IN THE FAR WEST. 109 



features would do well not to go too near it before its spirit has 

 been expelled by the power of a heavy bullet. It may, for all 

 that, be hunted for years before a man is attacked by it ; but 

 such good fortune is due more to aceident than any amiability 

 on the part of the quarry. 



There are several other members of the feline race to be 

 found in the West and South-west, but they are not so large, 

 the jaguar excepted, as the celebrated " painter " of the 

 pioneers. Those indigenous to the south-west, such as Texas, 

 New Mexico, Arizona, and adjacent regions, are the jaguar, 

 or Mexican tiger, the ocelot or tiger cat (F. puradalis), the 

 eyra and yaguarundi, and a variety of the bay lynx known 

 scientifically as the F. maci/lottis. The Canadian and the 

 Bay Lynx are denizens of the more northern regions, yet 

 they are found far to the south on the Paeilic Coast, much 

 farther than on the Atlantic. 



The lynxes, which are quite common in the region beyond 

 the Rocky Mountains, may be readily known from the true 

 cats by their physiognomy and anatomical construction. They 

 have, in the first place, only twenty-eight teeth, while the 

 others have thirty ; their skull is broader in proportion to 

 size ; the forehead is higher and more arched ; the skull is 

 more capacious ; the muzzle is broader ; and the lower jaw is 

 thicker and more massive. They also have short, thick and 

 stubby tails; their feet are heavily furred; and they move 

 along with short, straight bounds. The three recognized 

 species in the Far West are the Canada Lynx (L. canadensis),t]\Q 

 Bay Lynx or red cat (L. rufus), and the L. fasciatus, which 

 closely resembles the latter in everything except the colour of 

 the pelage. The former, which is the largest and heaviest of its 

 genus, is a timid animal, and readily flees from the presence of 

 man. It has large paws, slender loins, long, thick hind legs, 

 and a short, thick tail, which gives it an awkward, if not 

 clumsy appearance. The head and face are not unlike that of 

 the domestic cat ; the ears are erect, and tipped by an upright, 

 slender tuft of black hairs; the legs are thick; and the toes 

 are thick and furry, and armed with very sharp, curved, and 

 awl-shaped claws, which are shorter than the fur. Ou the 



