3 82 THE CARNIVORA 



A Spanish form, however, Felis pardina, does appear to be a dis- 

 tinct species. The Common Lynx is found chiefly in Norway, 

 Sweden, Russia, and Northern Asia, and in the mountainous 

 districts of Central Europe. The animal attains a much larger 

 size than any of the ordinary v.ild cats, being as much as forty or 

 fifty inches long from the tip of the nose to the root of its tail. 

 It is also readily distinguished from the Cats proper by the shortness 

 of its tail, which does not exceed six to nine inches, and by the 

 greater length of the legs. Another distinguishing feature is to 

 be found in the long, pointed ears, each with a tuft of long, stiff 

 hairs on its tip ; and still another is the length of the fur on the 

 cheeks. The fur is of a reddish-grey colour, more or less spotted 

 with red or dark grey, but the variations in marking and colour 

 are very great in different individuals in different localities. 



The Snow Leopard (Felis undo), or Ounce, is a very handsome 

 animal inhabiting Tibet and the highlands of Central Asia. Living 

 at high altitudes, it preys upon the wild mountain sheep and goats, 

 but is said never to attack man. Its fur is very thick and soft, 

 and has a paler ground colour than that of the leopard, in which 

 the spots are rather less denned. The tail is remarkable for its 

 length, and is thick and barred and spotted. 



The Leopard, or Panther (Felis pardus), is Asiatic and African 

 in range. In size it is decidedly inferior to either the lion or tiger, 

 being not more than some seven feet six inches from snout to tip 

 of tail, and two feet seven inches high at the shoulder. The female 

 is somewhat smaller than the male. The coat is spotted, so that 

 the animal bears considerable resemblance to the South American 

 jaguar, but a closer inspection shows that the latter animal has 

 shorter legs, and the ring-like markings on its body enclose a central 

 black spot, whereas in the leopard the best developed ring mark- 

 ings enclose only the same tawny ground colour as the intervals 

 between the spots. 



The Tiger (Felis tigris) is the largest and most magnificent of 

 the great Cats, and is exclusively Asiatic, ranging northward into 

 Siberia, the northern specimens always being characterised by 

 their closer^ fur. A full-grown male Indian Tiger may measure 

 from nine to twelve feet, or twelve feet two inches, a tigress from 

 eight to ten feet, or perhaps, in very rare instances, eleven feet in 

 length, the height being from three to three and a half feet, or rarely 



