The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-05-17
THE CANADA LYNX.

I
 I can scarcely recall an animal whici
 presents such a striking picture of say
 age hatred, or uncompromising fero
 city, as a Canada lynx at bay. Tha
 brutal head, with its low forehead, be
 heath which two cruel eyes are blaz
 ing like evil stars; that fierce display of teeth between the parted wrinklet
 lips, and the massive powerful feet
 hiding flesh-tearing hooks of living
 steel, all impress the beholder with the fact that a personal encounter
 with a Canadian wild cat must end ir
 death for at least one of the combat
 ants,
 Not that the lynx Is specially az
 gressive in his attitude towards men
 far from it-and the stories of how he l follows belated hunters through the overhangng branches of the forest
 trees, seeking a favorable opportunity
 to spring upon his human prey, are
 products of the imagination. But when after chase, he Is driven to
 take refuge in a tree, where he crouch
 es in preparation for his last battle, I
 would prefer, unless armed with a rife to interview almost any other creature of equal weight.
 Many years ago. the Canada lynx
 was to be found in the mountainous
 districts of New England, New York and Pennsylvania, but now he Is sell
 dom seen far south of the Canadian
 border. He is to be met with in Labra- dor, and he is quite common in cer- tain parts of Canada, where he is hunt ed chiefly for his skin.
 He is somewhat larger than the common American wild eat uynx ru fus), and, moreover, his head Is rounded and broader in proportion than that of his knsman. His triansu- lar furry ears are each tipped with tuft of coarse black hair. The general color of the body is gray with many irregular darker spots; the fur on the under side of the body is lighter. Be- ginning at the ears, and extending downward around the throat is ruff of longer hair which adds not lit- tie to the animals appearance of fer oeity. The tail is short, thick and well covered with hair.
 Perhaps he is somewhat less bold than the common wild cat; at any rate, he is usally found far away from even the outposts of civilization, And he does we'll to give man wide berth, for there s a price upon his head, and he must make wide circuit fl he would avoid the rifle bullet and the steel trap.
 He is splendidly adapted for the wild life which he leads. Clad in his thick winter fur, he can resist the most penetrating cold and when his hunting luck is against him. as it of- ten is, his great vitality enables him to exist for many days without food His methods of pursuing and csptur- ing his prey are very similar to tboss adopted by the domestic cat. That is to say, he usually either lies in wait until his victims unconsciously come within Jumping distance, or stalks them cautiously, untif he is near enough to venture swift rush upon them. His great strength of limb and his formidable teeth and claws gem arally prevent any successful opposi- | ton on the part of his intended prey, | He is a great enemy of birds, particu- arly in the breeding season. when he | will often spring upon grouse, wild | geese and others, as they sit upon | heir eggs, or as they travel about ! by their helpless little ones, 1 He also preys upon rabbits hares, squirrels, young fawns. md even lambs and young pigs if they tray to a reasonable distance from he barn-yard. It Is doubtful If he ever 'oluntarily attacks man. but while and at bay. he has, first and ast. put good many hunters out of 
 The Canada lynx is splendid climb r and although he usually travels for onne distance when pursued, he gener- lily takes to a tree when hard press d. Here he is safe from practically Il his enemies but man, and the lat er is hard proposition for any wild reature. Sometimes wild cat will ndeavor to escape by leaping from rec to the ground, and 1t is remark ble from what a height the creature an leap without injuring himself. foreover, he is not the least hit dis orcerte1 by the drop, but aliSleing on Il fours he is prepared to a once do attle with his enemies. He is also
 good swimmer. and more than once anoists have been surprised by hav- 1 ; lg him come aboard in mid stream; 1 . Is idea no doubt being simply to rest 'om his eXertons, He is not an easy roblem for dog to solve, as he is ne mass of bone and muscle, and { hen engaged in fighting seems to l ristle with teeth and claws, Never ( 1eess, dog with plenty of weight S )urage and experience will generally 1 lme out first best. albeit he may look S , though he has bean put through q cotton gin, (
 '-''''' .-Ernest Harold Baynes, '