Its dimensions. 549 



most cases without auy defined boundary, while a distinguishing 



character of our animal is afforded by a deep velvet-black margin 



which confines the spots posteriorly. 



The following are the dimensions of the subject now described, 



which was a female : 



Ft. In. 

 Length of the body and head, from the extremity 



of the nose to the root of the tail 3 



Length of the tail 2 8 



Height at the shoulders 1 4- 



Height at the rump 1 3 



Circumference of the abdomen 2 



Circumference of the neck 1 2 



To this detail of the dimensions of the Felis Macrocelis, I am 

 enabled to add various interesting remarks, kindly communicated 

 to me by Sir Stamford Raffles, which will shew the size our ani- 

 mal acquires in a state of nature, and illustrate several points in 

 its external appearance. " A small Rimau-Dahan lost in the 

 Faroe, which had been living in my possession about ten months, 

 and might have been four months old, when he first came into my 

 possession, attained a size of about one-third larger than the speci- 

 men which was brought to England last August, (the subject de- 

 scribed in the present Essay.) The colours and marks were 

 nearly the same, but more defined, and nothing yellow or red 

 about it, the black having a striking velvety appearance. The tail 

 was longer and more bushy than in the latter specimen. This was 

 obtained a few days before I last left Bencoolen in April. It was 

 then smaller than the common Tiger Cat, and only distinguishable 

 from that animal, by th^ length of the tail, breadth of the paw, 

 and colours. The natives assert that they do not attain a much 

 larger size than the first specimen, and perhaps the full size of the 

 wild and full-grown animal may be fairly taken as half as large 

 again as the present specimen." These remarks are confirmed by 

 Mr. Cross of Exeter-Change, who has had much experience in 

 bringing up Leopards and other large species of this genus. Judg- 

 ing from the age at which the animil died, which was before the 

 process of dentition was comploled, Mr. C. thinks it had acquired 

 about two-thirds of i»s size and !)ulk. 



