THE CACOMITL CAT OF THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY 
By Edgar A. Mearns, M. D., 
Major and Surgeon, United States Army. 
Professor Baird, on pa^'e SS of his Mammals of North America, 
published in July, 1857, characterized the Cacomitl Cat under the name 
Felis yaguanmdi^ Desm., but in the synonymj^ of the species placed 
''Felis cacomitJ, Berl. MSS.,"' and said: "A skull (No. 1426) of this 
species, in the collection of Dr. Berlandier, collected at Matamoras, 
with a full description of the animal by him, establishes a more northern 
range for this species than has hitherto been accorded. In its southern 
range it reaches as far as Paragua}'. A full description of the skin 
and skull of this species will be found in the zoological report of the 
United States and Mexican Boundary Survey,''' where (p. 12) Baird 
quotes Berlandier's manuscript description. The name Fells caco- 
mitliy as spelled by Berlandier, will date from the special report upon 
the ]\Iammals of the Mexican Boundary", published in 1859, it being- a 
nomen nudwii as printed by Baird in 185T. The animal in question 
proves to be distinct from Fells yaguarundi^ and is described below: 
FELIS CACOMITLI Berlandier. 
CACOMITL CAT. 
1857. Felis cacomitl Baird, Mammals of North America, p. 88, synonymy {nomen 
nudum). 
1859. Felis cacomitli Berlandier, in Baird, Report United States and ^Mexican Bound- 
ary Survey, II, Mammals, p. 12 (original description). 
1883. Felis calomiUi Elliot, Monograph of the Felidse, p. 97, synonymy. 
Characters. — Proportions as in other members of the Felis yagua- 
rundi group. Larger than Azara's ' ' j'aguarundi " {^= Felis yaguarundi 
* I have used the spelling of Azara, being uncertain as to the original reference. 
Trouessart's first reference is to Fischer's Zoognosia, but the name is not used in that 
work. Fitzinger's first binomial reference is '''' Felis yagouarondi. Geoffr. Catal. du 
Mus." [1803]. 
Proceedings U. S. National Museum, Vol. XXIV— No. 1251 . 
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