Classification of existing Felide. 337 
zygomata ; the muzzle is high and short, the anterior nares 
large, the nasal bones rather abruptly expanded distally, 
with longish narrow narial processes, and narrowed, some- 
times strongly compressed, posterior portion; the nasal 
branch of the premaxilla is narrow and the maxilla is 
tolerably evenly curved above ; the suborbital portion of the 
malar arch is thick, but the preorbital thickening is not well 
marked ; the palate is wide, and its orbital foramen is very 
large and comparatively close to the foramen of the optic 
nerve; the mesopterygoid fossa is wide, short, parallel- 
sided, with rounded anterior rim, and the edges of the palate 
in front of it are widely divergent ; the spiniform process of 
the pterygoid descends somewhat abruptly, and the external 
pterygoid crest forms merely a short posterior projection or 
ridge ; the bullz have a low internal partition, and a trans- 
verse line drawn from the stylomastoid divides the bulla into 
a larger anterior and a smaller posterior portion ; the occiput 
is wide across the mastoids, emarginate just above the level of 
the condyles and expanded above. The short upper post- 
canine space occupied by a well-grown first premolar. 
Neither the pattern of the cub nor the structure of the 
skull indicates, in my opinion, close affiliation between 
Puma and any genus of the Felide. In general appearance 
the skull is, perhaps, most like that of Lynx caracal; but 
there are many differences, notably the small size of the 
outer chamber and the lowness of the partition of the bulla 
in Puma, a particular in which Puma resembles the other 
American genera with exception of Dendrailurus ; ut, apart 
from this, the skull exhibits none of the characteristics of 
other American cats. 
Genus LepraiLurus, Severtz. 
Leptailurus, Severtzow, 1858, p. 3889; type serval, Schreb. 
Galeopardus, Heuglin, 1866, p. 557 ; type serval. 
Serval, Gray, 1867, p. 272; type serval. 
One species only, with several local races *, 
Distr. Africa, mainly south of the Sahara. 
Medium-sized, long-legged, rather short-tailed cats, with 
narrow heads, very large rhinarium, large, rounded, un- 
pencilled ears, closely juxtaposed on the summit of the head 
* Two species have been admitted, namely, serval and servalina. 
These, however, are now known to be merely varieties, the species being 
dimorphic in pattern (P. Z.S. 1915, i. p. 154), the two types of pattern 
symbolized by the names being found in the same litter. 
