CAT KIND. 435 



Another animal of this kind is called the Sya- 

 gush, or, as M. Buffon names it, the Caracal. It 

 is a native of the East Indies, and resembles the 

 lynx in size, in form, and even in the singularity 

 of being tufted at the tips of the ears. However, 

 the syagush differs in not being mottled as the 

 lynx is; its fur, or rather hair, is rougher and 

 shorter, its tail is rather longer, its muzzle more 

 lengthened, its physiognomy more fierce, and its 

 nature more savage. 



The third and last animal that need to be men- 

 tioned of this kind, is that which M. Buffon calls 

 the Serval, and which he has first described. It 

 is a native of Malabar, resembling the panther in 

 its spots, but the lynx in the shortness of its tail, 

 in its size, and in its strong-built form. 



These seem to be all the principal distinctions 

 among animals of the panther kind, from the 

 largest of this tribe down to the domestic cat, 

 which is the smallest of all these fierce and mis- 

 chievous varieties. In all, their nature seems 

 pretty much the same, being equally fierce, subtle, 

 cruel, and cowardly. The panther, including 

 the leopard and the jaguar, or American pan- 

 ther, as they are the largest, so also are they the 

 most dangerous of this kind ; for the whole race 

 of cats are noxious in proportion to their power 

 to do mischief. They inhabit the most torrid la- 

 titudes of India, Africa, and America, and have 

 never been able to multiply beyond the torrid 

 zone. They are generally found in the thickest 

 and the most entangled forests, and often near 

 remote habitations, where they watch to surprise 



