458 



CARNIVORA 



but on outer side of front legs there is usually a sooty tinge, 

 while the upper side of the feet becomes a nearly clear, 

 light, bufFy clay-colour. Underparts and inner surface of 

 hind legs cream-buff, becoming whitish or white on chin, 

 throat, fore part of chest and in intercrural region, and clouded 

 and blotched with blackish across middle of chest and on 

 inner side of fore legs, the amount of blotching on chest vari- 

 able ; soles and palms dark brown. Tail black at tip (about 

 70 mm.) and with two to four nari'ow (15 to 30 mm.) black or 

 brownish lings, usually narrower or incomplete below, and often 

 showing a tendency to become joined in median line above. 

 The dark markings on upper parts and sides are typically as 

 follows. Nape with four narrow longitudinal black stripes, 

 these extending to head where they tend to become confused 

 arid confluent, and disappearing at front of shoulder. Just 

 behind region where nape stripes disappear the shoulder has two 

 usually well defined longitudinal stripes about 60 mm. in length 

 and 10 mm. wide, lying 10 to 20 mm. apart. About 30 mm. 

 behind the shoulder stripes the median dorsal stripe begins, often 

 as a distinct spot, and continues to base of tail. The sides are 

 marked with several transverse, frequently obsolete stripes, of 

 which that starting at front of median dorsal stripe is usually the 

 best developed, while those behind it tend to become mere wavy 

 blotches, always preserving, however, when visible and when fur 

 is smoothed, their general transverse and parallel arrangement.* 

 In continuation of this system of transverse stripes, four or five 

 fairly distinct, narrow (5 to 10 mm.) bands usually cross outer 

 side of hind legs, and two or three narrower and less distinct 

 bands may be detected on front legs. Ear like ground colour of 

 back, the tip slightly blackish. 



Skull. — The skull resembles that of Felis catus so closely that 

 it is impossible to find tangible characters by which to distinguish 

 it. In the larger races, however, a slightly greater size and 

 massiveness may be attained than in the domestic cat. General 

 aspect of skull broad, rounded and deep, the zygomata long and 

 very widely spreading (zygomatic breadth equal to about 

 three-quarters condylobasal length), the orbits nearly or quite 

 surrounded by bone, very large (diameter greater than that of 

 interorbital region, and area equal to or greater than that of 

 I'ostrum when skull is viewed from in front). Dorsal profile of 

 skull convex throughout, sometimes a little flattened in inter- 

 orbital region and along nasals, the latter occasionally terminating 

 in a slight anterior concavity ; nasals sloping very abruptly 

 forward and downward, the palatal depth at their posterior 

 extremity at least twice as great as that at front : from posterior 



* There is never any trace of the spiral arrangement of the dark 

 markings characteristic of the typical form of the domestic Fdis cafiis as 

 described and figured by Pocock, Proc. Zool. Soc, London, 1907, pp. 143-168, 

 pis. VIII and ix. 



