RODENTIA. 541 



the modern species having formerly existed in Europe, and 

 even in Britain (Felis spelcea). 



Tn the Tigers (Felis tigris), the tail is without a tuft of hairs 

 at its extremity, and the skin is marked with stripes or spots. 

 The Royal or Bengal Tiger is a native of southern Asia, but 

 occurs also in Java and Sumatra. The skin is reddish yellow, 

 marked with numerous transverse black stripes. It is a large 

 and powerful animal, and, upon the whole, is probably a more 

 dangerous opponent than even the Lion. 



Of the large Spotted Cats, the largest is the Jaguar (Felis 

 onca) which inhabits South America and the southern parts of 

 North America. It is a very large and powerful animal, said 

 to be able to carry a bullock without difficulty, and it can both 

 swim and climb with great facility. Another American species 

 is the Puma (Felis concolor\ in which the colour is uniformly 

 reddish brown. It is exclusively confined to America, and 

 though of large size (nine feet in length, including the tail), it 

 is a very cowardly species, and is seldom or never known to 

 attack man. 



The Leopard (Felis leopardus] is another well-known species, 

 smaller than the Tiger, and marked with black spots in place 

 of stripes. It is a native of all the warmer parts of the Old 

 World. 



Of the smaller Felida, the best known are the Lynxes and 

 the Cats, properly so called. Of these the Lynxes are distin- 

 guished by their short tails, and by the fact that the ears are 

 furnished with a pencil of hairs. Several species are known 

 inhabiting the Old World. In the true Cats (Felis catus], the 

 tail is long, and the ears are not tufted. The Wild Cat formerly 

 existed in Britain, but is now extinct in this country, though it 

 still occurs in Europe, especially in the Hartz and Carpathian 

 Mountains. It is a large and fierce animal, and appears to be 

 quite a match for any man not possessing firearms. It seems 

 tolerably certain that the Wild Cat is not the original stock of 

 the domestic cat, the exact origin of which is uncertain. 



CHAPTER LXXX. 

 RODENTIA. 



ORDER X. RODENTIA. The tenth order of Mammalia is 

 that of the Rodentia^ or Rodent Animals, often spoken of as 



