352 



BACKBONED ANIMALS, 



height at shoulder fifteen and a half inches. The fur is 

 soft and thick, the color upon the sides a light red, over- 

 cast with grizzly gray ; below they are white and spotted, 

 the inner surface of the ear and the tip of the tail black. 

 They are powerful animals,, and prey upon small game of 

 various kinds. They nest in hollow trees and logs. 



The Canada lynxes (Fig. 374) are the largest, attaining a 

 length of three and a half feet. They are extremely pow- 

 erful, attack- 

 ing large ani- 

 mals, sheep, 

 etc. ; are good 

 swimmers, and 

 easily recog- 

 nized by their 

 gallop. They 

 produce their 

 young, general- 

 ly two, in dens 

 or hollow trees. 

 The red cat 

 and Texas wild 

 cat are other 

 FlG. 374. Canada lynx (Lynx Canadensis). species. 



The domes- 

 tic cat (Felis) has been domesticated for over a thousand 

 years, and was probably first used in Egypt. The ya- 

 guarundi ranges from southern Texas to central South 

 America. The tail is nearly as long as the body, the pre- 

 vailing color a grayish brown. The ocelot and tiger-cats 

 range from Texas southward. 



The puma or panther is the largest and most powerful 

 true North American cat, equaling in size a large hound, 

 weighing one hundred and seventy-five pounds, and com- 

 mon throughout the less frequented parts of the country. 

 They are extremely powerful, leaping forty or fifty feet 



