228 THE SERVAL. 



ably minute. The back of the ears is black at the 

 base, which is succeeded by a transverse white bar ; 

 the tips are of the same colour with the body. On 

 the inside of the fore-limbs, there are two conspi- 

 cuous black transverse bars, and the hind limbs have 

 similar markings, but not so well defined ; the last 

 joints of , the limbs are paler than the general tint of 

 the body, and the spots on them are round and very 

 small. The tail has eight black rings, and is finished 

 by a tip of the same colour. 



This serval was a very young male, and was re- 

 markable for its gentleness and mild temper. It 

 sported in the manner of the common cat, attempt- 

 ing often to catch its tail, and playing with whatever 

 it could roll about with its foot. The country where 

 this specimen came from was not known. 



We have given this as the serval of Frederic Cu- 

 vier. Azara described a cat from South America, 

 which has been referred to under the above name, 

 and until the publication of Tern miners Monograph, 

 it does not seem to have been very clearly known to 

 what part of the world the animal belonged. The 

 species of Azara is now thought to have been the 

 margay, which he had confounded with it in the 

 Paris museum ; and what should now stand as the 

 true serval, is a native of South Africa, where it is 

 far from uncommon, and is often imported by the 

 continental furriers. Temrninck also makes the ser- 

 val of F. Cuvier identical with the F. serval and 

 Capensis of Linnaeus, and with the animal described 



