90 WILLIAM BARTRAM 



o£ a yellowish brown colour " (p. 199). In a later chapter he 

 says that he has been " credibly informed that the wolves here 

 are frequently seen pied, black and white, and of other mixed 

 colours. They assemble in companies in the night time, howl 

 and bark altogether, especially in cold winter nights, which is 

 terrifying to the wandering bewildered traveler " (p. 282) . But 

 his picture of wolves is not confined entirely to hearsay. In a 

 few places he narrates actual personal adventures with wolves 

 (pp. 158-159; 199). His resort to hearsay is only a part of his 

 scientific caution. He completes the information he has gathered 

 by personal observation with an account of what he has heard, 

 but he is careful to distinguish between the two sources. In the 

 following description of foxes both personal observation and 

 hearsay merge, yet it is easy to note which is which: 



The foxes of Carolina and Florida are of the smaller red species; 

 they bark in the night round about plantations, but do not bark twice 

 in the same place; they move precipitately and in a few minutes are 

 heard on the opposite side of the plantation, or at a great distance: it 

 is said that dogs are terrified at the noise, and cannot be persuaded or 

 compelled to pursue them, they commit depredation on young pigs, 

 lambs, poultry, & c. (pp. 282-283). 



The wild-cat or lynx, he tells us, is 



a fierce and bold little animal, preying on young pigs, fawns, turkies, 

 & c. they are not half the size of a common cur dog, are generally of 

 a greyish colour, and somewhat tabbied; their sides bordering on the 

 belly is varied with yellowish brown spots, and almost black waved 

 streaks, and brindled (p. 282). 



Bartram also mentions " tygers " as being numerous in the 

 region he explored, which provoked Zimmermann's annotation 

 and note: " Tieger giebt es eigentlich nirgends in America. Der 

 Verfasser meint wohl den Jaguar oder Cuguar, Felis onca und 

 F. .concolor Linn." " Zimmermann evidently ignored Bartram's 

 own annotation, given in a footnote. " This creature," Bartram 

 explains his use of the word tyger, " is called, in Pennsylvania 

 and the northern States, Panther ; but in Carolina and the south- 

 ern States, is called Tyger; they are very strong, much larger 



^' German translation of the Travels, p. 9. 



