Distinctly Montana Magazine

w w w . d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m 63 Lynx canadensis, as its scientific name sug- gests, inhabits much of Canada. But if you live in the northern reaches of Maine, Minne- sota, Montana or Washington, and are lucky, you may get a glimpse of this elusive wild cat. With long legs and saucer-sized paws, the Canada lynx is marvelously adapted to hunt- ing the snowshoe hare, its favorite prey, across the deep snow typical throughout its range. Pencil-thin ear tufts and a stubby tail are unique identifying features of this wild feline. And, according to ancient folklore, the Canada lynx and its cousins the Eurasian and Iberian lynx have extraordinarily keen eye- sight. A Middle English poem dated as long ago as 1340 claims that the lynx "may see through thick stone walls." A 1605 ecclesias- tical manuscript declares that "God sees all secrets [with] His lynx-like eye." Which brings us to the word's etymology. It comes from an ancient Indo-European language root word meaning "brightness." Lynx, related to the terms lucid, lunar and luster, suggests that the cat's eyes cast beams of illumination through the gloom of night as it tracks its prey. Not so etymologically fabled is the bobcat, a type of lynx native to the contiguous United States and northern Mexico. is creature's name evokes its six-eight inches of tail, which looks bobbed compared to that of other big cats. American English speakers use this adjective for other foreshortened things: the bobsled with its short runners, the bobtailed nag that you bet your money on, and the bob haircut introduced in the 1920s, held in place with bobby pins. e word bobcat made one of its first printed appearances in an 1888 publication of e Century Magazine, a popular American monthly. Compare this with the word lynx, printed in England in 1340. 400 13 th Street North | Great Falls, Montana | (406) 7278787 | CMRussell.org JU NE 7SEPTEMBER 29, 2019 Marking the 100 th anniversary of the 1919 Victory Stampede at which Charles M. Russell had an extensive art show, this exhibition will be the greatest assembly of Russell masterpieces in the last decade. Cha rles M. Russell (1864-1926), Jumped , 1914, oil on canvas, 30 x 48 inches, Petrie Collection, Denver, CO. Return to Calgary: Charles M. Russell and the 1919 Victory Stampede RICK SHEREMETA (2) LY N X / B O B C AT THE WORD LYNX COMES FROM AN ANCIENT INDO-EUROPEAN LANGUAGE ROOT WORD MEANING "BRIGHTNESS." LY N X B O B C AT

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