82 WILD BEASTS OF THE WOULD 



ground, and swims powerfully in case of need, while its strength is 

 such that, though it preys usually on the larger birds and smaller beasts 

 such as Hares and fawns, it will on occasion attack Deer and even cattle 

 — a case has even been recorded in which a Lynx, in Scandinavia, 

 killed a Horse. To Goats and Sheep it is a deadly enemy ; wild, it has 

 been found killing the Burrhel or Blue Sheep in Tibet, and its ravages 

 on tame creatures are very severe, so that it has been exterminated 

 over a large part of Europe, and is now chiefly to be found in Northern 

 Scandinavia, Russia, and eastwards through Northern Asia ; a few, how- 

 ever, still inhabit the mountains of Central Europe. 



The Lynx, although it is a really formidable beast, has apparently 

 never been known to attack man unprovoked ; and, when taken young, 

 it can be easily tamed. This is the more remarkable, as it is a very 

 bloodthirsty animal, killing for killing's sake, so that if it gets access 

 to a sheepfold it destroys a large number of the inmates. It dislikes 

 tame Cats, and they reciprocate the feeling; while, in America, it 

 sometimes, as remarked in dealing with the Puma, falls a victim to 

 a larger feline relative. So it does, at times, to the Wolf; but it will 

 itself kill the Fox, and, in America, the Raccoon. 



The female Lynx conceals her young in a cave or hollow of a tree, 

 or some such sheltered hiding-place ; she usually produces two or 

 three kittens. This animal is of course often hunted, both on account 

 of its valuable fur and to keep it down ; it fights bravely against Dogs, 

 uttering- loud yells of defiance. One of the uses to which the fur is 

 put is the manufacture of the well-known "busbies" worn by our 

 Hussar officers. For these the skin is dyed, a "black Lynx" having 

 so far only occurred in the poet Browning's imagination, apparently. 



The flesh of the Lynx has often been used as food, and is said to 

 be white and palatable, not unlike that of the Rabbit. 



Lynxes are fairly common in captivity, but not nearly so well 

 known in that condition as the more " sensational " Cats. It is of interest 

 here to note that a specimen of the Tibetan variety was once kept for 

 two years in good health in so unnatural a climate as that of Calcutta ; 

 but it was treated with great care, being always tied up in the shade, and 



