ZOOLOGY ;u;7 



has appeared to be nearly that of a leopard. Seeing these very large 

 skins peppered all over with innumerable tiny black spots, yet retaining 

 bold black markings on the throat and belly, I was irresistii3ly reminded 

 of an abnormal leopard skin which was exhibited some years ago by 

 Dr. Giinther at the Zoological Society. This skin was marked precisely 

 like that of a servaline cat (it came from the northern part of Cape (.'olonyj, 

 but I think I am right in saying that its tail was long, and obviously that 

 of a leopard. But for the tail, I should say that this abnormal skin was 

 nothing but an unusually large specimen of the servaline cat. 



The cheetah, or hunting leopard, is fairly common in the Nurtl.- 

 Eastern, Central, and Nile Provinces of the l^rotectorate. It is even, 

 1 believe, found in Unyoro and the northern part of the Kingdom of 

 Uganda. 



As regards hyjx^nas, the spotted hyaena is found nearly everywhere in 

 the Protectorate, but in the interior of Ankole there would almost seem 

 to be a distinct variety of these S})ecies, in whicli the hair is a good deal 

 longer than in the ordinary form (this is also the case with the spotted 

 hyaenas of the Nandi Plateau), and the spots are much blacker, and .some- 

 times extend in length until they resemble horizontal stripes. A skin 

 exhibiting these peculiarities was sent by me to the Zoological Society. 

 In the north-eastern part of the Protectorate it is stated that the striped 

 hytena makes its ap})earance. This statement has not yet been confirmed 

 by the obtaining of specimens, and it is possible tluit people have confused 

 the striped hyasna and the aard wolf (^Froteles). The aard wolf is 

 undoubtedly found in the eastern part of the Uganda Protectorate, especially 

 in the Kift Valley. It lives in burrows, and is very seldom seen out in 

 the daytime. 



Besides the civet cat, which is fairly common, there are the usual 

 African genets, and in addition a large new genet, the size of a civet, 

 which is found in the Western Province and in the Semliki Forest. This 

 new genet has been named by Mr. Oldheld Thomas Genetta victorioi. 

 I give a coloured illustration of it in this volume. 



The jackal of Central Africa between the Zambezi and the latitudes 

 of Abyssinia alwavs seems to me a somewliat indeterminate species, 

 something like the servaline cat. Some specimens are very like the 

 jackal of Northern Africa. Others, again, might almost be mistaken for 

 tlie splendid black-lmcked jackal of Soutli and North-East Africa. I sup- 

 pose the common form of jackal, abundantly found throughout the I'ganda 

 Protectorate, and wliich is illustrated by my painting, would be called 

 the side-striped jackal (Cams lateralis), common throughout West Africa 

 and Nyasaland. The beautiful black-backed jackal, with bands of silver 

 fur and bright yellow tail and legs, seems to be confined to the north- 



