112 



MAMMALIA. FKLID/F:. 



is twenty-three inches in length, not including the tail, 

 which measures between eight and nine inches. The 

 fur has a greyish-brown colour generally, the under 

 part of the throat, neck, and belly being nearly white ; 

 it is long, and of a softish texture. Four dark brownish- 

 black bands pass from the crown of the head to the 

 root of the tail, while the sides of the body are marked 

 by sparsely-scattered oblong patches of a similar 

 colour; having a tendency to assume a linear arrange- 

 ment. Similar spots occur on the limbs and tail. 

 The eyes are placed well forward, and have a circular 

 pupil. The ears are small and rounded. According 

 to Dr. Horsfield the " Kuwuk is found in large forests in 

 every part of Java. It forms a retreat in hollow trees, 

 where it remains during the day; at night it ranges about 

 in quest of food, and often visits the villages at the 

 skirts of the forests, committing depredations among the 

 hen-roosts. The natives ascribe to it an uncommon 



Flff. 



sagacity, asserting that in order to approach the fowln 

 unsuspected, and to surprise them, it imitates theii 

 voice. It feeds chiefly on fowls, birds, and small quad- 

 rupeds; but, in case of necessity, it also devours carrion." 

 It is, we are further informed, a very fierce and untame- 

 able animal. In the British Museum list of preserved 

 specimens, it is designated Leojiardus Javanensis. 



THE BTJLTJ (Felis Sumatrana). Asfsir as regards 

 size, the comparative shortness of the tail, the length of 

 the limbs, and in the disposition of its spotted markings, 

 this species very closely resembles the foregoing. 

 According to Horsfield, the general ground colour of 

 the fur "is ferruginous, inclining to yellowish-grey, more 

 intense on the back, the crown of the head, and the 

 upper part of the tail ; paler on the sides, and passing 

 into whitish-grey on the cheeks, breast, abdomen, and 

 the interior of the thighs and legs." The Bulu (fig. 33) 

 is an inhabitant of Sumatra, Java, and the contiguous 



33. 



The Bulu (Fel 



islands. In the list of specimens preserved in our Na- 

 tional Museum, it is also associated with the leopards. 



THE OCELOT (Felis pardalis) inhabits the forests of 

 tropical America, and is an attractive-looking species. 

 The body is about three feet in length, exclusive of the 

 tail, which measures from twelve to fourteen inches. 

 The general colour of the fur is fulvous-grey, the inferior 

 parts of the throat, neck, and belly being nearly white. 

 The entire surface is beautifully streaked with irregu- 

 larly shaped patches of a black colour ; these spots 

 having a marked tendency to form longitudinal bands, 

 especially at the upper part of the body. The ears are 

 small and rounded, the limbs comparatively short. 

 Respecting its habits, the Ocelot is a good climber, and 

 is said to sham a state of death in order to capture 

 monkeys, whose curiosity leads them to approach and 

 inspect the simulating carcass. It is capable of being 

 tamed, but, like others of the cat tribe, its disposition is 

 capricious. Mr. Blyth mentions an instance where 

 " a gentleman had succeeded in taming an ocelot, 

 which for three years, enjoyed the range of his house 



i Suruatraua). 



and garden as freely as a domestic cat, appearing 

 thoroughly reclaimed. One evening, however, at the 

 fireside, when a child of three 3'ears old was playing 

 with it, as it had often done before, the animal being 

 irritated, seized the infant by the throat, and killed it 

 before assistance could be rendered." In the British 

 Museum's list, this animal is classed with the leopards. 

 THE CHAUS (Felis Chans) is a kind of Lynx. It 

 has a wide geographical distribution, inhabiting Egypt, 

 Persia, the borders of the Caspian, and also many 

 parts of central and northern India. It is chieflj 

 found in low marshy grounds and jungles, where it 

 preys upon small quadrupeds and birds, and also, 

 according to Riippell, on fishes. The fur is compara- 

 tively long, loose, soft, and of a yellowish-grey colour. 

 The tail is short, thick, and indistinctly marked by four 

 or five alternating black and greyish-white bands. 

 These occur towards the extremity, which terminates 

 somewhat abruptly. In common with other allied 

 forms, the ears are much pointed, being tufted at the 

 summit by a pencil of fiue black hairs, half an inch in 



