Mr. H. Scliwann on Fclis ocrcata. 425 



Skull. 



INIale (type). Female, 



mm. mm. 



Greatest length 103-0 92-0 



Basal length 88-0 78-5 



Zygomatic breadth 73'0 63'2 



Anteorbital breadth 16-5 16-0 



Temporal breadth 31'2 3.5-6 



Brain-case, breadth 45-5 4.5-0 



Greatest length of bulla 24-0 23-0 



Outer length of upper carnassial 11-0 11-0 



ll-ab. Mnlema, Uganda. 



Ti/pe. Male. B.M. no. 3. 11. 7. 8. Alt. 5000 feet. 

 Collected by Mr. W. G. Doggett and presented by Col. Delme 

 liadclifie. 



The comparative sknll-measurements given above serve 

 very well to show the diflference in size between the sexes. 

 The specimens from which they were taken were both fully 

 adult and obtained in the same locality. 



The colour of the female is slightly lighter throughout, 

 agreeing in tliis respect with a specimen obtained by 

 Capt. Speke at " Memissa." 



Felis ocreata cofra, Desm.* 



Mr. W. E. de Winton, in Anderson's ' Zoology of Egypt ' f , 

 decided that it was necessary to adopt the earlier name \ of 

 ohscura instead of cafra for the South- African race of Felis 

 ocrcata, although the name was based on a melanistic specimen. 

 A comparison of the two descriptions with the British 

 ]Museum''s fine series of South- African skins seems to suggest 

 ihat after all Desmarest's F. ohscura § may be nothing more 

 than a melanistic specimen of the domestic cat. It may be 

 noticed that the British Museum specimens do not have the 

 " bandes transversales entibrement noires et tres-nombreuses/^ 

 nor is the species so small as the domestic cat, as F. ohscura 

 is said to be. 



It appears, therefore, so doubtful whether F. ohscura is really 

 referable to this species that I see no necessity at present for 

 altering the more suitable and better known name of cafra. 



The British Museum does not at present possess sutficient 

 North-African material for me to decide definitely as to the 

 status of F. margarita, Loche, and F. cristata, Lataste. 



* Encycl. M6th., Mamm. Suppl. 1822, p. 540. 

 t P. 175. 



X Eucycl. M6th., Mamm. 1820, p. 230. 



§ See Diet, des Sci. nat., F. Cuv., tom. viii. p. 222, for original 

 description. 



