i 9 4 MOSTLY MAMMALS 



wild, and one such has been described as a distinct 

 species. 



With regard to the fulvous domesticated Indian breed, 

 in which the fur of the body is uniform tawny, the legs 

 barred, and the tail ringed, it seems probable that this too 

 was originally descended from the desert-cat, but that it 

 has derived its uniform coloration from the jungle-cat 

 (F. chaus], which, as already said, is related to the lynxes. 

 That it is not the direct descendant of that species seems 

 evident from the different relative lengths of its tail and 

 limbs, and the absence of pencils of hair on the ears. 



I have already said that in the opinion of Prof. 

 Martorelli the jungle-cat and steppe-cat are descendants 

 of the Egyptian cat ; and as the desert-cat and steppe-cat 

 are closely allied, it follows that, if his views be correct, 

 all the Indian domesticated cats trace their ultimate origin 

 to the Egyptian cat. 



Nothing definite is known as to the origin of the beau- 

 tiful Siamese cat, but it seems possible that it may be 

 the descendant of the golden or bay cat (F. temmincki) of 

 the Malay countries, which is a uniformly coloured bright 

 ferruginous-red or dark-brown species, with a relatively 

 short tail. 



There is likewise no certain information with regard to 

 the pedigree of the Persian or Angora cat. The deserts 

 of Central Asia are, however, the home of a very peculiar 

 species of the genus Felts, which was first described by the 

 Russian naturalist Pallas, under the name of F. manul, and 

 is popularly known as Pallas's cat. This species, which is 

 about the size of an average domesticated cat, differs from 

 all other wild Old World members of the genus by the 

 great length and softness of its fur. Its general colour is 

 pale whitish grey, with some narrow dark markings on the 



