440 ANIMALS OF THE 



ferior, they dart down upon it with inevitable ex- 

 actness. 



The whole tribe of animals of the panther kind, 

 with long tails, are chiefly inhabitants, as was 

 said, of the torrid zone ; but those of the short- 

 tailed kind, and particularly the lynx, is princi- 

 pally found in the cold countries that are border- 

 ing on the pole. The lynx is chiefly to be met 

 with in the north of Germany, Lithuania, Mus- 

 covy, Siberia, and North America. Those of the 

 new continent, however, are rather smaller than 

 in Europe, as is the case with almost all their 

 quadrupeds; they are somewhat whiter also, but 

 in other respects there is scarce any difference to 

 be found among them.* This animal has been 

 called by some Lupus Cervarius, or a creature 

 compounded between a wolf and a stag ; but for 

 what reason is hard to guess : it no way resembles 

 cither, in shape or in disposition. In its nature 

 it exactly resembles the cat, except that, being 

 bigger and nearly two feet long, it is bolder and 

 fiercer. Like the cat, it climbs trees, and seeks 

 its prey by surprise ; like the cat, it is delicate 

 and cleanly, covering its urine with its paws ; 

 and it resembles the wolf in nothing except its 

 cry, which often deceives the hunters, and in- 

 duces them to think they hear a wolf and not 

 a lynx. This animal, also, is rather more delicate 

 than the cat ; and after having once feasted upon 

 its prey, will never return to it again, but hunts 

 the woods for another. From hence may have 



* Buffon. 



