CARNIVORA. FELID.E. 33 



and nails concealed in long, dense, silky hair, and fur which is 

 somewhat curled or crisped. 



Dimensions. 



ft. in. t'ths. 



Length of the head and body, 3 10 



" " tail, 040 



" " ear, 2 



" " tuft, 020 



Fringe and hair beneath, 4 5 



Height at the back, 19 



" at the anterior legs, 17 



Observations. The Northern or Canada Lynx presents a very 

 striking resemblance to the cat. Its head is round, and the nose 

 is obtuse ; its canine teeth are also grooved like the domestic cat's ; 

 it is more convex between the eyes. The two most remarkable 

 characters of the Lynx are the beautiful pencils of black hair 

 which ornament the ears, and the perfect hairiness of the soles of 

 the feet, which have no naked spots or tubercles like the other spe- 

 cies of the feline race. There are no very distinct stripes of black 

 or brown ; still we may perceive a tendency thereto in a good light ; 

 it is, however, more like a mottling, than an arrangement into 

 stripes. The legs of this animal appear thick, in consequence of 

 the length of the hair ; it makes a round track, in which neither the 

 marks of the toes nor of the nails appear. It was once common 

 in this State, but appears now only in the depth of winter, and as 

 a straggler. One was captured a few years since in the neighbour- 

 hood of Chester village in Hampden County. It was a fine, large 

 male, and was able to resist the attacks of several dogs ; it ascend- 

 ed trees with the utmost facility, leaping up their trunks at fifteen 

 or twenty feet in single bounds. It is timid and shy, and never 

 attacks man or the larger animals. Its flesh is eaten, and is es- 

 teemed by connoisseurs, and is said to resemble that of the hare in 

 its flavor. Nature has supplied it with clothing remarkably well 

 adapted to a cold climate ; it is strictly a northern animal, and is 

 found as far north as latitude 66°. It subsists principally on the 

 Hare, and is most sure to be found where this animal abounds. 

 The specimen which has given me an opportunity of describing it, 

 was taken in Maine. It was a male, and was captured in the 

 5 



