FELID& 



519 



are F. lynx, of Scandinavia, Kussia, Northern Asia, and till lately 

 the forest regions of Central Europe ; though not an inhabitant of 

 Britain during the historic period, its remains have been found in 

 cave-deposits of Pleistocene age ; F. cervana, Siberia ; F. pardina, 

 Turkey, Greece, Sicily, Sardinia, and Spain ; and F. isabellina, Tibet. 

 The American varieties are F. canadensis, the most northern species, 

 and F. rufa, the American Wild Cat or Bay Lynx, extensively dis- 

 tributed from the Atlantic to the Pacific throughout nearly the 

 whole latitude of the United States, but replaced in Texas and 



FIG. 228. European Lynx (t'elis lynx). From a drawing by Wolf in Elliot's 

 Monograph of the Felidce. 



southern California by F. 'maculata, and in northern Oregon and 

 Washington territory by F. fasciata. 



In both cases, as might be supposed, specimens obtained from 

 the more southern climates are shorter in their fur, more brightly 

 coloured, and more distinctly spotted than those from colder regions. 

 When only a few individuals of each most markedly different form 

 are examined the distinctions are sufficiently evident. The occur- 

 rence, however, of transitional or intermediate forms makes it 

 extremely difficult to draw the line between the different varieties 

 or species, or to assign definite characters by which they can be 

 separated. Wherefore it is best at present to accept the so-called 

 species as only provisional, and wait until more abundant materials, 

 with fuller knowledge of the localities from which they are derived, 



