L Y N 
warmer climates of Afia and Africa. Kolbe is 
the only writer who affirms that the Lynx is com- 
mon at the Cape of Good Hope, and perfeftly re- 
fembles that of Brandenburgh and the north of 
Europe ; but fo many miftakes occur in the works 
of this naturalift, that his teftimony can have but 
little weight, unkfs corroborated by that of others. 
All travellers agree in having feen the fpotted 
Lynx in the north of Germany, in Lithuania, 
Mofcovy, Siberia, Canada, and other hyperborean 
regions of both continents; but no authentic au- 
thor afierts that the Lynx is a native of the tro- 
pical regions. The Lynx of the Levant, of Bar- 
bary, Arabia, and otlier hot climates, is, as before 
remarked, of one uniform colour : he cannot there- 
fore be the Lynx of Klein, which he defcribes as 
being finely fpotted; nor that of Kolbe, v/hich 
perfeftly refembled the Lynx of Brandenburgh. 
It would indeed be a di.fficult tafk to reconcile the 
evidence of thofe authors with that derived from 
other fources. The Lynx is unqueftionably more 
common in cold than in warm climates; and, at 
leaft, is very rare within the tropics: however, it 
is certain that this creature was knovv'n to the 
Greeks and Romans ; but we may not infer from 
hence, that it was either imported from Africa or 
the fouthern provinces of Afia: Pliny, on the con- 
trary, fays, that the firft of thefe animals which 
was feen in Rome, was brought from Gaul in the 
days of Pompey. At prefent, however, there are 
none in France, unlefs perhaps in the unexplored 
parts of the Alps and Pyrenees. 
The fineft Lynx furs are brought from Siberia, 
tinder the appellation of the loup-cervier; and 
from Canada, under that of chat-cervier; becaufe 
thefe animals, like all others, are fmaller in the 
new than the old continent. 
Klein, and other naturalifts who have adopted 
his opinion, have probably been mifled by the 
following circumftances. The ancients fay, that 
India furnifhed Lynxes for the god Bacchus. 
Pliny has placed the Lynx in Ethiopia; and ob- 
ferves, that the hide and claws were prepared at 
Carpathos, an iiland lying between Rhodes and 
Candia. And Gefner has made a particular arti- 
cle of the Afiatic or African Lynx, 
For the prevention of fimilar miftakes, it fhould 
be remarked, that the poets and painters have 
yoked the chariot of Bacchus with tigers, pan- 
thers, or Lynxes, according to their own fancy; 
or rather, becaufe all ferocious animals with fpotted 
fkins were equally confecrated to that god. 
Thus it is the term Lynx which occafions this am- 
biguity; for it is evident, from comparing dif- 
ferent pafTages of Pliny with each other, that the 
Ethiopian animial called by him Lynx, is by no 
means the fame with the lupus cervarius or Lynx, 
which is a native of the northern regions. 
This animal, which, as previoully remarked, 
prefers cold to temperate countries, is one of 
thofe that might pafs from one continent to ano- 
ther; and accordingly, it is found in North Ame- 
rica, Travellers have defcribed it in a manner 
not to be mifunderftood. The Canadian Lynxes 
are fmaller and whiter than thofe of Europe; and 
this circumftance has induced naturalifts in gene- 
ral to regard them as diftinft fpecies. 
A variety of fables have been invented by the 
ancients refpeding the Lynx; particularly, that it's 
fight penetrated the moft opaque bodies; and that 
it's urine became a precious ftone, called lapis 
lyncurius: but even the animal to which they 
'Vol. 11. 
( 
L Y N 
afcribed thefe extraordinary qualities is as fabulous 
as their defcription. We muft not therefore, 
in imitation of the ancient naturalifts, attribute 
to the real Lynx the characters of this creature of 
imagination, the exiftence of which Pliny himfelf 
feems to qucftion; for he fpeaks of it as an extra- 
ordinary animal, ranking it with the fphynx, the 
pegafus, the unicorn, and other prodigies or mon- 
fters fuppofed to be brought from Ethiopia, a 
country of which the ancients had but a very im- 
perfeft idea. 
The Lynx of the moderns, though it's fighr 
cannot penetrate ftone-walls, has neverthelefs 
very brilliant eyes, a mild afpe6t, and an agree- 
able and fprightly air. The animal's urine is not 
convertible into precious ftones; but it covers it 
like the cat, to which race it has a great refem- 
blance. It pofTefies nothing in common with the 
wolf but a kind of howling, which being heard 
at a great diftance, is often miftaken for the voice 
of the latter: this alone may account for the 
name Wolf, which has been given it, and to which 
the hunters have annexed the epithet Cervarius, 
by way of diftinftion. 
The Lynx, v/hich does not run out like the 
wolf, but walks and fprings like the cat, lives by 
hunting, and purfues it's prey to the tops of the 
higheft trees. Wild cats, pine weafels, ermines, 
and fquirrels, are unable to efcape from this ani- 
mal; and it likewife preys on birds. It watches 
the approach of ftags, fallow-deer, and hares ; 
darts down upon them, feizes them by their 
throats, fucks their blood, and opening their 
fkulls, devours their brains: after this, it generally 
abandons them, and proceeds in queft of frefii 
game. The fur of this creature changes with the 
climate and feafon; but the winter covering is 
more beautiful and rich than that of fummer. 
Lynx, Canadian. This fpecies is only two 
feet three inches in length from the tip of the nofe 
to the origin of the tail, and about twelve or thir- 
teen inches in height. The body is covered with 
long greyifti hair, mixed with white and ftriped 
with yellow; the head is grcyifh, blended with 
white and bright yellow hairs interfperfed with 
black; the tip of the nofe, as well as the margin 
of the under-jaw, is black; the whiftvcrs are white^ 
and about three inches long; the ears are two in- 
ches high, garnifhed in the infide with large white 
hairs, and bordered with yellow; the outer fide of the 
ear is covered with moufe-coloured hair, the exter- 
nal margins being black; and at the extremity of 
each ear there is a large thin pencil of black hairs. 
The tail, which is thick, fhort, and well furniftied 
with hair, is only three inches long, black from 
the extremity to the middle, and of a reddifh white 
colour towards the bafe. The under part of the 
belly, the hind-legs, the infide of the fore-legs, 
and the feet, are of a dirty white hue; and the' 
claws are white, and about fix inches long. Hence 
the Canadian Lynx may be regarded as a variety 
very different from the Lynx of the old conti- 
nent: it may be even faid to make a near approach 
to the caracal, by the pencils on it's ears; but ic 
differs from that animal, ftill more than from the 
Lynx, by the length of it's tail and the colour cf 
it's hair; befides, the caracal fliews a predileCtion 
for warm countries, but the Lynx for cold ones. 
Lynx, Norwegian. According to Pontop- 
pidan, this animal is white, or of a bright bay co- 
lour interfperfed with deep fpots. It's claws, like 
thofe of other Lynxes, refemble the claws of cats, 
L Ir. 
