OCEL'LUS LUCA'NUS (Lat., from Gk."010 2.oc, ()kenos). A Lucanian Greek and member of the Pythagorean School; perhaps of the fifth century B.C. StObw11,, i. 13, has preserved a fragment of his work in Dorian dialect; and we hear of various philosophical writings which have now been lost. The extant work On the ,Yature of the Unirerse Haer,;(., (143(yewc) in the Ionic dialect, which bears ()eel lus's name, is certainly a work of the later Peripatetic School, and cannot be earlier than the first century n.e.: it may be still later. as it shows remarkable coincidences with the similar work of Nicolaus In four chapters the handles the themes of the eternity of the cosmos, the distinethm between the per manent and the transitory, the divisions of the universe, the heavens. earth. and the human race, the nature of time, etc.. all being based on the writings of Aristotle. The work closes with a consideration of the relation of the propagation of humankind to certain cosmic and moral ques tions. It is best edited in vol. i. of Mullach's
Philosophoruni GraTorum ( Pa ris, 1S60) ; English translation by Thomas Taylor (London. 1831).
OCELOT, (5',--lnt (Mexican oeclotr). A beau tiful wild cat (Pclis insrdalis) of tropical Amer ica, from Louisiana to Brazil. It inhabits forests, is an agile tree-climber, and preys mainly on birds. It is from two feet six inches to three feet long, exclusive of the tail, which is from 11 to 15 inches. and nearly of uniform thickness. The ears are thin. short, and pointed. The muz zle is rather elongated. The colors vary con siderably, but the oroupd tint is rich reddish gray or tawny, blending finely with the dark brown on the margins of the elongated spots, of which there are chains on the sides; the head, neck, and legs being also variously spotted or barred with 'lark brown or black. The ocelot is easily tamed. and is I-cry playful. but excessively mischievous and bloodthirsty. This animal is often called a 'panther-cat! oCHELH.KUSER, WILDELM