are white. The fur on all the under parts is white towards the roots. The outside of the
fore-legs and posterior parts of the hind-legs are brownish-orange, the upper surfaces of the
feet are white; and the soles are covered, with the exception of some callous spots, with
brownish wool. The tail is full of woolly hair, but tapers at the end. The prevailing colour
of its upper surface is yellowish-gray, with a considerable intermixture of black, and a few
white hairs ; the under surface is brownish-orange, and the whole of the tip is black. The fur
of the tail is ash-gray towards its base.
Dimensions of a Hunter’s Skin
Inche s. Lin e s.
Length of head and body . 2 2 0
„ tail . . 10 0
,, tail including the fur at its tip 12 6
In c h e s. Lin e s.
Distance from the tip of the nose to the anterior
angle of the eye . 2 0
,, between the anterior angles of the eyes 1 2
Length of whiskers « , 3 0
The dimensions of a specimen described by M. F. Cuvier, are—
In ch e s. Lin e s.
Length of head and body (English measure) 21 6 I Length of tail , ,
,, head , . 5 0 | Height of back , ,
In c h e s. L in e s.
14 0
13 0
Mr. Say gives the dimensions of the cranium of his specimen, taken by calipers,
as follows :**-
In ch e s. In c h e s ^
Between the insertion of the lateral muscles at the
junction of the frontal and parietal bones •
Greatest breadth of this space on the parietal bones i§
entire length from the insertion of the superior
incisors to the tip of the occipital ridge is rather
more than . . . . 4T35
The least distance between the orbital cavities .
[30.] 1. F elis Canadensis. (Geofiroy.) Canada Lynx.
Genus. Felis. Linn .
Loup-cervier. (Anarisqua.) Sagard Theodat, Canada, p. 747- An. 1636.
Loup-cervier or Lynx. Dobbs, Hudson’s Bay, p. 41. An. 1744.
Cat-Lynx, P ennant, Arctic Zool., vol. i. p. 60.
Cat or Pishu. Hutchins, MSS.
Lynx or Wild Cat. Heakne, Journey, p. 366. Mackenzie, Journey, p. 106, &c.
Felis Canadensis, Geoffboy, Ann. du Mus. Sabine, Franklin’s Journ., p. 659.
Zoological Museum. No. 72.
Peeshoo. Cr.ee Indians and Canadian Voyagers.
This is the only species of the genus which exists north of the Great Lakes, and
eastward of the Rocky Mountains. It is rare on the sea-coast, and does not frequent
the Barren Grounds, but it is not uncommon in the woody districts of the interior,
since from seven to nine thousand are annually procured by the Hudson’s Bay
Company. It is found on the Mackenzie River, as far north as latitude 66°. It
is a timid creature, incapable of attacking any of the larger quadrupeds; but well
armed for the capture of the American hare, on which it chiefly preys. Its large,
paws, slender loins, and long, but thick, hind legs, with large buttocks, scarcely
relieved by a short thick tail, give it an awkward, clumsy appearance. It makes
a poor fight when it is surprised by a hunter in a tree; for, though it spits like a
cat, and sets its hair up, it is easily destroyed by a blow on the back with a slender
stick; and it never attacks a man. Its gait is by bounds, straightforward, with
the back a little arched, and lighting on all the feet at once.. It swims well, and
will cross the arm of a lake two miles wide; but it is not swift on land. It
breeds once a year, and has two young at a time. The natives eat its flesh,
which is white and tender, but rather flavourless, much resembling that of the
American hare.
The early French writers on Canada, who ascribed to it the habit of dropping
from trees on the backs of deer, and destroying them by tearing their throats and
drinking their blood, gave it the name of Loup center. The French Canadians
now term it indifferently Le Chat, or Le Peeshoo. The mistake of Charlevoix in
applying to it the appellation of Carcajou, which is proper to the wolverene, has
produced some confusion of synonyms amongst subsequent writers. Pennant considered
it as identical with the Lynx of the Old World ; Geoffroy St. Hilaire named