16 Bangs — The Florida Puma. 



Color.- — Type, (j^ old adult. Pelage very short and rather harsh. Top 

 of head, upper surface of neck and back, and upper half of tail ferrugi- 

 nous, finely lined with blackish tipped hairs, with little bunches of white 

 hairs scattered here and there; sides of neck and body, an ill-defined 

 patch above and behind each shoulder, a band across under side of neck, 

 and upper surfaces of limbs, paler and more inclined toward fawn color, 

 many of the hairs with darker tips; under parts, including under sur- 

 faces of limbs and under side of tail, soiled whitish, except on middle of 

 body, where the color is much darker and more hair brown ; tail dusky 

 toward end and nearly black at tips ; ears black, grizzled around edges ; 

 hairs between pads of feet black ; face rather dark and grizzled with a 

 light spot above each eye; patch at base of whiskers black; whiskers 

 mostly white, but in a few cases black. 



Other specimens, though killed at different seasons of the year, differ 

 but little froui the type. A kitten three-fourths grow"n is similar, but 

 has the upper surface marked with large, irregular dusky spots. 



Cranial cJuiracters. — Skull large, showing all the characters of the North 

 American pumas pointed out by Dr. Merriam. It is apparently narrower 

 than the skull of F. Mppolesles Merriam, with less widely spreading zygo- 

 mata. I have compared it with a skull of F. oregonensis Eaf ,* from the 

 vicinity of Tacoma, Wash. , and find it slightly narrower, with less widely 

 spread zygomata ; slightly narrower palatal extension; palate ending in 

 more of a curve— less squarely. These differences are trifling, however, 

 and may not be constant. 



Measurements. — The following measurements of the type and an old $, 

 No. 7743, killed at the same time and jilace, were taken by F. R. Hunter 

 from the animals in the flesh. Type, cf old ad. : whole length, 6 ft. 9 in.; 

 fore leg, 2 ft. 8 in. ; hind leg, 2 ft. 8 in. ; girth of chest, 2 ft. 7 in. ; of 

 waist, 2 ft. 8 in. ; of neck, 22J in. No. 7743, $ old ad. : whole length, 6 

 ft. 3i in. ; fore leg, 2 ft. 5 in. ; hind leg, 2 ft. 6 in. ; girth of chest, 2 ft. 

 2 in. ; of waist, 2 ft. ; of neck, 21^ in. 



Total length reduced to millimeters and the tails and hind feet meas- 

 ured by me froui the skins are as follows: Type, total length, 2057.4; 

 tail, without hairs, 760 ; hiud foot, 280. No. 7743: total length, 1917.7 ; 

 tail, without hairs, G70 ; hind foot, 271. No. 6992, very old male topo- 

 type, unmeasured, is even larger and has a larger skull. 



,S7i((//. — Type, basal length, 171 ; occipitonasal length, 194; zygomatic 

 width, 135; palatal length (from end of pteiygoid process to back of mid- 

 dle incisors), 110.4 ; postpalatal length, 91 ; width across postorbital pro- 

 cesses, 75. ; interorbital width, 40.8. 



No. 5489, old adult ? topotype: basal length, 157.4; occipitonasal 

 length, 175; zygomatic width, 126; palatal length, 102; postpalatal 

 length, 84; width across postorbital processes, 76.6; interorbital width, 

 40. 



J{e)>iarlcs. — According to all the information I have been able to glean, 

 the Florida Puma is now restricted to peninsular Florida and can no longer 



* Stone, Science, N. S., Jan. 6, 1899, pp. 34-35. 



