98 THE DRAMA OF THE FORESTS 



louder. Some Indians are very successful in this mode of 

 hunting. 



Besides being able to whistle, the lynx far surpasses the 

 domestic cat in the range and volume of his evening song; and 

 during the rutting season, at sunrise and sunset, he has a 

 peculiar habit of beating or drumming with his forepaws on 

 the hard snow or earth. No doubt it is a form of challenge, 

 used much in the same way as the drumming of cock-grouse; 

 martens and rabbits do the same. The lynx is a wonderful 

 swimmer and is dangerous to tackle in the water, for he can 

 turn with remarkable agility, and board a canoe in a moment. 

 Of all northern animals he is perhaps the most silent walker, 

 for in the night a band of five or six lynxes may pass close beside 

 one's tent and never be heard, though a single rabbit, passing 

 at the same distance, may make enough noise to awaken a 

 sound sleeper. Though he often behaves like a coward, 

 hunters approach him with care when he is caught in a steel 

 trap, as he can make a great spring and when he chooses, can 

 fight desperately. While in summer he is a poor runner, in 

 winter he is greatly aided by his big feet, which act as snow- 

 shoes and help him over the soft snow and the deep drifts. Few 

 animals succeed in killing him, for what with his unusual speed 

 in water and the fact that he can climb a tree with almost the 

 ease of a monkey, his chances of escape are always good. 



Lynxes mate in March, the young being born about three 

 months later, the litter consisting of from one to five. The 

 father assists in the support of the kittens, which are much like 

 those of the domestic cat. The lynx's coat is gray mottled 

 with brown, but in winter it turns a lighter colour; in weight he 

 runs from thirty-five to forty-five pounds. His principal food 

 is derived from rabbits and any other animals he can kill, from 

 beaver down, as well as grouse, ptarmigan, and other birds 

 and fowl; occasionally he will tackle the young of deer, but 

 he never dares to molest man. When his catch is more than 



