126 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



Lynx g'igas Bangs Nova Scotia lynx 



1897 Lynx gigas Bangs, Proc. biolog. soc. Washington. 16 Mar. 1897^ 

 11 : 50. (15 miles back of Bear river, Nova Scotia) 



Back cinnamon rufus, mucli spotted and streaked with black; belly dull white,, 

 spotted with black ; a collar of cinnamon on throat. Total length, 1000 (39) ; 

 tail vertebrae, 180 (7); hind foot, 200 (8); breadth of front foot about 50 (2). 

 (glgas; Lat., a giant) 



The Nova Scotia lynx is confined to the forested regions of the 

 peninsula of Nova Scotia. 



Family Canidae Dogs 



Heel never applied to the ground in walking, claws blunt, not compressed or 

 retractile; hind toes 4; teeth 42 or more; head generally long and narrow. 

 (Canidae; genus Canis) 



The dog family is even more widely distributed than are the cats, since 

 some of its members reach the highest northern limits of mammalian 

 life. Like the cat family it contains a few genera only. Three of these 

 occur in North America, and all are found within our hmits. 



GENERA OF CANIDAE 



Upper front teeth distinctly lobed; pupil of eye circular Canis 



Upper front teeth without lobes; pupil of eye elliptic 



Tail without concealed mane and with abundant soft under-fur Vulpes 



Tail with a concealed mane of stiff hairs and without soft fur Uroeyo n 



Genus Canis Linnaeus 



1758 Canis Linnaeus, Systema naturae, ed. 10, 1 : 38. Type Canis fa mili- 

 ar is Linnaeus. 



Teeth 42, upper front teeth distinctly lobed; pupil of eye circular. (Canis 

 Lat., a dog) 



This extensive genus may be considered as truly cosmopolitan. One 

 or more species occur in every part of the American continent from 

 Greenland to Patagonia and the Falkland isles ; and similarly in the old 

 world, Europe, Africa and Asia, with most of the large islands adjacent, 

 and even Australia, have their wild dogs, though in the last case they 

 may belong to a feral race, introduced originally by man. — Flower 6^ 

 Lydekker, A dozen or more species occur in North America, only two 

 of which are found within our limits. 



