432 



CARNIVORES. 



premolar teeth in the upper jaw, as well as in the form of the lower flesh-tooth, the 

 jungle-cat agrees, however, with the more typical representatives of the family, as 

 distinct from the lynxes. 



The colour of the fur of the body varies from sandy or yellowish-grey to 

 greyish-brown, the back being darker, with a tendency to reddish in some in- 

 dividuals or to a dusky tint in others, while the under-parts are whitish, with a 

 yellow or red tinge. The individual hairs, which vary in length according to the 

 locality whence the animals come, are not of uniform colour throughout their 



THE JUNGLE- CAT ( nat. size). 



length, the upper ends being generally greyish- white, with black tips. Usually 

 fully- adult animals are uniformly- coloured, but the limbs may be marked with 

 dusky transverse bars, while, more rarely, rows of indistinct spots or wavy lines 

 may be detected. The inner side of the upper part of the fore-limb usually has the 

 two broad transverse bars common to so many cats. The cheeks and breast may 

 be either banded or pale, while the tail is ringed, and its tip, like those of the ears, 

 black. The soles of the feet are of a dusky-brown colour. The total length of the 

 animal varies from 33 to 39 inches, the length of the tail (with the hair) in the 

 smaller form being 11 inches. 



Although the jungle-cat may be regarded as a characteristic animal of India, 

 where it is found from Cape Comorin to elevations of about eight thousand feet in 



