222 T2XAS NATURE OBSERVATIONS AND REMINISCENOES. 



great numbers of wild beasts and 

 prepared their hides and finally 

 exhibited them in his private home 

 museum at Losoya, in the same 

 position encountered in nature. 

 I still have a number of photos of 

 the Toudouse collection of Texas 

 wild animals and one of these is 

 reproduced in this magazine. It 

 is that of a lynx which Mr. Tou- 

 douse had killed along the brush 

 thickets and the shore of the old 

 Mitchell's Lake. In those days 



prised this lynx whilst devouring 

 its prey. He and his son were 

 hunting for game along the lake 

 when, toward evening, they heard 

 some commotion in a brush thicket 

 and there, in the riiidst of same, 

 they saw a lynx with the neck part 

 of a spoonbill in its mouth which 

 had been torn off the body. The 

 lynx, alert to a delicate sense, as is 

 the nature of the cat family, upon 

 perceiving the intruder, glared 

 fiercely with its fear-inspiring eyes 



A Cozy Fishing Place Along San Antonio River Forest Bottom, With Rampant Grape 

 AND Ivy Vines, Twelve Miles Below City. (Original Photo) 



lots of wild animals prowled around 

 that lake at jiight in search of prey 

 along the dense tule jungles and 

 underbrush. Mr. Touduse killed 

 this lynx toward evening whilst 

 it was in the act of devouring 

 a large waterfowl of the red spoon 

 bill variety — now extinct, accord- 

 ing to Hornaday. 



I recollect to-day yet how Mr. 

 Toudouse told me the way he sur- 



tried to make its escape, but a 

 quick rifle shot put an end to its 

 marauding career. 



As to touring, hunting and fish- 

 ing places around San Antnoio in 

 general, we are now entirely safe 

 from wild beasts anywhere, though 

 an occasional "bob cat" or lobo 

 wolf, or a rattlesnake or moccasin 

 may be met with in remote dis- 

 tricts; but it is exceedingly sel- 



