THE LYNX 



(Felis (Lynx) lynx) 



WHETHER the lynx is more keen of vision than other animals is more 

 than problematical ; but, nevertheless, it takes its name from the Greek 

 word {hike) for light, and lynx-eyed has become a proverbial expression. 

 Moreover, as if to set a seal of endorsement upon the proverb, the oldest and 

 most renowned scientific society in Italy bears the title of Regia Lynceorum 

 Academia (the "Royal Academy of Lynxes"). 



Be all this as it may, the lynx is an aberrant and well-marked member of the 

 Felidce, distinguished, together with its immediate relatives, from other members 

 of the cat tribe by its short, stumpy tail, the long tufts of hair at the tips of the ears, 

 and the bushy whitish whiskers fringing the face, as well as by the large size of the 

 feet, and a generally stout appearance, due to the thickness of the coat. 



The beautiful fur of the lynx, which commands a high price in the market, 

 has also a character all its own, being long, soft, and silky, with a greyish or 

 reddish tawny colour, and in most cases a number of more or less dark markings, 

 which take the form of longitudinal streaks along the back, of flecks on the sides, and 

 roundish spots on the limbs ; the greater portion of the absurd apology for a tail, 

 together with the backs and tufts of the ears, and a conspicuous streak on each side 

 of the face, being black. Many lynx-skins are, however, more or less completely 

 devoid of the dark markings ; and it does not yet appear to be ascertained whether 

 the difference in this respect is individual or seasonal. 



When the markings are fully developed, they so completely break up the 

 outline of the body as to render the animal almost invisible at a short distance ; 

 this being noticeable even within the cramped confines of a cage. 



The lynx is the second and largest species of the cat tribe inhabiting 

 northern Europe, where it is common in Scandinavia and Russia, while to the 

 south it is found in mountainous districts as far as Spain. Eastwards it extends 

 across Asia, from the Caucasus and northern Persia, to the northward of the 

 Himalaya to the island of Saghalin. Its fossil remains prove that it was formerly 

 a native of the British Isles. 



The Tibetan lynx, on account of its generally paler colour, has been 

 separated as F. lynx isabellina, while the one from the Urals, Caucasus, and 

 northern Persia is distinguished as F. I. cervaria. The Altai lynx, characterised by 

 its unusually long coat, the, at least frequent, absence of spots, except on the limbs, 

 and its extremely pale colouring, approximating in many parts to white, has 

 likewise received a separate racial name, F. I. wardi. 



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