Evening journal., 1904-09-24
LYNX IS WISE AND BRAVE.
Avoids Unnecessnry Dangers, but
- - .----a 4. Nm n.L.-La

Avoids Unnecessnry Dangers, but
when Forced 10 WIN Fight.
California has in her hills the largest
and most kind hearted Of the great
fighters, the grizzly, and at the same
time the smallest and most treacher-
Gus, the red lynx. Most hunters call
them Wildcats" but they are not.
The real wildcat has a long tail and
HIVES only in Europe. In fact les about
extinct now. and old hunters dread the
wailing midnight cry Of a hungry lynx
more than they do all the growis a
grizzly ever let out. for when a lynx
Is maddened by hunger he fears
neither man nor beast, and most Of
the animals OF the forest give him the
road without waiting FOR him TO ask it.
In Canada and even IN the northern
row Of states Of this nation the lynxes
grow to be much larger than they do
here. in the warmer climate OF the
southwest. There. too. they are hunt
ed for their fur. but here that fur is
worthless, and. save for those killed
BY an occasional hunter. the lynxes
hold undispuied sway In the foothills.
The trouble is that the rascals do not
stay in the foothills. but wander all
over, wherever their fancy smells
chicken. for that is their special de-
light and they terrorih outlying poul-
try farmers accordingly They never
make the mistake that the tabled fox
did OF getting into a hole through
which they cannot return with q fat
hen or a young turkey In the low
lands they stay around the thick viii
low groves. never forgetting the way
TO an unguarded chicken coop by
night During the day they sleep in
thick grass or weeds or sometimes,
curled up like kitten. on broad
limb No matter how soundly they
may be sleeping, you can never catch
one mapping" for at the slightes
sound OF your approach he will clear
the ten or fifteen feet between his nest
ana the ground and be on like flosh
in the underground. About the on
way 10 get these fellows is wit
hounds, and then generally one or two
OF the dogs get pretty severely chewed
up.
In the hills the lynxes usually stay
in thick underbrush or in caves during
the day. coming out to work havoc In
the quail coveys by moonlight. Then,
II the night be right. the hound hunter
has real sport rousing the round eyed
owls with his shouts OF encouragement
to the dogs. which are not always
ready TO rush into the teeth Of an an
cry cat
II is almost impossible to trap a cat,
though a hungry lion may occasionally
be caught in this manner Now and
then cat can be run into a trap pre-
viously set along n runway, and in
this way the lumbermen OF the Cana
dian pineries take many Of the cats
that isfcst the great forests Of the
north The farther south you go the
sirsilcr TIE lynxes become, until the
family winds up with a little pampas
cat OF tlc Soath American plains. Our
lynx. however is the most savage OF
Sli. ana the hardest for any dog nc
matter how good he may be, TO master
In a fight a cat has an immense ad
vantage over n dog In that he can figh
with all fours and usually does 30
There Is little worse can befall a greer
pack OF dogs than 20 shake an old lyni
out Of a tree into their midst WheI
a lynx fights be doesn't bite and le
60 like a wolf or dog, but bites anC
hangs on like q bulldog, while his
claws keep up sort Of snare drum
accompaniment on the dogs ribs II
takes a mighty good dog TO do up a
lynx. and when thoroughbred hunter
gets such a dog It takes mighty good
price to buy him.-Los Angeles Times