FELIS BENGALENSIS. 105 



mentioned, and it first occurs in Horsfield's jiaper on some new contri- 

 butions by Hodgson, presented in 1853, as F. Charltoni, with the MS. 

 name by that gentleman of F. Davaucelli. In the recent edition of 

 Hodgson's British Museum Collections, we find No. 2C), Liopardus dosul, 

 syn. F. Dtivaucelll and F. dosul, Hodgson ; but Hodgson himself 

 described it in 184G, in Cal. J. N". H., as F. Ogilbli. 



I can find nothing recorded of the habits of this cat. Mr. Blyth 

 remarks that it has much the same distribution as F. Diardi, or not per- 

 haps quite so extensive : and the ground-colour would similarly appear 

 to become more fulvoiis with age. 



110. Felis bengalensis. 



Desmoulins. — F. sumatrana and F. javanensis, Horsfield, Zool. 

 Res., Java, with figure. — Jardine, Nat, Libr., pi. — F. mhmta, Tem- 

 jiiNCK. — F. undulata, Schinz. — F. nijmlensis and pcwdichroiis, Hodgson. 



^—F. , Elliot, Cat. 29. — Leopardtis chmensis, Reevesii, EUioti ; and 



Chaiis servalinus, Gray. 



The Leopard-cat. 



Descr. — Ground hue varying from fulvous-gray to bright tawny-yellow, 

 occasionally pale yellowish-gray or yellowish, rarely greenish-ashy, or 

 brownish-gray ; lower parts pure white ; four longitudinal spots on the 

 forehead, and in a line with these four lines run from the vertex to the 

 shoulders, the outer one broader, the centre ones narrower, these two 

 last continued almost uninterruptedly to the tail; the others pass into 

 lai'ge, bold, irregular', unequal, longitudinal spots on the shoulders, back, 

 and sides, generally arranged in five or six distinct rows, decreasing and 

 becoming round on the belly ; two narrow lines run from the eye along 

 the up])er lip to a dark ti'ansverse throat-band ; and two similar transverse 

 bands run across the breast, with a row of spots between ; tail spotted 

 above, indistinctly ringed towards the tip ; the inside of the arm has 

 two broad bands, and the soles of all the feet are dark-brown. There is 

 generally a small white superciliary line. 



Length, head and body, 24 to 26 inches ; tail 11 or 12, and more. 



From the numerous synonyms it will be seen that this is a variable 

 species, both as to the ground-colour of the animal, and the size and 

 boldness of its markings, thougli all retain much the same pattern as 



