52 
NEW-YORK FAUNA. 
or five parallel narrow interrupted lines of black, running towards the cheeks. Ears fulvous 
in front, black behind, with a greyish spot in the centre, dilated towards the external margin 
of the ear. Tail above of the same general color of the upper parts of the body, indistinctly 
annulated on its sides with dark brown ; beneath, white ; tip, deep black, intermixed with a 
few white hairs. Outer sides of the legs rufous, obsoletely barred, and spotted with reddish 
brown. Insides of the fore legs soiled white, barred with black. (Pennant supposes these 
bars and the semi-annulated tail to be constant specific characters, but this does not accord with 
my observations.) Fore paws and hair between the soles, dark brown. Hind legs whitish 
on the inside, obscurely barred and spotted with black. Chin greyish ; throat bright fulvous ; 
belly whitish, irregularly spotted with black. 
Total length,...36'0. 
Length of head,. 6 - 0. 
Ditto of tail (vertebra),. 5'0. 
This was a large individual, and, as I think, above the average size, and more distinctly 
marked than usual. It was captured in the Tonnewanda swamp, Genesee county. The 
females, I am induced to believe, either have no tufts, or lose them in summer. Even, how¬ 
ever, in the case of the males, they can scarcely be considered as resembling the round elon¬ 
gated tufts of the other species. 
I am indebted to Prof. Hall, of the Geological Survey, for the specimen which furnished 
the above description. Prof. Emmons describes this species as rufous, with the insides of 
the legs spotted with brown, and a triangular patch of yellowish white bordered with blackish 
behind the ears. Godman, describing the animal as deep reddish with small spots of blackish 
brown, speaks of nearly vertical streaks of black between the ears. I suppose the Moun¬ 
tain Cat described by Loskiel as having reddish or orange-colored hair, with black streaks, to 
have been the Bay Lynx. 
The F. t'ufa of Richardson, from Columbia river, can not be referred to this species. 
Several species have been enumerated as inhabiting the United States but as I have not had 
an opportunity to examine them, I must pass them over in silence. It is scarcely worth while 
to burthen our list of American animals with new names, proposed by greedy and unscrupulous 
writers, for animals.which they have never seen, and only know from the brief notes of tra¬ 
vellers. It would be desirable if the remarks of Temminck, cited below,* could be continually 
borne in mind by all writers, not only in reference to this, but every other genus. 
The Wild Cat is one of the animals alluded to by Vanderdonck, as being very common in 
the’ Colony at its first settlement. A hundred and thirty years ago, they were so numerous in 
Suffolk county, as to require the interposition of the Legislature. An act was passed in the 
* “ Ceux qui veulent decrire les Chats sur des individus isoles, seront sans cesse exposes a multiplier les esp&ces. II faut 
avoir vu un trds-grand nombee de d^pouilles, et s’6tre adonne a des recherches et a des comparaisons souvent renouvellees, pour 
emettre une opinion sur la difference specifique de ces animaux, si diiffciles de distinguer les uns des autres.” (Motwgra- 
phies, cf c.) 
