External Characters of the Felidae. 115 



Usually the ears are rounded at the summit, but ia 

 the species of the genus Felis (s. s.), e. g. F. sylvestris, 

 ocreata, chaus, and their allies, and also in the lynxes^ 

 F. lynx, ruffus, caracal, they are more angular and 

 pointed. In all the lynxes, moreover, the tip is provided 

 with a pencil of hairs, which are especially well developed in 

 F. caracal and smallest in F. ruffus. In the latter they are 

 sometimes temporarily absent during the moult ; but they 

 are never absent in F. caracal. That these ear-tufts cannot 

 be regarded as a generic feature is shown by the frequent 

 presence of similar but smaller tufts in F. ocreata, F. ckaus, 

 and F. ornata. 



Of all the species known to me, F. jaguarondi* and 

 F. manul have relatively the smallest and least conspicuous 

 ears. In the former their smallness, coupled with the general 

 shape of the narrow head, imparts a decidedly musteline phy- 

 siognomy to the species. In F. manul the width of t!ie head 

 and the height of the forehead make the ears appear to be set 

 very low behind the cheek, and they certainly are never raised 

 above the summit of the head when pricked f. F. serval 

 presents the greatest possible contrast to F. manul in this 

 particular, the ears being large and capable of being closely 

 juxtaposed on the top of the head when pricked. In no 

 other species is this power developed to the same extent. 



The ear of Acinonyx conforms in shape and structure to 

 that of other round-eared members of the family Fclidae 

 (Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. (8) xviii. pp. 422-423, fig. "Za, 1916J . 



The Rhinarium. 



The muzzle of the Felidze differs from that of the Viverridre, 

 Cryptoproctidse, Mungotidffi, and their allies in being bluntly 

 truncated, the nose, that is to say, projects to a comparatively 

 slight extent beyond the lower jaw. This feature, coupled 

 ■with the shortness of the jaws, gives a very characteristic 

 appearance to the face of the Felidaj as compared with that 

 of other ^Eluroids in which the muzzle noticeably recedes 

 from the anterior edge of the prominent rhinarium to the 

 sloping chin. There is, however, a certain amount of variation 

 in the Eelidse Avith respect to tliis character. In all species, 

 it may be added, the upper lip is cleft by a laterally distensible 

 and mesially grooved strip of naked skin, confluent above with 



* If F. braccatn, Cope, as stated, has pointed ears, it is probably uot 

 related to F. ja<juaroncU as claimed by its describer. 



t So far as my memory serves, the ears in F. manul are rounded and 

 not angular, as one would expect from the aiiiuity of this species to 

 typical Felis and to the lynxes. 



8* 



