FELIS. 89 



highlands of Persia, in Arabia, and throughout a large part of 

 Africa. 



Habits. Very little appears to have been recorded concerning 

 this animal in tlie wild state. It pi'obably lives amongst bushes 

 and grass, not in thick forests. It is said to prey on gazelles, small 

 deer, hares, and birds, and frequently to capture birds as they fly 

 off by springing upon them to a height of 5 or G feet from the 

 ground. It is destructive to peafowl, tloriken, cranes, and, doubt- 

 less, to partridges. 



The caracal is easily tamed, and is trained to catch birds, such 

 as peafowl, cranes, &c., and small deer, gazelles, hares, or foxes, 

 and also to kill for sport — a favourite amusement in parts of 

 India, according to Blyth, being to pit these cats against each other 

 to kill pigeons out of a flock. The caracals are let loose amongst 

 the pigeons feeding on the ground, and each cat often strikes 

 down ten or a dozen birds before they can escape by flight. Some 

 Indian princes are said to have kept a large number of caracals for 

 the purpose of hunting. Vigne, who saw them used, says that 

 their speed is, if possible, greater in proportion even than that of 

 the hunting leopard. 



Aithough the caracal has the long limbs, ears, skull, and denti- 

 tion of a lynx, it wants the ruff, and has a fur better adapted to 

 its tropical or subtropical haunts. 



43. Pelis lynx. The Ltjnx. 



Felis Ivnx, L. Si/st Nat. i, p. 62 (1766) ; miot, Mun. Fel. pi. xxxix ; 



Scuihf, P. Z. S. 1881, p. 201. 

 Felis isabellina, Blijth, J. A. S. li. xvi, p. 1178 (1847) ; id. Cat. 



p. 64 ; id. P. Z. S. 1863, p. 186. 



Patsalan, Kishmiri. 



A strongly built cat, high on the legs, with a short tail, less than 

 one fourth the length of the head and body. Ears long, pointed, 

 and with a long black tuft of hair at the end. Pupil round. Hair 

 of the hinder part of cheeks lengthei 3d and hanging down, form- 

 ing a partial ruff. Fur soft, thick. Pads of feet more or less con- 

 cealed by hair. Intestines shorter than in other cats, being only 

 twice the length of the body. 



SkuU very convex above, the facial portion short and broad. 

 Orbits incomplete behind. In adults there are only two upper 

 premolars. 



Colour varying from j^ale sandy grey (isabelline) to rufous fawn 

 with a greyish wash, and in some (European) specimens to ferru- 

 ginous red, lower parts white. In summer there are small black 

 spots on the body, and these are persistent in some cases even in 

 winter fur (probably in young individuals) ; but Asiatic specimens 

 in winter coats are unspotted except on the flanks and limbs, and 

 even there the markings are often wanting. The spots are evi- 

 dently very variable. The fur is fawn-coloured with a ajore or less 



