Game Animals of India, etc. 



THE JUNGLE-CAT 



{Felts chaus^ 



Native Names. — Jangli-billi^ Hindustani ; Khatas, 

 Hindustani and Bengali ; Bamheral^ Bengali ; 

 Gurba-i-kuhi^ Persian ; Baul and Bhaoga, Mah- 

 rathi; Berka in Rajmehal; Mani-bek^ Canarese ; 

 Kada-bek and Bella -bek^ Wadari ; Katu-pundi^ 

 Tamil ; Jurka-pilli^ Telegu ; Cherru-puliy Mala- 

 barese ; Kyoung-tset-kun^ Arakanese. 



(Plate vlii, fig. 9) 



The jungle-cat is a widely-spread species, ranging 

 from North Africa and the Caucasus through Syria, 

 Palestine, Transcaspia, Asia Minor, Persia, Baluchistan, 

 and Afghanistan, to India, Ceylon, Assam, Burma, and 

 North-West China. In size it somewhat exceeds an 

 ordinary domestic cat ; and it is easily distinguished 

 from other species by the almost or completely uniform 

 tawny colour of the fur of the body, and the extreme 

 shortness of the tail, which is less than a third of the 

 total length. The ears are tipped with a few long 

 black hairs, scarcely sufficient to form a distinct pencil. 

 Their presence serves, however, to indicate the affinity 

 of the jungle-cat to the lynxes, with which it agrees in 

 the characters of the skull and teeth. Another special 

 feature is in the more or less reddish colour of the 

 backs of the ears. The length of the tail varies from 

 a third to two-fifths of that of the head and body. 

 There are remarkable local variations in the size of 

 the teeth and the colour of the fur. 



The colour of the head and upper-parts of the body 

 varies from sandy or yellowish grey to greyish brown, 

 the back being darker than the flanks, often with a 

 rufous, and more rarely a dusky tinge. Although the 

 head and body are generally of a uniform colour, there 

 are usually dusky bands across the limxbs ; and in some 



