i62 RECREATIONS OF A NATURALIST 



The last trained Leopards seen in France were those 

 brought by Marie de Medicis from Florence in 

 1 60 1. After that date they were no longer to be 

 seen, either in France or Italy, although in Ger- 

 many the sport was revived by Leopold I., who 

 died in 1705/ 



Next to Asia, the greatest variety of cat-life 

 exists in Africa and South America, in each of 

 which continents some nine or ten different species 

 are to be found. Several of the African species 

 are to be found also in Asia, as the Lion, Leopard, 

 Chaus, and Caracal. In South America we find 

 some very distinct forms, as the Puma, the Jaguar, 

 the Ocelot, and in Mexico and Central America 

 those singular-looking, uniformly coloured, long- 

 bodied and long-tailed cats, the Eyra and the 

 Jaguarundi. North America comes next with five 

 species, including (besides the Puma, Jaguar, and 

 Ocelot, all widely distributed in the New World) two 

 species of Lynx, one of which, the Bay Lynx [Lyncus 

 rufus), is the " cat-a-mountain" of the old voyagers, 

 a name evidently corrupted from the Mexican Gato 

 monies. Lastly comes Europe with one species of 

 Wild Cat {Felts catus) and four species of lynx, two 

 of which must be considered as decidedly rare. 

 To us in England the species of all others which 

 possesses the most interest is undoubtedly the Wild 

 Cat, since it was not only extremely common at one 

 time in this country, but even still lingers in re- 

 duced numbers in the northern parts of Scotland. 



1 For further historical notices of the Hunting Leopard in 

 Europe, see the chapter on "Hunting with the Cheeta." 



