THE CAFFRE CAT. 209 
stripes. The cheeks are white, and below each eye is generally a white spot. There is 
an under coating of soft woolly hair, which is set next to the skin, and through this 
woolly coating the larger hairs protrude, It is this double set of hair which gives to the 
fur of the Chaus its rough fulness. 
The Chaus, although it has been distinguished by the specific title Lybieus, is an 
Asiatic as well as an African animal, inhabiting the south of Africa, the shores of the 
Caspian Sea, Persia, and many parts of India. Of the specimens which are placed 
in our national collection, some have been taken at Madras, some in the Mahratta 
territories, some in Nepal, and some in Egypt. The localities where this creature is 
known to frequent are generally those spots where it finds marshy, boggy ground, and 
plenty of thick brushwood. It does not appear to care for wooded districts, where trees 
grow, for it is but a poor climber, and seeks its prey only on the ground. Its food 
consists chietly of the smaller quadrupeds and birds, and it is also fond of fish, which it 
captures in the shallow waters by watching quietly for their approach, and then adroitly 
scooping them from their native element by a quick sweep of its paw. River banks, 
especially those where the vegetation grows dense and low, are favourite resorts of the 
Chaus, which can in those favoured localities find its two chief requisites :—a place of 
concealment, from whence to pounce upon any devoted bird or quadruped that may 
chance to come within reach of the deadly spring, and a convenient fishing place wherein 
to indulge its piscatorial propensities. 
THE CAPFRE CAT.—Chous Caffer. 
ANOTHER species of the genus Chaus, is the animal which is generally known by the 
name of the Caffre Cat, but which properly belongs to the Lyncine group. In colour it is 
rather variable, some individuals being much paler than others, the general tint of the 
fur being a grey, here and there grizzled with black, and diversified with dark brindlings. 
On the legs the stripes become bolder and better defined. When young, the fur is paler 
than when the animal has attained its full growth. In size it rather surpasses a large 
domestic cat. As may be inferred from its name, it is an inhabitant of Southern Africa, 
being found at the Cape, and in those lands which are inhabited by the various native 
tribes which are popularly termed Caffres or Kaftirs. 
ale P 
