THE OCELOT. 1 39 



Characters. — According to Herr Matschie, this rather slen- 

 derly-made Cat is distinguished from the last by its slightly 

 superior size, grey colour of the upper-parts, and distinctly 

 ringed tail, the under-parts being white, and, like the back, 

 spotted with black. With this form may doubtless be identi- 

 fied the type of Felis negleeta, now preserved in the British 

 Museum, which was originally described as follows: "Grey; 

 head and body marked with numerous small darker spots ; spots 

 of the lower parts of the sides rather larger ; belly white, with 

 large blackish spots ; tail quite half the length of the body, 

 with a dark line along the upper surface ; sides paler, with 

 obscure indications of darker streaks." It will be seen that so 

 far as regards the markings on the tail, the description of this 

 specimen does not differ from that of the type of Felis rutila; 

 and it is not impossible that Mr. Elliot may be right in re- 

 garding this form merely as a grey phase of the Red Tiger- 

 Cat. If this eventually prove to be the case, the name F. 

 celidogaster will have to be adopted for the species. 



Distribution. — The Gold Coast. 



As is the case with so many of the West African Mammals, 

 which inhabit districts more or less inaccessible to Europeans, 

 we have no information as to the habits of either the Red or 

 the Grey Tiger-Cat. 



XXII. THE OCELOT. FELIS PARDALIS. 



Felis pardalis, Linn., Syst Nat. ed. 12, vol. i. p. 62 (1766); 



Elliot, Monogr. Feiidce, pi. xvii. (1878-83) ; Alston, in 



Godm. andSalv. Biol. Centr. Amer. Mamm. p. 60 (1880). 

 Felis ocelot and F. catenata, H. Smith, in Griffith's Animal 



Kingdom, vol. v. p. 169 (1827). 

 Felis canescens, Swainson, Anim. in Menag. p. 118 (1838). 

 Leopardus pardalis and Z. griseus, Gray, List Mamm. Brit. 



Mus. p. 42 (1843). 

 Leopardus p ictus t Gray, op. cit. p. 43. 



