NATURAL HISTORY. 299 



have a whitish cast : and its countenance has some- 

 thin" in it more mild. The skin of the male is more 

 beautifully marked than that of the female. It does 

 not walk or run like the wolf in a progressire motion, 

 but leaps and bounds like the cat. It gains its sol 

 subsistence by devouring other animals, which it will 

 pursue to the very tops of trees. Neither can the 

 wild cat, the martin, the ermine, nor the squirrel, e- 

 scape its pursuit. It also seizes birds,lies in wait for 

 the stag, the roebuck, and the hare, and often with 

 one bound seizes them by the throat. When in pos- 

 session of its prey, it first sucks the blood of the ani- 

 mal, and then lays open the head in order to devour the 

 brains. It then generally abandons the victim of its 

 fury, goes in quest of fresh prey, and is seldom known 

 to return to the former ; a circumstance which has 

 given rise to the vulgar remark, that of all animals 

 the lynx has the shortest memory. The skin of this 

 animal changes its colour according to the season and 

 climate. In winter it is in every respect hotter than 

 it is in summer : and its flesh, like that of all beasts 

 of prey, is improper food. 



