438 CAT TRIBE 



in one sense, to the naturalist, who may readily regard the red and 

 the black phases as representing two distinct animals. This, indeed, 

 was the case with regard to the present species, of which the dusky 

 phase was described by myself a few months previous to the meta- 

 morphosis of the Zoological Society's specimen as a new local race, 

 under the name of Felts celidogaster cottoni. 



The tiger-cat is an inhabitant of the equatorial forest-zone, where 

 it ranges from the west coast to the Ituri in the east. It is, moreover, 

 evidently a specialised form which is tending to lose its spots, these 

 never being very strongly marked, and in some examples of both the 

 red and the grey phases almost completely obsolete (except when the 

 skin is viewed in certain lights). In the opinion of Mr. R. I. Pocock, 

 as expressed on p. 660 of the Proceedings of the Zoological Society 

 for 1907, it is not improbable that the species may be divisible into 

 two races according to the degree of development of the spotting ; 

 each of these races exhibiting both the red and the grey colour-phase. 



In the first, or typical, race, which is known to inhabit Sierra 

 Leone, Liberia, Ashanti, Cape Coast Castle, and Accra, spots and 

 stripes are developed on the crown of the head, the neck, and the 

 middle region of the back, while the flanks are marked with a 

 comparatively small number of larger and more distinct spots, and the 

 tail is often distinctly ringed. 



In the second, or more specialised, race (F. c, aurata), which ranges 

 from the Cameroons and French Congoland eastwards to the Ituri, 

 but has also been reported from Sierra Leone and perhaps Liberia, 

 the spotting and striping on the upper surface is almost obsolete, 

 although small, numerous, and closely set spots are retained on the 

 flanks. The rings on the tail are never distinct, and may be wanting. 



If both types occur in Liberia, there will be considerable doubt 

 whether this cat (which has the alternative name of F. auratd] is really 

 divisible into local races. Its habits are doubtless similar to those of 

 forest-dwelling cats in general. 



From the fact that dark phases of species of animals are invariably 

 connected with abundant humidity, it is clear that this must also be 

 the case with the dusky phase of the tiger-cat. It has, however, yet 

 to be shown whether the change from red to dusky is a character 

 common to the species generally, or whether it occurs only in certain 

 parts of the forest district, and if so, whether it is restricted to certain 

 individuals, and also whether it is permanently retained in these. 



Very similar variations, in the matter of both colour and spotting, 

 occur in the case of the Asiatic bay cat (Felis temmincki}, the Chinese 



