THE SPORTSMAN IN SOUTH AFRICA. 89 



most savage and intractable of the Felidce. Even when obtained 

 quite young and brought up by hand, it gradually develops a 

 character, so to speak, of pure "cussedness," that any attempts to 

 tame it have invariably proved unsuccessful. The Boers hold to 

 the belief — which is often treated with ridicule — that the skin 

 of this Lynx, when made into and used as karosses, is a sovereign 

 remedy against an attack of rheumatism. Whether they really 

 possess any curative virtues it is not within our province to deter- 

 mine, but their general use is greatly favoured in South Africa ; it 

 is certainly a fact that the fur of the dead animal is highly electrical. 

 Thick bush and the vicinity of rivers are not so much associated 

 with the Caracal as the Serval, frequenting as it does more open 

 country at considerable distances from water. In its movements 

 it is wonderfully rapid when climbing trees, and its strength and 

 activity are so great as to be more than a match for the best dog. 

 Several instances have occurred where individual females, anxious 

 for the safety of their young, have boldly attacked natives, only 

 being killed or driven off with much difficulty. 



The South African Wild Cat {Felis cajfrd).— Wilde Kat of 

 the Dutch. 



\_Size about the same as a very large domestic cat. General 

 colour .^ dark grey, some specimens having an orange tint throughout; 

 centre of hack rather indistinctly striped with black, more definitely 

 so on the thighs; legs same colour as body, ringed with black; body 

 thick set; tail rather long for a wild cat, tipped for a couple of inches 

 with black, a few irregular rings being further up.] 



This is the common Wild Cat of South Africa, and although rarely 

 distributed in sparsely populated districts of the Cape Colony and 

 Natal, it may be plentifully met with throughout the Interior. Its 

 habits very little differ from those of the ordinary wild cat of 

 Europe. 



The Reed Cat {Felis chaus). — Reit Kat of t\ie 'Dntc\\.. 



\_Stands somewhat higher than the last described. General 

 colour, pale grey, inclined to yellow, under parts lighter; fur short 

 and thick; in some specimens there is no appearance of lines or 

 marks whatever, while others show slight indications of brown 



