184 Lloyd's natural history. 



ally black or blackish. Length of head and body, from 22 to 26 

 inches ; tail, with the hair at the end, 10 to 11 inches; height at 

 shoulder, 14 to 15 inches. 



Distribution. — The Jungle Cat is one of the few Cats common 

 to Africa and India, and has the following extensive range : 

 North Africa, inclusive of Egypt, Nubia, and Barbary ; South 

 Africa, at least as far as the Orange River ; Asia Minor and 

 Palestine ; shores of the Caspian, and West and Southern 

 Persia ; Afghanistan, Candahar, India, Ceylon, Assam, and 

 Burma. In India the species is universally distributed from 

 the Himalaya and Sind to the extreme south. Neither by Mr 

 Blanford, in his " Mammals of British India," nor by Mr. W. L. 

 Sclater, in his " Catalogue of Mammalia in the Indian Museum," 

 is the Jungle Cat spoken of as from Southern Africa. It is, 

 however, recorded from that region by Messrs. Nicolls and 

 Eglington, in the " The Sportsman in South Africa," who write 

 as follows : — " This species, which is rarely found south of the 

 Orange River, but is common within the tropics, seems to 

 be often confounded with the Booted Lynx (Ir/i's caligatd), 

 which does not appear to be known south of the Zambesi." 

 Although their description accords exactly with that of the 

 present species, it is a little difficult to determine the animal 

 referred to as the Booted Lynx, Felts caligata being a 

 synonym of F. cajfra, and that species being recorded by the 

 authors from the Cape district. During the Pleistocene period 

 the Jungle Cat appears to have ranged into Western Europe ; 

 remains from Germany having been assigned to this species 

 by Professor Nehring of Berlin. 



Habits. — In South Africa, where it is known as the Reed 

 Cat (Reit-Kat of the Dutch), the Jungle Cat, according to 

 Messrs. Nicolls and Eglington, may " be found frequenting low 

 marshy ground in which there is plenty of cover in the shape 

 of reeds, or in the thick bush bordering the rivers and lakes ; 



