742 



into consideration, we have perhaps as strong a cir- 

 cumstantial proof as we can obtain in such a case. 

 In Europe, domestic cats hunt in the woods, but they 

 do not reside permanently there, or attempt to escape 

 even in the mildest of our climates. If they had this 

 disposition, they have so many opportunities of grati- 

 fying it, and they breed so freely that we should ere 

 now have had every copse in the country completely 

 stocked with domestic cats. There are, however, 

 not any such ; but in warmer countries they do betake 

 themselves to the woods and remain there. 



Now, in as far as analogy is evidence (and there 

 are many parts of natural history in which if we are not 

 satisfied with this evidence we must go without any), 

 we find that, of the other domestic animals (mammalia 

 at least), those of which we know the native haunts 

 have a tendency to run wild in proportion as the 

 country in which they are domesticated more nearly 

 resembles that in which they are found native. Deer 

 are natives of Britain, and we have in many parts of 

 the country instances of them escaping from parks, 

 and stocking the wooded hills all around. There is 

 a remarkable instance of this in Forfarshire, where 

 the stray deer from the extensive park of Lord Pan- 

 mure have stocked many places to the annoyance of 

 the cottagers near the plantings. The domestic dog, 

 on the other hand, never goes into the wilds to breed 

 there, but we believe the case is different in India. 

 There is even a proof in birds. The common poultry, 

 which are from the warm jungles of India, never quit 

 their domestic habitats, or at least do so very tempo- 

 rarily, whereas the pheasants which are from climates 

 comparatively temperate, and more resembling that 

 of Britain, are more partial to the woods than to the 

 vicinity of houses, so much so, that they must be 

 confined in order to keep them in the latter places. 

 There may be part of this owing to difference of habit 

 and of power of flight in the birds, but much is un- 

 questionably owing to climate. From this evidence, 

 and much more might be adduced, we must conclude 

 that the domestic cat is of a family originally inhabit- 

 ing warm climates, but which is not now to be met 

 with in a wild state in any part of the world. Perhaps 

 there is one species of American cat about the size 

 of those mentioned, which merits a separate notice. 



The Margay. This species is chiefly found in the 

 warmer parts of North America, though it is also met 

 with in other places of that continent, and it is per- 

 haps very generally distributed. The ground colour 

 of this species is greyish-yellow on the upper part, 

 and white on the under. It has four black stripes 

 along the neck and shoulders, which are continued in 

 spots along the back, the sides, and the flanks. The 

 shoulders and thighs are spotted, but the feet, which 

 are of a grey colour, are without any spots. The length 

 of the body is about eighteen inches ; the tail about 

 a foot, and marked with about a dozen irregular 

 blackish rings. It is probable that this species is 

 known by different names in different parts of Ame- 

 rica, and also that it has been confounded with some 

 of the others already mentioned, with which it agrees 

 so nearly in manners that no further description is 

 necessary. Iildeed the habits of all the smaller cats 

 of warm countries are so much alike, that when one 

 is known all are known, with the exception of some 

 differences of colour, and as the colours do not appear 

 to be constant in almost any one they are matters of 

 very minor importance. 



There appears to be many varieties, if not species, 



of these animals in America ; and it is by no means 

 improbable that some of those which were seen and 

 imperfectly described by the earlier writers may be 

 now extinct. When America was first visited by 

 Europeans the whole continent, with the exception 

 of a portion of the table-land of Mexico, was entirely 

 in a state of nature ; and a?, with the exception of the 

 northern savannahs, no part of it was inhabited by 

 vegetable feeding animals of any considerable size, it 

 was peculiarly adapted for the middle sized cats. 

 This was the case both in those places which were 

 covered with thick forest and those which were bare. 

 In the former the birds swarrned, and still swarm in 

 numbers unknown in any other part of the world ; 

 and in the latter, different species of rodentia were, 

 and in many places still aro, exceedingly numerous. 

 In order to keep down the superabundance of animal 

 life in both those places, a number of cats was neces- 

 sary ; but as the prey consisted of only small animals, 

 it was not necessary that these cats should have the 

 same powers as the lions and tigers of the East. 



The jaguar is no doubt a powerful animal, though 

 much inferior to the great cats of the East ; and the 

 jaguar may be considered as the chief of those Ame- 

 rican species which lie in wait in thickets. The puma 

 on the other hand is the typical species of those 

 which inhabit the more open places, and prey upon 

 small mammalia ; and as the purna retains always a 

 row of stripes or other markings on the sides, though 

 in those places where it attains the largest size these 

 are very faint, there is every probability that, in 

 places differently favourable for its development, it 

 differs much in colour as well as in size. The same 

 may be said of the jaguar, and it is exceedingly pro- 

 bable that these two species will be found, upon more 

 careful examination, to comprise many of those which 

 have been described under different names the forest 

 varieties ranging with the jaguar, and the varieties of 

 the open places with the puma. 



Of these there seem to be some species found in 

 that rich but partially explored country, the interior 

 of Guiana, of one or two of which we shall quote a 

 few notices from the very able and discriminating 

 accounts of Hamilton Smith. 



The Colocolo. " It does not appear certain," says 

 Smith, " though it may be probable, that this is the 

 animal Molina indicated as the colocolo, as he calls 

 the marked spots, and not streaks, at least the word 

 is so translated. 



" This fierce animal was shot in the interior of Guiana 

 by an officer of Lewenstein's riflemen, and by him 

 stuffed and sent to England for his royal highness the 

 Duke of York, but probably never reached its desti- 

 nation. A whimsical occurrence took place with it. 

 The gentleman who had shot it placed it on the 

 awning of the boat to air. As he was descending the 

 river to Paramaribo, the boat often passed under the 

 branches of large trees which overhung the river, 

 and on which were the resting places of numerous mon- 

 keys, sometimes hanging to the extremes! branches 

 above the water. Although the vessel would, on 

 other occasions, excite but little attention, no sooner 

 was the stuffed specimen in sight than the whole 

 community would troop off, with prodigious screams 

 and howlings. It was of course surmised from the 

 excessive terror of these animals, that this species of 

 cat must be an active enemy to them. 



" This animal was larger than the wild cat. The 

 head was remarkably flat and broad ; the ears large 



