THE CHEETAH 133 



The Canadian Lynx (Felis canadensis) is a timid, cowardly 

 creature that is more or less common in the forest regions 

 of Canada about as far north as the Arctic Circle. It 

 seldom attacks any of the larger quadrupeds, preferring to 

 subsist chiefly upon the hare. In this region the animal is 

 hunted for its fur, and when face to face with the hunter it 

 rarely does more than set up its hair and spit like an angry 

 cat ; but a blow on its back is generally sufficient to give it 

 its quietus. Lynx skins at one time were sent to England 

 in thousands by the Hudson Bay Company, but the animal 

 now exists in greatly diminished numbers. 



The Caracal (Felis caracal), Plate IX. Figs, i and 2, the 

 handsomest of the Lynx tribe, is elegant in shape, light 

 chestnut in colour, and not spotted as are many others of 

 its kind. It is found throughout Africa, Arabia, Persia, 

 India, and Tibet. In size it is considerably less than the 

 Common Lynx. In the East the Caracal is trained to 

 catch hares and birds, such as peafowl and cranes. 



CHEETAH (Cynalurus jubatus). 

 Coloured Plate VI. Fig. 2. 



The Cheetah is found throughout south-western Asia and 

 in many parts of India, while a variety only differing in its 

 fur is found in Africa, especially in the dry, open plateaus 

 of Somaliland, East, and South Africa. In the last-named 

 region the animal is known as the Woolly Cheetah (Cynce- 

 lurus laned). 



There can be no doubt that the Cheetah belongs to the 

 Felidae. Its dentition is the same as in the leopard, but it 

 is a slenderer animal, with a smaller head and longer legs. 

 There is, however, a marked difference in the claws, which 

 are only semi-retractile, which has caused modern naturalists 

 to place the animal in a distinct genus. 



The ochreous yellow fur is rather coarse and somewhat 

 long on the neck and shoulders, forming almost a mane, as 

 indicated in the specific name. The body and limbs are 

 covered with circular black markings without pale centres ; 

 on the under-parts the colouring fades to white. Standing 



