242 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



Type locality.— Brownsville, Cameron Count}', Texas. 

 Geographic distrihut ion.— Rio Grande Valley of Mexico and the 

 United States; formerl}^ rang-ing- north to "Arkansaw" and ^' Louisi- 

 ana" of the old geographies, but probably not north of Texas and 

 New Mexico at the present time. 



General charactet^s.SnvAMev and grayer than Felis imrdaliji Lin- 

 nsfius, with markings less intense, and without strong contrast of |,-olor- 

 ation between the ground-color inside and outside of the black rings. 

 Skull relatively broad; dentition weaker; interpterygoid fossa wider a*iid 

 more quadrate; audital bulla? wider and more inflated; postorbital 

 process more flattened and less depressed. 



6Ww.— Upper parts exquisitely lined and spotted with black on a 

 drab-gray ground. The ground-color varies from whitish drab-gray 

 on the uninclosed areas to pale broccoli brown on those that are 

 inclosed or margined with black. The pattern is never exactly the 

 same on any two specimens, although the general efi'ect is similar. 

 There is a distinct vertebral area marked with black, usually appear- 

 ing as a more or less broken or irregular line of black on the posterior 

 three-fifths, breaking up into parallel or divergent lines or spots ante- 

 riorly; it is usually apparent from the occiput to the root of the tail, 

 though always an interrupted line. In places, especially on the rump,' 

 it often becomes a single or double row of ))lack spots, while anteri- 

 orly it may change to parallel lines or elongated inclosures. On each 

 •side of the vertebral line is a parallel series of inclosed or (occasion- 

 ally) solid black elongate areas, sometimes containing black spots. 

 Succeeding these, laterally, are series of elongate, partially or com- 

 pletely inclosed spots or irregular bands of drab-gray ha\'ing a trend 

 downward and backward, and separated from one another by grayish 

 white areas, an especially broad transverse one usually appearing 

 behind the shoulder. Upper side of neck with longitudinal black 

 stripes inclosing dral)-gray areas anteriorly and usually open posteri- 

 orly. Upper side of head with a broad black, usually interrupted 

 line arising about 10 nmi. above the middle of the orbital ring and 

 extending backward on either side to opposite the middle of the ear; 

 between these lateral bands are several interrupted lines of spots, 

 larger behind and breaking up into small spots anteriorly. Eyelids 

 blackish, bordered above and below by whitish bands, succeeded by 

 drab-gray. Side of head with two conspicuous black longitudinal 

 stripes, the upper one beginning as a black spot behind nostril, another 

 m front of inner canthus and involving upper and lower eyelids, 

 extending thence to a point about 30 mm. below and l)ehind the poste- 

 rior root of the ear; lower stripe, beginning behind whiskers and 

 below middle of orbit, extends backward to behind ear, then trans- 

 versely across under side of head, almost joining the corresponding 

 stripe of the opposite side. The space between these black lines is 



