CHAP. XII.] 



DIFFERENT KINDS OF CATS. 



421 



Leopard. The tail is somewhat like that of F. Chans. The ears 

 are slightly pencilled at the tips. The fur is short and of a pale 

 whitish-brown. The spots form transverse bands on the legs. The 

 belly has black spots like those of the sides." 



Length of head and body, nineteen inches ; that of tail, eight 

 inches. 



The skull has the orbits open behind, and the nasal bones are very 

 long and slender. There is a distinct first upper premolar. 



It is said to breed rather freely with Indian domestic cats. * 



Habitat : desert regions of North-western India. 



(41.) The Steppe Cat {Felis caudatus).\ 



The following are the characters of this animal : — 



Fur close, soft, pale yellowish, blackish brown at the base, with 

 very numerous small irregular spots. The spots are smallest and 

 roundest on the dorsal line, oblong on the sides, and forming inter- 

 rupted lines on the shoulders and thighs, which are most distinct on 

 the outside of the fore-legs, and especially forming four broad cross 

 streaks on the front edge of the thighs ; tail cylindrical, reaching to 

 the ground, spotted at the upper part of the base, and with eight or 

 nine narrow interrupted rings on the upper part of the remaining 

 portion, with a black tip. Nose brown, with short hair. Forehead 

 and_ cheeks like the back, but ^^ath smaller spots, and without any 

 distinct dark streaks from the back edge of the eye. The ears 

 ovate, acute, pale brown externally, with a terminal pencil of 

 blackish hairs, and whitish on the edge within. Chin, hinder parts 

 of the upper lip, under parts of the head, throat, chest, belly, inside 

 of legs, and hind feet whitish brown, the chin being whitest and 

 the inside of the hind legs and feet darkest. There is a large 

 blackish spot on the upper part of the inside of the fore legs, and two 

 small cross streaks on the front edge of the inside of the thighs. 

 The hinder part of the hind feet to the heel blackish. Length of 

 body and head, twenty- three inches and a half ; of tail, twelve inches 

 and a half ; height of shoulder, twelve inches. 



The orbits are incompletely encircled by bone. There is a small 

 anterior upper premolar. The anterior lower premolar is large. 



Habitat : Bokara. 



(42.) Shaw's Cat {Fclis Shawiana). * 



This cat appears to be distinguished from F. caudatus by its much 

 shorter tail; from F. Chans by being spotted throughout, and from 

 F. ornata by its short tail, more rufous coloration, and distinct black 



* See Blyth, Pro. Zool. Soc, 1863, 

 p. 184. The same is said to be the case 

 with F. Chaiis and F. rubigiiwsa. 



t Gray, Pro. Zool. Soc., 1S7J, p. 31, 



plates 6 and 7, under the name of Chaus 

 caiulatus. 



J Blandford, Journal Asiatic Society 

 of Bengal, vol. xlv., part 2, p. 49. 



