136 



THE YAGUARUNDI. 



Felis Jaguarondi LACEPEDE. 



Yagiiarundi, Azara. Quadrup. del Paraguay, i. p. 156. 

 Felis Jaguarondi, Lacepede, (Euvres d" 1 Azara, Atlas, pi. x. 

 Temminck, Monographies, p. 130 Spotless Cat, Fein 

 unicolor, Trail!, Transactions of the Wernerian Society, 

 iii. p. 170. 



THIS animal, according to Azara, is a native of 

 Paraguay and Guiana, but Temminck says that he 

 has seen skins from Surinam and the Essequebo, 

 which havfl always been of larger dimensions. It 

 frequents the borders of woods and thickets, and 

 feeds on small animals and birds. It climbs readily. 



According to Azara, the total length of the yagua- 

 rundi is about 3 feet, that of the tail 1 3 J inches, while 

 Temminck gives the dimensions of the largest he has 

 seen as 4 feet 4 inches, of which the tail measured 

 1 foot 10 inches, and the height of the animal at the 

 fore quarter 1 ^ foot. The colour is a deep grey, pro- 

 duced by each hair being ringed alternately with 

 black and white ; the tips of the hairs being of the 

 latter colour, gives the prevailing shade. By age 

 the shade becomes darker, while the young are of a 

 deep reddish-brown. Temminck mentions a speci- 

 men in the Paris Museum, where the greyish-white 

 greatly predominated upon the head, fore part of the 

 limbs, and upper part of the body ; while the rump 



