THE STEPPE CAT. 1 87 



Characters. — Nearly allied to the Jungle Cat, this species is 

 stated to be distinguished by the following differences. Where- 

 as in the Pale Cat the colour of the outer surface of the ear is 

 similar to that of the back, being brownish-yellow, thickly mingled 

 with black, in the Jungle Cat the outer surface of the ear is 

 almost invariably rusty-red or reddish-yellow, with the short 

 pencil of hairs black ; the pencil in F pallida being brownish- 

 yellow mixed with black. Then, again, the present species is 

 characterised by the generally pale yellowish-grey hue of the 

 fur ; from which the rufous tinge — most conspicuous on the 

 head, under-parts, and limbs — of F. chaus is entirely absent. 

 Indeed, those parts of the body of the latter which are rufous 

 or reddish-yellow, in the Pale Cat are whitish or grey. The 

 tail of F. pallida is also longer and more bushy than in F 

 chaus. 



For a detailed account of the coloration of this form, the 

 reader may refer to the original description ; but the foregoing 

 is sufficient to indicate its extremely close relationship with 

 the Jungle Cat. Indeed, it is probable that many zoologists 

 would regard it merely as a pale- coloured local race of the 

 latter. 



Distribution. — Kansu, N.W. China. 



XXXIX. THE STEPPE CAT. FELIS CAUDATA. 



Chaus caudatus, Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1874, p. 31. 



Felts caudata, Elliot, Monograph of Felidse, pi. xxxiv. (1878-83). 



Felis caudatus, Mivart, The Cat, p. 421 (1881). 



Characters As mentioned under the heading of the Desert 



Cat, this species may be distinguished from the Jungle Cat by 

 being very indistinctly spotted, and by the tail being con- 

 siderably longer. 



The type specimen is described as follows : — Fur close, soft, 

 pale yellowish (the hairs blackish-brown at the base), with very 



