2O8 



THE CHAUS. 



touched a morsel until their hostess had finished her own dinner. My informant heard 

 this narrative from the owner of the chateau. 



In the conduct of this hospitably-minded Cat there seems to be none of the com- 

 mercial spirit, which actuated the two Mincing Lane Cats, but an open-pawed liberality, 

 as beseems a Cat of aristocratic birth and breeding. The creature had evidently a 

 sense of economy as well as a spirit of generosity, and blending the two qualities 

 together, became the general almoner of the neighboring felines. There must have 

 also been great powers of conversation between these various animals, for it is evident 

 that they were able to communicate ideas to each other and to induce their companions 

 to act upon the imparted information. 





THE CHAUS. Chaus Lybicus. 



RETURNING once more to the savage tribe of animals, we come to a small, but clearly- 

 marked group of Cats, which are distinguishable from their feline relations by the 

 sharply-pointed erect ears, decorated with a tuft of hair of varying dimensions. These 

 animals are popularly known by the title of Lynxes. In all the species the tail is 

 rather short, and in some, such as the Peeshoo, or Canada Lynx, it is extremely ab- 

 breviated. 



The CHAUS, our first example of the Lyncine group, is not unlike the lion in the 

 general tawny hue of its fur, but is extremely variable both in the depth of tint and in 

 certain indistinct markings which prevail upon the body, limbs, and tail. The fur, 

 however, is always more grizzled than that of the lion, and there seem to be in almost 

 every individual certain faint stripes upon the legs and tail, together with a few obscure 

 stripes or dashes of a darker color upon the body. 



Along the back, the hue is deeper than on the sides, and on the under parts of the body 

 the fur is of a very paletint. The extremity of the tail is black. The markings which are 

 found on this animal are caused by the black extremities of some of the hairs. When these 

 black-tipped hairs are scattered, they produce the grizzly aspect which has been men- 

 tioned as belonging to this animal, but when they occur in close proximity to each other, 

 they produce either spots, streaks, or dashes, according to their number and arrange- 

 ment. On the tail, however, they always seem to gather into rings, and on the legs into 





