220 



and becoming round on the belly ; two narrow lines run from the 

 eye along the upper lip to a dark transverse throat band ; and two 

 similar transverse bands run across the breast, with a row of spots 

 between ; tail spotted above, indistinctly ringed towards the tip ; 

 the inside of the arm has two board bands, and the soles of all the 

 feet are dark-brown. There is generally a small white super- 

 ciliary line. 



Length, head and body, 24 to 26 inches ; tail, 11 or 12, and more. 



From the numerous synonyms it will be seen that this is a 

 variable species, both as to the ground-color of the animal, and the 

 size and boldness of its markings, though all retain much the same 

 pattern as the example here described. Mr. Blyth states that F. 

 Javauesis differs most from the type, approximating F. viverrina in 

 coloring. Those from Southern India appear to have both a richer 

 ground-color, and the spots of a bolder pattern than most from the 

 north of India ; but I have seen some from the Himalayas very 

 similar. In some the marks have a marbled appearance ; in others 

 they appear to be disposed more irregularly and less in rows, and 

 in some the spots are much smaller than in typical specimens. 



The leopard-cat is found throughout the hilly regions of India 

 from the Himalayas to the extreme south and Ceylon, and in richly 

 wooded districts, at a low elevation occasionally, or where heavy 

 grass jungle is abundant, mixed with forest and brushwood. In 

 the South of India it is most abundant in Coorg, Wynaad and 

 the forest tract all along the Western Ghats ; but is rare on the 

 east coast and in Central India. It ascends the Himalayas to a 

 considerable elevation, and is said by Hodgson even to occur in 

 Thibet, and is found at the level of the sea in the Bengal Sunder- 

 bunds. It extends through Assam, Burmah, the Malayan peninsula, 

 to the island of Java and Sumatra at all events." 



I think Jerdon has however been fortunate in obtaining larger 

 specimens than I have seen : or perhaps I may have confounded 

 the lesser leopard-cat, Felis Jerdoni, with it : his description of 

 his cat is as follows ; and I am, with him, inclined to suppose that 

 it is only a small variety of Felis Bengalensis. 



