DOMESTIC CATS. 167 
Cat just described, they could not be specifically separated 
from that form, and one name should be applied to both. As 
a matter of fact, it is, however, much more probable that 
Domestic Cats have a complex origin, and that the Wild Cats 
of each country have had more or less to do with the origin 
of the domesticated breeds found there. Consequently, when 
we speak of Domestic Cats as forming a species, such species 
must be regarded as being what may be termed a convergent 
one. 
That the African Caffre Cat, together with the Leopard-Cat, 
Rusty-spotted Cat, and Desert Cat of India, will freely breed 
with Domestic Cats has been well ascertained; and the same 
is true of the Wild Cat of Europe. It has been already men- 
tioned that the Caffre Cat was tamed by the ancient Egyptians, 
and that from the dark colour of the sole of the hind-foot, and 
the comparatively long tail, this species was probably the chief 
ancestral stock of the domesticated Cats of Europe. The 
Domestic Cats of China, have, however, been regarded as 
originating from an exclusively Asiatic source, and the same 
has been suggested for those of India. It may be remarked 
here that in Europe, before the introduction of a Persian 
strain, “ Tabby” Cats, that is, those with dark trans- 
verse markings, were the most common in Western Europe, 
whereas in India they are quite unknown. This suggests 
most strongly that whilst in Europe, the original stock has 
been largely crossed with the Wild Cat, in India, where 
Domestic Cats are generally spotted, it is more probable that 
the Desert Cat (F: ovata), described in the sequel, has been, 
to a great extent, or entirely, the parent stock. That the 
European Wild Cat was not the direct descendant of the 
domesticated breeds of the western part of that continent is 
rendered pretty evident by its short and clubbed tail, to say 
nothing of the absence of dark soles to the hind-feet. 
