Game Animals of India, etc. 



there are a couple of dark bars on the inner side ot 

 each fore-leg, as well as two horizontal cheek-stripes, 

 of which the lower may be joined with a horizontal 

 throat-band, while there may be other more or less 

 ill-defined stripes across the lower part of the throat 

 and chest. On the forehead two pairs of longituciinal 

 stripes run backwards over the head to the hind part 

 of the neck ; and the middle pair of these stripes, 

 which may be separated for some distance by other 

 markings, is frequently continued down the back as 

 a double row of spots. In addition to these dark 

 markings, there is generally a white streak running 

 from the inner side of each eye to the forehead ; and 

 likewise a large whitish spot on the outer surface of 

 each ear, the remainder of which is black. From 

 22 to 26 inches is the general length of the head and 

 body of this little cat, while that of the tail varies 

 between 11 and 12 inches, or sometimes a little more. 



Doubtless this widely-spread species will eventually 

 be found to be divisible into local races, of which more 

 than one may be found in India itself. As a matter 

 of fact, several names have already been proposed for 

 different colour- phases of this highly variable cat. 

 Such distinctions have, however, little interest for the 

 average sportsman, and may accordingly be dismissed 

 without further notice. In Southern India and Ceylon 

 there is a smaller species known as the rusty-spotted 

 cat {Felis rubiginosa)^ which, in addition to having one 

 pair of teeth less in the upper jaw, is distinguished by 

 the middle pair of the four longitudinal dark streaks 

 on the forehead being continued as two simple slightly 

 divergent lines or rows of spots between the shoulders, 

 whereas in F. bengalensis there are never these two 

 lines alone. The upper surface of the tail is also 

 devoid of spots in F. rubiginosa. 



In addition to an extensive range in China and the 

 Malay countries, the leopard-cat extends from Burma 

 through Assam to India, where it is found from the 



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