THE SERVAL 417 



inches, or rather more. Although this species comes under the denomination of 

 spotted cats, with the spots much longer than broad and without light centres, yet 

 the amount of variation is so great that it is almost impossible to give a description 

 that will hold good for all the varieties. The ground color of the upper parts is, 

 however, very generally some shade of pale tawny, varying from rufous to grayish ; 

 while the spots which have a more or less marked tendency to form longitudinal 

 lines, may be either wholly black, or partly black, and partly brown. The spots 

 extend over the under parts and limbs and the upper part of the tail ; although the 

 tip of the tail is barred. Four distinct longitudinal stripes on the forehead give a 

 characteristic physiognomy to the head, these stripes being generally continued in a 

 more or less distinct manner along the back. 



This cat is exclusively a forest-dwelling species, and is found in many parts of 

 India, such as the outer Himalayas, as far westward as Simla, the greater part of 

 Lower Bengal, the Western Ghats on the Bombay side of the peninsula, and the 

 Wynaad and Travancore districts in Madras. According, however, to Mr. Blan- 

 ford, it is probably unknown in Ceylon. Eastward of the Himalayas its range 

 includes Assam, Burma, the Malay Peninsula, the southern part of China, and the 

 islands of Borneo, Sumatra, and Java, as well as the Philippines. 



It would be tedious to indicate the different varieties of this cat, but it may be 

 observed that, according to the writer last mentioned, while one set of varieties are 

 characterized by the tendency to a gray tinge in the ground color, others display an 

 equally marked inclination towards a rufous hue. Blyth states that some of the 

 gray varieties are hybrids with the domestic cat. 



Although invariably found in forest districts, the leopard-cat is not confined to 

 the hills, as it occurs in the sandarbans of Bengal at the level of the sea. Its prey 

 consists of small Mammals and birds, and it is said to breed in the spring, when it 

 produces from three to four kittens at a birth ; the lair being generally in a cave or 

 under an overhanging cliff. In spite of its small size, the leopard-cat is a ferocious 

 and spiteful animal, in captivity generally keeping 'curled up during the daytime in 

 a dark corner of its cage, instead of pacing up and down in the usual restless feline 

 manner. Blyth, who was unusually successful in taming wild creatures, confesses 

 to having utterly failed in all his efforts to conciliate the leopard-cat, and his ex- 

 perience is confirmed by many others who have had to do with the animal. Mr. 

 Blanford states, however, that a specimen in the London Zoological Gardens ap- 

 peared thoroughly tame, and would answer readily to the call of its keeper. The 

 depredations of this cat appear to be conducted with great boldness, General M' Mas- 

 ter stating that he saw one carry off a fowl nearly as large as itself, shaking it 

 savagely meanwhile, and making a successful retreat, in spite of the abuse, uproar, 

 and missiles which the theft caused 



THE SERVAL (Felis serval) 



With the serval we come to a well-known African cat of much larger dimen- 

 sions than either of the three preceding species. It is a spotted cat, easily 

 recognized by the great length of its legs and the comparative shortness of its tail, 



27 



