CHAP, xvil] mammalia. 103 



of Madagascar and the Antilles — universally ; ranging from the 

 torrid zone to the Arctic regions and the Straits of Magellan. 

 They are so uniform in their organization that many naturalists 

 group them all under one genus, Felis ; but it is now more 

 usual to class at least the lynxes as a separate genus, while the 

 hunting leopard, or cheetah, forms another. Dr. J. E. Gray 

 divides these again, and makes 17 generic groups; but as this 

 subdivision is not generally adopted, and does not bring out any 

 special features of geographical distribution, I shall not further 

 notice it. 



The genus Felis (56 species) has the same general range 

 as the whole family, except that it does not go so far north ; 

 the Amoor river in Eastern Asia, and 55° N". Lat. in America, 

 marking its limits. Lyncus (10 species) is a more northern 

 group, ranging to the polar regions in Europe and Asia, and to 

 Lat. 66° N. in America, but not going further south than 

 Northern iMexico and the European shores of the Mediterranean, 

 except the caracal, which may be another genus, and which ex- 

 tends to Central India, Persia, North Africa and even the Cape 

 of Good Hope. The lynxes are thus almost wholly peculiar to 

 the Nearctic and Palajarctic regions. CynceJurus (1 species) the 

 hunting leopard, ranges from Southern and Western India through 

 Persia, Syria, Northern and Central Africa, to the Cape of Good 

 Hope. 



Extinct Fdidcc. — More than twenty extinct species of true 

 Felidas have been described, ranging in time from the epoch of 

 prehistoric man back to the Miocene or even the Eocene period. 

 They occur in the south of England, in Central and South Europe, 

 in North-West India, in Nebraska in North America, and in the 

 caves of Brazil. Most of them are referred to the genus Felis, 

 and closely resemble the existing lions, tigers, and other large 

 cats. Another group how^ever forms the genus Machairodus, a 

 highly specialized form with serrated teeth. Five species have 

 been described from Europe, Northern India, and both North and 

 South America ; and it is remarkable that they exhibit at least 

 as wide a range, both in space and time, as the more numerous 

 species referred to Felis. One of them undoubtedly coexisted 



VOL. II. 



