1842.] A Monograph of the Species of Lynx > 749 



somewhat exceeding a foot and a half. The ears are two inches long, 

 with copious tufts that sometimes attain to two inches, and the ruff and 

 mouchetures are considerably developed, the latter measuring three 

 inches in length. The coat generally of this species is in winter long 

 and very dense, measuring, at that season, an inch and three-quarters 

 upon the back : in summer it is of a yellowish- buff colour, greyish, or 

 mixed with white, having black tips along the middle of the back ; and 

 in winter, (or when in season, as the furriers style it,) it is silvered over 

 with hoary tips, the black extremity of its very short and particular- 

 ly truncate tail, and the black tips and long pencil- tufts of the 

 ears, contrasting in a striking manner with the almost uniform hoari- 

 ness of the fur generally; its paws have a wide spread, and look 

 immense ; their aspect being quite different from that of any of the 

 others. The facial markings of this species are scarcely, even when 

 at all, perceptible, and of numerous heaps of the skins which I have 

 examined, it was very seldom that any trace of spots could be dis- 

 cerned, even upon the limbs : the fur of the under-parts, however, 

 which is longer, has some distantly placed rather large black spots 

 upon a white ground, resembling those of the next species, and which 

 are more or less brought out in different individuals. 



This Arctic species, according to M. Nilsson, is the F. Lynx of 

 Linnaeus, as indeed was indicated by the words " manus amplissimse," 

 though the expression " corpore rufescente maculata" certainly applies 

 much better to the F. Lynx of Temminck, which, as being now 

 generally known by that appellation, I prefer still to style so, perceiving 

 no advantage in altering the established denominations with M. Nilsson. 

 M. Temminck united the Scandinavian and Hudson's Bay animals, 

 after comparison of a vast number of skins ; and M. Nilsson's coloured 

 figure of a Swedish specimen might pass equally for that of an Ameri- 

 can one : it may, nevertheless, surprise, that this species is not ge- 

 nerally included in the catalogues of observed mammalia, which are 

 appended to the narratives of the different Polar expeditions; but the 

 reason appears to be, that it is everywhere rare near the sea- coast, 

 keeping to the wooded districts of the interior ; Captain Back being the 

 only navigator who notices it. 



The Arctic Lynx is confined to the northernmost forests of 

 Scandinavia, where it is known as the Rislo, or Raf-lo (" Fox Lynx") ; 



