JUNGLE-CAT. 431 



This species is described as being of about the same size as the European wild 

 cat, but of stouter build, with a smaller head and a still shorter tail. The fur is 

 long and of a yellowish -grey ground-colour, marked with brownish or straw-coloured 

 bands, running obliquely from the back across the flanks, the tail and legs being 

 barred with similar bands. From the eyes two dark patches are continued down- 

 wards to meet on the throat. As usual, the under-part of the body is whitish. The 

 total length of the animal is given as 3 feet 1 inch, of which 12 inches are occupied 

 by the tail. The skull is remarkable for its extreme shortness, and likewise for 

 the presence of only two premolar teeth in the upper jaw. 



THE PAMPAS CAT ( nat. size). 



This cat may be regarded as one of the most distinctive animals of the pampas. 

 Mr. W. H. Hudson speaks of it as not unlike F. cat us in its robust form and dark 

 colour, but a larger, more powerful animal, inexpressibly savage in disposition. 



THE JUNGLE-CAT (Felis chaus). 



The common Indian jungle-cat is an important member of the family, since it 

 serves to connect the more typical cats so closely with the lynxes as to render it 

 impossible to refer the latter (as has been often proposed) to a distinct genus. 



The jungle-cat is somewhat superior in size to the ordinary domestic cat, from 

 which it differs in having a circular pupil to the eye, thereby agreeing with the 

 lynxes. It also approximates to the latter in having a few long hairs on the tips 

 of the ears, although these are not sufficiently numerous to form distinct tufts. 

 The tail is, moreover, less elongated than in many of the time cats, varying from 

 one-third to two-fifths the length of the head and body. In the presence of three 



