118 LYNX.

could see through a stone wall or a rock with the utmost
ease, and without the use of spectacles.”

The lynx ‘advances by leaping and bounding, and
will scale the loftiest trees; so that neither wild cat nor
squirrel are more secure than the stag or the hare. He
always fixes on the throat of the animal, and when he
has sucked the blood, leaves the carcase; thus revelling
in destruction, and doing immense mischief among the
weaker or more harmless inhabitants of the forest.”
Lynxes conceal themselves in the thick parts of dense
woods, and prey not only on the animals which are
there to be found, such as the stag, the roebuck,
sheep, hares, and others, but also ascend with facility
the highest trees, and there capture the nimble squirrels,
and even birds.

“In captivity they are remarkably irritable, and are
seldom thoroughly tamed. The softness and warmth
of the fur renders it a valuable and extensive article
of commerce.”