TH E S P A N IS H LYNX.
FELIS PARDINA, Temm. Mon. Mamm. (18 2 7 ) vol. i. p. 116.—Less. Man. Mamm. (1 8 2 7 ) p. 183. sp. 487.—Fisch. Syn. Mamm. (1 8 2 9 ) p. 210.
sp. 28.—Less. Compì. Buff. (18 3 9 ) vol. i. p. 411.—Keyserl. & Blas. Wirbelth. Eur. (18 4 0 ) p. 62.—Less. Nouv. Tab. Règn. Anim.
(18 4 2 ) p. 56. sp. 5 4 5—Blyth, Journ. Asiat. Soc. Beng. (18 4 2 ) vol. x¡. pt. ii. p. 747.—Gerv. Hist. Nat. Mamm. (18 5 5 ) p. 9 3 —Cierra.
Quad. Eur. (1859) p. 72.—Murray, Geog. Distr. Mamm. (1866) p. 101.—Tristr. Proc. Zool. Soc. (1866) p. 92. sp. 64.—Danf. & Alston,
Proc. Zool. Soc. (1877) p. 273.
LYNCUS PARDINUS, Gray, Cat. Mamm. Brit. Mus. (1842) p. 46.—Id. Proc. Zool. Soc, (1867) p. 276.—Id. Cat. Cam. Mamm. (1869) p. 38. sp. 4 .
FELIS CERVARIA, H. Saunders, Proc. Zool. Soc. (1869) p. 432 (nec Temm.).
H a b . Southern Europe : Portugal; Spain; Sardinia? Sicily; Turkey. Asia Minor (D a n f o b d ) .
T h i s species is rare in Asia Minor; but Mr. Danford procured one skin and saw another very fine one at Kaisariyeh.
Ainsworth records that eight individuals were seen by his party in one day on Tchskurovali, near Missisdh.
The Spanish Lynx, as this species is usually called, is an inhabitant of the warmer portions of the European continent,
and is confined to the southern countries lying along the Mediterranean. It is smaller than the Red Lynx, and is
remarkable for the beauty of its markings and the length of the whiskers that hang down on each side of the throat below
the chin. In Spain, where this animal appears to be not uncommon, it is called “ Gato clavo ;” and, as stated by Sykes,
the peasants of Andalusia make jackets out of the skin. It has two styles of fur in the year, that worn in the summer
being the same as that figured in my Plate, while the winter pelage is a dark grey covered with small black spots.
The general colour of this animal is a bright rufous; the body covered rather thickly with small blackish brown spots,
which extend the entire length of the fore legs to the foot, but on the hind legs only to the knee. The underparts are
dark buff or yellowish white, with a few indistinct spots on the sides of the belly. Lower part of cheeks, throat, breast,
and hind part of fore legs white, the last having one or two bands and some spots of blackish brown near the shoulder.
The head has several narrow blackish brown lines running from between the ears to between the shoulders, but broken into
irregular spots and bars upon the back. Two dark brown lines from the eyes across the cheeks. Whiskers rather long,
blackish brown for the greater part, the portion alongside the throat white. Inside of hind legs dark buff; one or two
broken bars of blackish brown near the body. Centre of ears rufous, base and tips black. Tail very short; upper part
rich red, crossed by several (five or six) broken bars of blackish brown; underpart white. Tips of ears black. Some
specimens are dark grey in colour, thickly covered with small black spots, these being distributed on the body as in the
rufous examples. Throat and middle of belly white. Centre of ears behind grey; base and tips black. Tail with a rufous
tinge, crossed by irregular black bars, and tipped for nearly an inch from the extremity with black. Nose to root of tail
31 inches, tail 5 inches.
The skull of this species presents a very high forehead, with a comparatively lengthened facial region. When viewed
in profile, the upper outline is greatly arched, the forehead being the highest point, from which it slopes rapidly posteriorly
and anteriorly, the descent being most marked in the latter direction. The nasals are very broad, and extend beyond the
processes of the maxillas at their articulation with the prefrontal. A median depression exists on the nasals for their entire
length, being deepest at their posterior ends. Nasal aperture heart-shaped. Processes of prefrontals and premaxillas very
long and narrow. Orbits large, incomplete. Infraorbital foramina large and round. Interorbital space moderately wide.
Brain-case rounded and well developed, with a short postoccipital crest. Auditory bullae large and oblong. Mastoid
foramen flattened on one side, rather large and open. Lower outline of mandibular ramus perfectly straight from angle to
symphysis. Canines long and moderately strong. From specimen in British Museum, No. 1228 b, from Andalusia, Spain