THE TIGER-CAT. 145 



Felis margay, Azara, Nat. Hist. Quad. Paraguay, p. 237 (1838). 

 Leopardus tigrinoides, Gray, List Mamm. Brit. Mus. p. 42 



(1843). 

 t Felis guttata, Hensel, Abhandl. Ak. Berlin, 1872, p. 73; 

 Mivart, The Cat, p. 410 (1881 ; nee Hermann). 

 {Plate XVII.) 



Characters. — The Tiger-Cat, of which there are three more or 

 less well-marked races, is another variable American species, 

 distinguished from the last by the shorter and frequently solid 

 spots, which are not aggregated into oblique chains. In the 

 typical form, or Margay, the somewhat harsh fur is dull grizzled 

 grey in ground-colour, ornamented with elongated black spots 

 and rings ; the tail being likewise marked above with black 

 spots, which frequently coalesce into transverse bars, although 

 not forming complete rings. The cheek is marked with three 

 transverse black bars. In length the head and body measure 

 rather more than 20 inches, and the tail 1 1 inches. 



The variety known as the Chati (F mitts), which is the one 

 represented in our illustration, is a somewhat larger animal, 

 with soft, bright fulvous fur, and black-bordered short spots of 

 variable size, in which the centres are sometimes pale-coloured. 

 The Long-tailed Cat (F macrura) is likewise a yellow-coloured 

 form, characterised by the length of the tail. In these forms 

 the length of the head and body may reach nearly 27 inches, 

 while that of the tail varies from 14 to 19 inches. It does not 

 appear that the Cat from Rio Grande do Sul, described by 

 Hensel as F guttata, can be distinguished from the present 

 species. 



According to Herr Matschie, in the wooded districts of 

 Argentina there may be found in a single neighbourhood a 

 complete transition as regards colour between specimens in 

 which the ground-colour of the fur is greyish and the black- 

 bordered spots are elongated, and those in which the ground- 

 7 i< 



