Page:Handbook for Boys.djvu/159

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138
Boy Scouts

tiger. It is known by its unspotted brown 'coat, its long, heavy tail, and its size. A male cougar weighs one hundred and

fifty to two hundred pounds; a few have been taken over that. The females are a third smaller. The young in first coat have black spots.

The cougar never attacks man but preys on deer, horses, calves, etc. There are several different forms; one or other Cougar of these is (or was)found from Ottawa, Minnesota, and Vancouver Island to Patagonia.

Wild Cat or Bob Cat
(Lynx rufus)

This is somewhat like the Canada lynx but is more spotted, has smaller feet, and the tail has several dark bars above and is pure white on the under side of the tip. There are several species of bob bob cat cats; they cover the timbered states and enter Canada in Ontario, going north to Lake Simcoe.

Fox
(Vulpes fulvus)

The fox is about four feet from snout to tail tip; of this the taft is sixteen inches or more; it stands about fifteen inches at the shoulder. It rarely weighs over fifteen pounds and sometimes barely ten. The fox is known by its bright, sandy-red coat, black ears and paws, its white throat, and the white tip at the end of the tail. At a distance the fox's ears and tail look very large. The silver or black fox is a mere color freak with black coat- and white tail tip. Red foxes are found throughout the heavily timbered parts of North America north of latitude thirty-five degrees.

Gray Wolf
(Canis occidentalis)

The wolf is simply a big wild dog with exceptionally strong jaws and general gray color, becoming dirty white on the rider part. The wolf is found in all parts of North America, except where settlement has driven it out, and varies in color with locality. The Florida wolves are black, Texan wolves are reddish, and Arctic wolves are white. Wolves weigh from