Не буди спящего дракона, Странник — он уже поел.
Не буди спящего дракона, Странник — он уже поел.
В колониальном фольклоре штатов Пенсильвания и Орегон лесной кот с шаром на хвосте:
In the early days this feline undoubtedly enjoyed a much wilder circulation than at present. Recent surveys indicate that it is now pretty well confined to Harney County, Oregon, and Sullivan County, Pennsylvania. A fair-sized animal of about the dimensions of a wildcat but with a far more aggressive disposition.
Its chief physical characteristic is a hardy heavy, bony ball on the end of its tail. The feet are clawed as with all true cats, making it an excellent climber; and this species has the stealthy habit of lying out on a limb, and when the unsuspecting lumberjack passes beneath, the Cat drops on its victim and pounds him to death with the ball. In the rutting season the male uses this instrument to call the female by drumming on a hollow log.
This species has occasioned much discussion and peppery argument. It has often been confused with both the Silver Cat and the Dingmaul. A careful Study of the equipment and habits of the three species shows plainly that they are, by no means the same. It is quite possible that they are all distantly related; perhaps the Ball-tailed boy is a less highly developed variant of the same phylum.
Henry Tryon "Fearsome critters" (453: p.7)
В давние времена этот представитель кошачьих, несомненно, обитал гораздо шире, чем ныне. Недавние исследования показывают, что теперь его ареал ограничен округом Харни в штате Орегон, и округом Салливан в штате Пенсильвания. Это довольно крупное животное, размером с дикую кошку, но гораздо более агрессивного нрава.
Его главная физиологическая особенность — твердый, тяжелый костяной шар на конце хвоста. Лапы у него когтистые, как у всех настоящих кошек, что делает его отличным верхолазом; также у этого вида есть обыкновение скрытно лежать на ветке дерева и, когда ничего не подозревающий лесоруб проходит под ним, кот бросается вниз и насмерть забивает жертву своим шаром. В период гона самец использует этот инструмент для призывания самки, барабаня им по полому бревну.
Этот вид вызвал много дискуссий и острых споров. Его часто путали с Щепокотом и Колотопозадом. Тщательное изучение охотничьих орудий и привычек этих трех видов ясно показывает, что они ни в коем случае не одинаковы. Вполне возможно, что все они состоят в отдаленном родстве; может быть малыш-шарохвост — менее развившийся вид того же семейства.
Генри Тайрон "Устрашающие твари" (453: p.7)
The ball-tailed cat is a fictional fearsome critter of North America most commonly described as having similar traits to that of a mountain lion, except with an exceedingly long tail to which there is affixed a solid, bulbous mass for striking its prey. Tales of ball-tailed cats were common among woodsmen during the turn of the 20th century and many variations exist; two of the more prominent variants are the Dingmaul and the silvercat. The latter is distinguishable for not only having a smooth-sided ball for knocking wayfarers unconscious, but in addition a spiked-side for piercing and grappling its victims.
In the early days this feline undoubtedly enjoyed a much wilder circulation than at present. Recent surveys indicate that it is now pretty well confined to Harney County, Oregon, and Sullivan County, Pennsylvania. A fair-sized animal of about the dimensions of a wildcat but with a far more aggressive disposition.
Its chief physical characteristic is a hardy heavy, bony ball on the end of its tail. The feet are clawed as with all true cats, making it an excellent climber; and this species has the stealthy habit of lying out on a limb, and when the unsuspecting lumberjack passes beneath, the Cat drops on its victim and pounds him to death with the ball. In the rutting season the male uses this instrument to call the female by drumming on a hollow log.
This species has occasioned much discussion and peppery argument. It has often been confused with both the Silver Cat and the Dingmaul. A careful Study of the equipment and habits of the three species shows plainly that they are, by no means the same. It is quite possible that they are all distantly related; perhaps the Ball-tailed boy is a less highly developed variant of the same phylum.
Henry Tryon "Fearsome critters" (453: p.7)
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