4 o8 CARNIVORES. 



of the head and the limbs are ornamented with spots ; while the tail has a number 

 of dusky rings, which are not infrequently incomplete. The skull may be recognised 

 by its low and elongated form ; as well as by the great relative length of the upper 

 tusks, or canine teeth, which are proportionately longer than in any other living 

 species of cat. 



In size the clouded leopard may be compared to a small individual of a true 

 leopard. One male measured 5 feet 7J inches in total length, of which 2 feet 6 

 inches were taken up by the tail ; while another reached 6J feet, of which 3 feet 

 were occupied by the tail. The length of the tail in these specimens is thus about 

 equal to four-fifths of that of the head and body, but there is a variety from the 

 Island of Formosa in which the tail is much shorter. 



The clouded leopard is confined to the south-eastern parts of Asia, ranging 

 from the Eastern Himalaya, in the districts of Bhutan and Sikhim, to Assam, and 

 thence to Burma, the Malay Peninsula, and the islands of Borneo, Sumatra, and 

 Java. The short-tailed variety, found only in the Island of Formosa, probably 

 indicates that the distribution of the series on the mainland of Asia was formerly 

 more extensive than at present. 



To the Malays the clouded leopard is known as the Kimau-dahan, or Arimau- 

 dahan, meaning the tiger of the trees; the word dahan signifying the forked 

 branch of a tree. According to Mr. Blanford, the whole of our limited knowledge 

 of the habits of this species is derived from the reports of native hunters, and is 

 not, therefore, in all respects trustworthy. That it passes almost the whole of its 

 time in trees, on the branches of which it sleeps, is, however, thoroughly 

 ascertained; and it appears that its food consists chiefly of birds and small 

 mammals. 



THE MARBLED CAT (Felis marmorata). 



The marbled cat from the Eastern Himalaya, Assam, Burma, and the Malayan 

 region, is a much smaller species, agreeing in the general character of its markings 

 with the clouded leopard. In size this beautiful little species is somewhat larger 

 than a domestic cat of average dimensions ; the length of the head and body, 

 according to Mr. Blanford, varying from 18 J to 23 inches, and that of the tail 

 from 14 to 15 J inches. The fur is characterised by its thickness and softness; and 

 in Himalayan specimens, at least, has an under fur of a woolly nature. 



From the resemblance of its coloration to that of the clouded leopard (in which 

 the marbled fur harmonises with the gnarled and knotted boughs on which the 

 animal reposes), it may be inferred that the marbled cat is likewise an arboreal 

 species. It is figured on the opposite page. 



The Tibet cat (Felis scripta), from Eastern Tibet, is another small-sized species 

 allied in coloration to the clouded leopard. 



THE GOLDEN CAT (Felis temmincki). 



The golden or bay cat is a well-marked Indian species, of somewhat inferior 

 dimensions to the clouded leopard, and readily distinguished by its deep ferruginous 

 or chestnut colour, which passes into bay along the line of the back ; the under- 



