THE DESERT CAT. l8l 



but the former are furriers' skins, having been bought in the 

 bazaars at Yarkand and Kashgar, and the tails in both cases 

 seem mutilated. The tails, too, of F ornata in the Museum 

 collection vary considerably in length, and range from eight to 

 thirteen inches in specimens of approximately the same size. 

 With regard to the second point, that of colour, the difference 

 of shade is so slight that it is only perceptible in a strong light. 

 Finally, there are in the Museum collection many specimens of 

 F ornata with quite as distinct spots on the abdomen as in F. 

 saazviana. With regard to the skulls of F ornata, F chaus, 

 and F shawiana (there is no skull in the only known skin of 

 F caudata), there does not seem to be any real substantial dif- 

 ference. Although there are minor points of distinction which 

 have been indicated by Mr. Blanford, yet it does not appear 

 that any of these differences are sufficiently important to be due 

 to anything but individual variations." 



Distribution. — India; confined to the dry rocky districts of the 

 north-west from Banda, through the North-west Provinces to 

 Agra, Sambhar, and Sind, where the species is very common. 



Habits. — As its name implies, the Desert Cat is an inhabitant 

 of open sandy districts (with the colour of which its spotted 

 yellow coat admirably harmonises), never resorting to forests, 

 and being to a considerable extent diurnal in its habits. As 

 already mentioned, it breeds freely with Domestic Cats, and is 

 probably the parent form of the spotted breed of India. A 

 correspondent of Jerdon writes that in the district of Hurriana 

 it is very common, " frequenting open sandy plains where the 

 Field-Rat \_Gerbillus hurriance] must be its principal food. I 

 hardly ever remember seeing it in what could be called jungle, 

 or even in grass. One of these spotted Cats lived for a long 

 time under my haystack, and I believe it to have been the pro- 

 duce of a tame Cat by a wild one. The wild one I have seen 

 of half a dozen shades of colour, and you frequently see a ten- 



