262 Practical Game Preserving. 



a cat, and, moreover, a wild one, so named in con- 

 tradistinction to the domestic cat, from which it differs 

 considerably in colour and appearance. The colour of 

 the wild cat is in its markings, and as far as variety 

 goes, much more uniform. The fur is soft, long, and 

 thick, and of a yellowish or sandy grey, streaked with 

 a darker shade across the body and limbs, running at 

 right angles with the line of the back, exactly in the 

 manner of the tiger. Along the top of the back, or, 

 rather, spine, the fur is darker, and streaked and spotted 

 in a more irregular manner from end to end, finishing 

 at the root of th^ tail, which is thick and bushy, and 

 ends abruptly. It is not exactly a brush, but appears 

 to have a tendency to become similar to that of the 

 fox. A series of dark rings form the markings along 

 the tail, which is tipped with black. The side stripes 

 are fainter, and by no means clearly marked, compared 

 with those on the back. In colder climates, the length 

 and thickness of the fur increase considerably, and in 

 some parts of northern Europe the animal is remarkable 

 for these two characteristics of its coat. The total 

 length of the wild cat is, without the tail, about two 

 feet, the latter appendage measuring another I2in., so 

 that it is an animal of no considerable size when we 

 regard the proportions of some of our large domestic 

 cats, such as are met with at shows. It is, however, 

 quite big enough to prove itself a most obnoxious enemy 

 to the game preserver ; hence, probably, one of the many 

 causes which will have contributed to its extinction in 

 the plantations and forests of England, and eventually of 



