84 



Div. 1. TERTEBRATE AXIMALS.— MAMMALIA. 



Class J. 



Fig. 34. — Felis Lynx. 



Lin.), twice the size of a large domestic Cat, and comparatively .ower on the legs, is marked somewhat like the 

 Jaguar, but with a tendency to a linking of the spots into longitudinal bands, more or less obsenable in dillerent 

 individuals.* F. Sumatranus and Benqalends are not larger than a House-cat, but coloured like the foregoing ; 

 though individuals conmionly occur of the same greyish ground-tint as the majority of the smaller species. A 

 beautiful European Cat, with the markings of the Leopard group, is the F. pardhia, Oken, which inhabits the 

 mountains of Spain ; its tail, however, is short, as in the following. There are many others]. 

 Lynxes are short-tailed Cats, with mostly pencil-tufts to their ears, and fur generally spotted more or less dis- 



tinctly : those of cold countries have the fur long. 

 A species little less than a Leopard (F. lynx, Lin.) 

 still inhabits the mountainous parts of Europe, 

 from Scandinavia to Spain and Naples, and, it is 

 said, the north of Africa also. [Prof. Nilsson dis- 

 tinguishes three large European species in Scan- 

 dinavia, and figures different varieties of each.] 

 Tlie Canada Lynx is smaller, with very long fur, 

 which extends even under the toes ; [it is allied 

 to the Wild Cat of Britain. There are many 

 others, some, as the Pampas Cat (F.pajeros) grad- 

 ing into the next group. We can only notice 

 a handsome short-haired species, the Caracal of 

 Turkey and Persia, almost uniform bright vinous 

 red ; it is the true Lynx of the ancients. Tlie 

 Chati (F. lierval, F. Cuv.), an elegant spotted 

 species, of slender form, and very high upon the 

 legs, may be approximated to this group, and 

 indeed has a moderately short and singularly 

 mobile tail : it inhabits Africa. Allied to it is the Chati (F. mitis), a native of South America. 



Approaching the domestic Cat in size, colour, and markings, are also numerous species, among which the 

 native Cat of Britain (fig. 35) may be particularized, distinguished by its tail not tapering as in the tame Cat; 

 it is also larger, but with much shorter intestinal canal, though it is probable that the length of intestine in the 

 common Cat may have been gradually induced by long-continued habituation to a less carnivorous regimen, 

 0|)erating through many successive generations. Thedomestic Cat is referred by Temminck to his F. maniculata, a 

 s|)ecies wild in Egypt; but is probably a mingled race, derived from several distinct wild stocks : our author, in 

 lu.s last edition, referred it to the European Wild Cat, but subsequently retracted his opinion : the Angora variety 



of it is perhaps the most remarkable, being 

 j~^ .x<j covered with long silky hair. Of the spotless 



species, may be mentioned] 



The Cougar, Puma, or pretended Lion of 

 America (/•'. concolur, Lin.) (Fig. 36.)— Red [sil- 

 very or greyish-red], with small spots of a 

 slightly deeper colour, which are not easily per- 

 ceived [nor always present in the adults, and a 

 small black tuft at the end of the tail. Size 

 nearly that of a Leopard], from both Americas, 

 where it preys on Sheep, Deer, &c. [and has 

 been known, though very rarely, to attack 

 mankind. An allied species, redder, and with 

 shorter tail, exclusively from South America, is 

 known as F. iinicolor; and there is a small 



I — - . - , s ■ «ij species also very similar, the Eira of Az/.ara, 



*^WvRlT^^^>r^^^-- the tail of which is not tufted. The Jaguaronili 



is another from the same locality, of medium 



I \f .i.s.— wild Cut. , , 



size, altogether of a blackish-brown, more or 



l«hK (lark, and ralhev low on the legs: and there is a deep reddish-brown Cat in India, scarcely larger than the 



• A« • wnrniOK «i!«ili«t rclyinif loo much upon llie provcrhUlly 

 oncvrtniii tciuiier nf ihcie ciiiiiiciilly cartiivoriuii nnimnls, iiinv be 

 ruelilii'iird h '"irt wliirli occurred not loni; ni;o in Friiicc. A i;eiitlL'n»i»n 

 had micci-eded In tnminii; an Ocelot, which for three ye»r» enjoyed 

 the rnnice of hli ht>u<tc And |[krdcn h% freely as a domestic Cat, 

 appcarinp thorouuhly reclaimed. One evcnintf, however, at the f.re- 

 •Ide, when a child of three /cara old wa« pUying with it, as it had 

 often done before, the animal, being irritated, leized the inlnnt by 

 the throat, and killed it before askintancc could be rendered. An 

 inatanie has ocrurrcd In this country of a babe bciiijf attacked by a 

 lame Fcrrtt. The I>oniestic Cat is undoubtedly more busceptibic of 

 attachment than it has hern K<^''«fally described ; and it Is surprising 

 In perceive how patiently it bears the ron«h handling of children. We 

 kavi seen It hail the return of persons it knenr with as lively Joy at 



any aniniil could well testify, and rliis in the case of individuals who 

 had nfvcr ftd it; but it is understnod, with what j;ein ral truth may 

 pcrh'ips be questioned, that while the Oofj will mourn and even pine 

 to death over the body of its master, the Cat feels no con.iiiinction iu 

 making it its prey : it U needless to obsei ve, however, that tlie intcl- 

 lect of tlie Cat is very much inferior to that of the Djg, on which 

 account some allowance may be granted. 



With respect to the Domestic Cat, also, anotlier consideration may 



be borne in mind, which is, that tlierc can be little doubt that its 



nature has been considerably niodilied by domestication, \» hich has 



gradu.illy rendered it Jess exclusively carnivor^'us than its wild con 



1 geners. It is even remarkable that instances of the rapacity of 'hia 



t animal towards young children are not of frequent occurrence. — Ed. 



