THE WILD CAT OF MUSKOKA 197 



pleasure and interest. They were either ignorant 

 of my presence or ignored it, and having no 

 firearms I left them unmolested. 



The food of the lynx consists of several 

 species of birds, the northern hare, chipping 

 squirrel, etc., and such small animals as he can 

 steal from the farm. I have heard it stated that 

 the lynx has been known to attack and kill a 

 deer, though personally I doubt this. Hearne 

 states that he " once saw one which had seized 

 on the carcase of a deer just killed by an Indian, 

 who was forced to shoot it before it would 

 relinquish the prize." Small fawns, lambs, and 

 pigs are frequently carried off by this animal. 



I have never seen the red lynx (Felts rufa\ 

 also called wild cat, in Muskoka, though in 1890 

 I shot one near Palatka, Florida. This animal 

 goes by the name of the common American wild 

 cat, and it is much smaller than Felts canademis. 

 Its fur is beautifully marked with longitudinal 

 stripes on the back. Specimens have been 

 obtained in Canada, but I have no reliable data 

 to justify me in adding this species to the con- 

 fused total of wild cats of Muskoka. 



The conclusion of this chapter may not be an 

 inappropriate place to add a few words upon the 



