies not admitted by Temminck, but which has, according to 

 Pallas, the appearance of the Lynx. (' Mongolian Tartary.') 



Sir William Jardine (' Naturalist*' Library,' 'Mammalia,' vol. ii. 

 *34), who adopt* the genus Lynctu or Lynchu* of Dr. Gray, as the 

 fifth genus of the Ftfitut, enumerates the following species: Lynchut 

 Caracal; L. anrnla ; L. duHdoyattcr, inhabit* Chili (Temm., Mus. 

 Leyd.); L. caligala. Brace; L. niyripa. Bun-bell, inhabit* South 

 Africa; L. C/iaia (Gulden., Rtipp.); L. Canailnuit ; L. rufa. Bay 

 I 3 r> *' illQ ' b ' tj hanks of Colombia River, United States, not Canada 

 (Temm.) ; L. fatciata. Banded Lynx (Richardson), inhabit* North 

 America, woody countries in the neighbourhood of the Pacific (Lewis 

 and Clark); and L. Lyiuc. 



Sir William Jardine remarks that there is yet considerable confusion 



among the Lynxes of America, and that, except the Canada Lynx, 

 the species are perhaps not well determined. He observes that 

 Mr. Vigors and Dr. liorsfield describe one under the title of /'. 

 maculata from Mexico. 



Sir William further states that another Asiatic Lynx may be 

 perhaps added in the Ftiii afinit of Dr. Gray, figured in his ' Illustra- 

 tions of Indian Zoology.' 



It may be necessary also to call the reader's attention to two 

 species of Pelit, one in the volume of the ' Naturalists' Library,' P. 

 Semolina, figured as P. ornata, which Sir \V. Jardine at first consi- 

 dered as identical with Dr. Gray's species with the last-mentioned 

 name, but which Dr. Gray considered to be distinct The figures of 

 both P. ornata. Gray (' Illustr. Ind. ZooL'), and P. Semolina, Jardine, 

 have small tufts on the tips of their ears, and are otherwise inclined 

 to be lynx-like ; as if they formed the passage between some of the 

 mailer Spotted Cat* and the Lynxes. 



Mr. Swainson (' Natural Hist, and Classification of Quadrupeds,') 

 having compared the two typical forms of the Pcrtr and Raptora, 

 observes that it remains to be ascertained which group among the 

 Peru may be likened to the Owlx, and he fixes upon the Lynxes, 

 because Lynxes and Owls ore both nocturnal animals, both have 

 short tails and comparatively large heads ; and because the Owls " are 

 particularly remarkable for certain appendages or tufts which rise 

 above their ears," whilst in the Lynxes the "ears are long, and from 

 the tip of each arises a tuft of lengthened hairs, perfectly analogous 

 to the tufts of lengthened feathers on the Horned Owls, the most 

 typical birds of the family of Striyidce." His only notice of Lynx in 

 the ' Classification ' at the end of the volume is " Lynx Antiq., ears 

 tufted with hairs, tail short;" and it appears as the fifth and last sub- 

 genus of Fdit, Linn., the other four being: 1. " Leo Anlv/aorum, 

 Lions, head and neck furnished with a mane of long hair, tail tufted. 

 2. Felit, Linn., Cats, no mane, tail long, not tufted. 3. Cynailuriu, Wag., 

 Hunting Leopards, claws semi-retractile ; and, 4. I'rwnodon, Horsf., 

 affinities uncertain." 



The Lynxes may be divided into two groups : the first consisting 

 of those species whose bodies are comparatively slender, and whose 

 tails and tufted ears are comparatively long ; the second of those 

 whose bodies are thicker and stout, and whose ears and tail are 

 comparatively short. The Caracal is an example of the first sub- 

 division ; and the European and the Canada Lynxes of the second. 

 .Sir William Jardiue considers the tufts of hair at the tips of the ears 

 as somewhat inconstant, and only present in spring, or at the com- 

 mencement of the breeding season, like those adorning the ears of 

 many squirrels. 



Several forms of Lynx are found in the Old World. 



PdiiCaracal, the Caracal. M. Temminck describes this species, which 

 is the Siyah Ghuah, or Black-Ear, of Charleton and others, as having a 

 pale reddish-brown fur with a vinous tinge, the red becoming paler as it 

 reaches the lower parts. Two spots of pure white above the eyes, the 

 uppermost on the inner side of the eye, the lower at its external 

 angle. Termination and edges of the upper lip, chin, breast, belly, 

 and inside* of the legs, pure white ; parts whence the whiskers 

 spring, black ; bock of the ears at the base, deep black, more gray 

 towards the tips, which are tufted with long black hair*. Length, 

 2 feet 10 inches, of which tho tail measures 10 inches : average height 

 about 14 inches. 



Mr. Bennett (' Tower Menagerie') describes the Caracal as larger 

 than the Fox, and the whole of the upper surface of the body as of a 

 deep and uniform brown, the hairs being for tho moat port slightly 

 tipped with gray ; the under and inner parts nearly white; an<l thu 

 chin, lower lip, and two spots, one on the inner side of ami itluve the 

 eye, and the other beneath its outer angle, completely white ; neck 

 and throat of a lighter and brighter brown than the rest of tho fur ; 

 the ears long and upright, tapering gradually to a line tip, surmount. .! 

 by a pencil of long black hairs, and black externally uu.l \\liiti-h 

 within ; whiskers short, taking their origin from a series of block linen 

 which occupy the sides of the muzzle ; at some distance behind them, 

 in front of the neck on each side, a short and thick tuft of lighter 

 coloured hairs ; toil 8 or 9 inches long, of the same uniform colour 

 with the body from base to tip. 



The Caracal is found in Persia, India, Barbary (Pennant) ; Persia, 

 Turkey, Ac. (Cuvier) ; the whole of Africa, from Egypt and Barbary to 

 the extremity of Kaffraria, and the southern half of Asia, at least as 

 far eastward as the Ganges (Bennett). The specimen from which 

 Mr. Bennett took his description is noticed by him as a native of 

 Bengal, and he observes that there is no difference of any importance 

 between it and the African variety. Cuvier, to whom M. Duvaucel 

 sent drawings of the animal from Calcutta, was convinced that this 

 is the case. He refers to the Caracal a Longue Queue of Buffon's 

 ' Supplement,' iii. pi. 45, and observes there is no difference between 

 that and the others, and that the first Caracal of Buffou had a 

 mutilated tail. Localities, Africa, Arabia, Persia (Fischer) ; Africa, 

 Persia, Arabia (Lesson) ; Southern India and Africa (Jardine). 



This species is said to follow the lion and other large beast* of prey, 

 most probably for the purpose of feeding upon what they leave. But 

 in addition to this it feeds on small quadrupeds and birds, the ];itt.-r 

 of which it is said to pursue actively on trees. It has obtained the 

 name of ' lion's provider,' most probably from its dogging the footsteps 



