Mr. H. Schwann on Felis ocreata. 425 



Skull 



Male (type). Female, 



mm. mm. 



Greatest length 103-0 920 



Basal length 88-0 78'o 



Zygomatic breadth 73-0 63-2 



Anteorbital breadth 16-5 16-0 



Temporal breadth 31*2 35 - 6 



Brain-case, breadth 45*5 450 



Greatest length of bulla 2-1-0 23 



Outer length of upper caraassial ll'O ll - 



llab. Mulema, Uganda. 



Type. Male. B.M. no. 3. 11. 7. 8. Alt. 5000 feet. 

 Collected by Mr. W. G. Doggett and presented by Col. Delme 

 Radcliffe. 



Tlie comparative skull-measurements given above serve 

 very well to show the difference in size between the sexes. 

 The specimens from which they were taken were both fully 

 adult and obtained in the same locality. 



The colour of the female is slightly lighter throughout, 

 agreeing in this respect with a specimen obtained by 

 Capt. Speke at " Memissa." 



Felis ocreata cafra, Desm.* 



Mr. W. E. de Winton, in Anderson's ' Zoology of Egypt ' f, 

 decided that it was necessary to adopt the earlier name J of 

 obscura instead of cafra for the South- African race of Felis 

 ocreata y although the name was based on a melanistic specimen. 

 A comparison of the two descriptions with the British 

 Museum's fine series of South-African skins seems to suggest 

 that after all Desmarest's F. obscura § may be nothing more 

 than a melanistic specimen of the domestic cat. It may be 

 noticed that the British Museum specimens do not have the 

 " bandes transversales entitlement noires et tres-nombreuses," 

 nor is the species so small as the domestic cat, as F. obscura 

 is said to be. 



It appears, therefore, so doubtful whether F. obscura is really 

 referable to this species that I see no necessity at present for 

 altering the more suitable and better known name of cafra. 



The British Museum does not at present possess sufficient 

 North-African material for me to decide detinitely as to the 

 status of F. margarita, Loche, and F. cristata, Lataste. 



* Encycl. SKth., Manim. Suppl. 1822, p. 540. 

 t P. 175. 



X Encycl. Meth., Mamm. 1820, p. 230. 



§ See Diet, des Sci. nat., F. Cuv., torn. viii. p. 222, for original 

 description. 



