Show njg ARE hunters and woodsmen reported a great increase of bobcats in the woods these animals a few years ago were met rarely but are now numerous in some parts of the state they are getting big and savage too says the washington post the cats are reported in the great est numbers down in washington county places have been found where they have pulled down deer and this gives the hunters cause tor concern the maine bobcat travels under a dariety of names the old hunters speak of the animal as the others call it the lynx while the term bobcat is most corn conly applied an adult bobcat is a grayish colored animal with long legs the round head characteristic of the cat family small ears and stubby tail an average bob cat will stand eighteen inches high though it may not appear to be so tall because of its crouching gait and will weigh about thirty pounds the teeth are those of the other members of the cat tribe long sharp and set in powerful jaws the ordinary bob cat Is not the same as the canadian lynx tho ight it is commonly supposed that the animals are identical the canadian lynx can readily be distin from the bobcat by the tufts of black hair two inches or more in length an the tips of the ears besides this the lynx is heavier built than its cousin has heavier fur and is more compact in build ordinarily a bobcat e every oth er animal found in the woods will run when confronted by a man like even the meekest of the woods creatures however the bobcat will turn when sorely pressed and when it does it Is a wicked customer for any man to face the cat Is like lightning in its move ments and the long claws with which the soft padded paws are armed do terrible execution more than one dog lus had his ribs bared by a sweep of one of those paws and there are men in the maine woods who can show marks on their thighs where a bob cat has driven in its claws to get a hold in an effort to reach the throat of its antagonist |