270 ZOOLOGY. 



and the surface of the body very sensible to the touch ; their 

 moustaches especially seem to be instruments of great sensi- 

 bility. Though of prodigious vigour, they generally do not 

 attack animals openly, but emploj 1 " cunning arid artifice. 

 They never push their prey to flight, but watching by the 

 margins of rivers and pools in covert, they spring at once on 

 their victim. 



At the head of this genus stands the lion, measuring fre- 

 quently twelve feet in length, or over six feet to the setting 

 on of the tail; about three feet in height, and characterized 

 by the square head, the tuft of hair terminating the tail, and 

 in the male by the main which flows from the head and neck. 

 The lion is the most powerful of the carnivora ; with a single 

 blow of his fore paw he can break the back of a horse, and a 

 stroke of the tail will strike down the strongest man. For- 

 merly spread over the three great divisions of the Old World, 

 he seems now limited to Africa and Asia. 



The animal which some call the American lion belongs to 

 a different species ; it is called couguar, and is peculiar to the 

 New World. 



The royal or Eastern tiger is an animal more dangerous 

 than the lion, which it nearly equals in strength, but exceeds 

 in ferocity. The hair in the tiger is short and smooth, and 

 yellowish above, with black transverse bands or stripes ; it 

 inhabits India, where it does much damage. 



The jaguar, not much less than the Eastern tiger, and 

 almost as dangerous, is a native of America, and is found only 

 there. It inhabits the great forests. Furriers call it the 

 great panther, for it is spotted like that animal ; the fur being 

 yellow, with four rows of dark spots like eyes ranged along 

 the flanks, with white and black stripes beneath. 



The panther (Fig. 232), so remarkable for the beauty of its 

 fur, is found all over Africa and Asia^ together with the 

 leopard, which it much resembles; the I'ur is yellow, with 

 numerous dark spots. 



The lynx, also, or cat, is distinguished by a pencil or tuft of 

 hairs surmounting the external ears ; the coat or fur is red 

 coloured, spotted with a reddish brown. It is indigenous to 

 temperate Europe, but it has nearly disappeared from popu- 

 lous countries ; it is still found amongst the Pyrenean moun- 

 tains, in the kingdom of Naples, and in Africa. It ascends 

 trees ; and, having excellent sight, does much mischief by 

 destroying hares and deer. The ancients ascribed to it a 



