VERTEBRATA: MAMMALIA. 751 



smaller than the Tiger, and marked with black spots in place of stripes. 

 It is a native of all the warmer parts of the Old World. 



The Ounce (Felis undo) is nearly allied to the Leopard, but lives at 

 great heights in the mountain-ranges of Central Asia. Another allied form 

 is the Cheetah or Hunting Leopard (Felts jubata) of southern Asia and 

 Africa, which is often raised to the rank of a distinct genus under the name 

 of Cyncelunis. It has very long legs, and the claws are only imperfectly 

 retractile. Among the smaller Spotted Cats may be mentioned the Ocelot 

 (F. pardalis), ranging from Mexico to Brazil; the Felis mverrina of India, 

 China, and Malacca ; and the Colocolo (F. ferox] of Central America. 



Of the smaller Felidce, the best known are the Lynxes and the Cats, 

 properly so called. Of these the Lynxes are distinguished by their short 

 tails, and by the fact that the ears are furnished with a pencil of hairs. 

 They differ so much from the other Felida as to be often placed in a sepa- 

 rate genus (Lyncus). The best-known species are the European Lynx 

 (Felis lyncus], the Caracal (F. caracal] of southern Asia and Africa, and 

 the Canadian Lynx (F. Canadensis] of North America. In the true Cats 

 (Felis catus) the tail is long, and the ears are not tufted. The Wild Cat 

 formerly abounded in Britain, but is now almost extinct, though it still 

 occurs in Europe, especially in the Hartz and Carpathian Mountains. It 

 is a large and fierce animal, and appears to be quite a match for any man 

 not possessing firearms. It seems tolerably certain that the Wild Cat 

 is not the original stock of the Domestic Cat, the exact origin of which is 

 uncertain. The Felis chaus is the common "Jungle-cat" of India and 

 Africa. 



As regards the distribution of the Carnivora in time, the 

 order does not appear to be represented earlier than the 

 Eocene period, though our knowledge on this subject is cer- 

 tainly defective, as shown by the fact that the oldest forms at 

 present known are referable to highly specialised groups. 



The aquatic Carnivores (Pinnipedia) appear to commence 

 in the Miocene Tertiary, but they are principally known as 

 Post-tertiary fossils. 



The great family of the Ursidce. is represented in Miocene 

 times by the genus Hycenarctos. True Bears first appear 

 during the Pliocene, and in the Post-pliocene period Europe 

 posssessed several Bears, of which the well-known " Cave- 

 bear ( Ursus spelceus) is the best known. 



The Procyonida are doubtfully known in deposits anterior to 

 the Post-pliocene. 



The Mustelida date back to the Miocene, but present no 

 points of special interest. 



The Viverridce are an ancient group, and are represented 

 by a number of extinct types. Two Viverrine forms (Tylodon 

 and Palceonyctis) occur in the Eocene Tertiary of Europe ; and 

 in the Miocene are found several interesting examples of the 

 group, of which the most remarkable is the genus Ictitherium, 

 which is in some respects nearly allied to the Hyaenas. 



The Hycenidce are not known from deposits older than the 



