Classification of existiiiff Felidte. 337 



zygomata ; the muzzle is high and short, the anterior nares 

 large, the nasal bones rather abruptly expanded distally, 

 uith longish narrow narial processes, and narrowed, some- 

 times strongly compressed, posterior portion ; the nasal 

 branch o£ the premaxilla is narrow and the maxilla is 

 toleral)ly evenly curved above ; the suborbital portion of the 

 malar arch is thick, but the preorbital thickening is not "well 

 marked ; the palate is wide, and its orbital foramen is very 

 large and comparatively close to the foramen of the optic 

 nerve ; the mesopterygoid fossa is wide, short, parallel- 

 sided, with rounded anterior rim, and the edges of the palate 

 in front of it are widely divergent ; the spiniform process of 

 the pterygoid descends somewliat abruptly, and the external 

 pterygoid crest forms merely a jhort posterior projection or 

 ridge ; the bullae have a low internal partition, and a trans- 

 verse line drawn from the stylomastoid divides the bulla into 

 a larger anterior and a smaller posterior portion; the occiput 

 is wide across the mastoids, emarginate just above tlie level of 

 the condyles and expanded above. The short upper post- 

 canine space occupied by a well-grown first premolar. 



Neither the pattern of the cub nor the structure of the 

 skull indicates, in my opinion, close affiliation between 

 Puma and any genus of the Felidse. In general appearance 

 the skull is, perhaps, most like that oi Lyruv cay-ucal ; but 

 there are many ditierences, notably the small size of the 

 outer chamber and the lowness of the partition of the bulla 

 in Puma, a particular in which Puma resembles the other 

 American genera with exception of Dendrailurus ; but, apart 

 from this, the skull exhibits none of the characteristics of 

 other American cats. 



Genus Leptailurus, Severtz. 



Leptailurus, Severtzow, 1858, p. 389 ; type served, Sclireb. 

 Galeoparchis, Heufflin, 1866, p. 557 ; type served. 

 Served, Gray, 1867, p. 272 ; type serva'l. 



One species only, with several local races *. 



Distr. Africa, mainly south of the Sahara. 



Medium-sized, long-legged, rather short-tailed cats, with 

 narroM"^ heads, very large rhinarium, large, rounded, un- 

 pencilled ears, closely juxtaposed on the summit of the head 



* Ttvo species have been admitted, namely, nerval and servahna. 

 These, however, are now known to be merely varieties, the species being 

 dimorphic in pattern (P. Z. S. 1915, i, p. 154), the two types of pattern 

 symbolized by the names being found in the same litter. 



