THE CARACAL. 



Description Varieties. 



justly be ranked among the most formidable ene- 

 mies of man. 



Like the lynx, it has the singular characteristic 

 of a stripe of black hair, terminating in a tuft, or 

 pencil, at the extremity of the ear; but from 

 their disagreement in other respects, naturalists 

 have considered them as animals of a different 

 species. 



The body of the caracal is not spotted like 

 that of the lynx; the hair is likewise rougher, 

 shorter, and of a-pale reddish brown; the tail is 

 larger and longer, and of an uniform colour ; the 

 face is also more lengthened, and the aspect 

 more ferocious. 



This animal seems to be peculiar to the warm 

 climates of the East, and is chiefly found in 

 those countries infested by the lion, the panther, 

 the tiger, and the ounce. 



Syagush is the name given by the Persians; 

 but the Turks call him karrahkulah, both which 

 names imply the black-eared cat. 



Of this animal there are some varieties. 



The Lybian caracal has white ears, pointed with 

 a thin pencil of a jetty black. The tail is like- 

 wise white> beautifully annulated with black: it 

 has four black spots on each leg, and frequently 

 does not exceed the common cat in size. 



The Nubian caracal has a shorter snout, and 



broader face, marked with bright yellow spots 



on the breast, belly, and inside of the thighs : it 



has the mule-cross on the withers, like those of 



2 u 2 



