THE CAT'S PLACE IN NATURE. 



357 



THE DISTRIBUTION 7 OF THE CAT FAMILY. 



Long-continued and systematic study of the 

 habits of living animals has led to the division 

 of the surface of the world into specific, areas, 

 called Zoogeographical regions, 

 of which there are six viz. (i) 



(2) Ethi- 

 region ; (3) 

 region ; (4) 

 (5) Xearctic 



PaUearctic region 

 opian or African 



Oriental or Indian 

 Australian region ; 

 or North American region ; and 

 (6) Neotropical or South Ameri- 

 can region. The cats of the 

 Old World and of the New World 

 are, with the exception of the 

 debatable northern lynx, speci- 

 fically distinct. No native cats 

 exist in Australia. 



The Palsearctic region com- 

 prises the whole of Europe, part 

 of North Africa, and extends 

 eastward to Kamtchatka, and 

 includes the islands of Japan. 

 There are about twenty - one 

 known species of the cat family 

 inhabiting this extensive area, 

 the best-known being the tiger, 

 which is found in Mongolia ; 



are known to inhabit this region. The best- 

 known are the lion, leopard, serval, Egyptian 

 cat, caracal lynx, and cheetah. The Oriental 

 or Indian region includes a strip of southern 

 Persia, the whole of India, 

 China, and the Malay peninsula, 

 Borneo, and other islands of 

 the East Indian Archipelago. 

 There are about sixteen species 

 inhabiting this region. The best- 



known examples of the cat family 



here are the lion (inhabiting the 

 southern portions of Persia), 

 tiger, leopard, cheetah, clouded 

 leopard, and a great variety of 

 the smaller species. 



The Nearctic or North Ameri- 

 can region includes Greenland 

 and the whole of the continent 

 of North America down to 

 Mexico City and Vera Cruz. 



A.-Epiglottis or upper cartilage Tllere ar6 Olll y S6Ven indigenous 



species of the cat family, the 

 best-known being the puma, 

 which also extends into the neo- 

 tropical region, the northern 

 and the bay lynx. 



X. SURFACE OK THE 

 CAT'S TONGUE.' 



of windpipe. 

 B. Tonsil. 



C. Flattened or soft papilla;. 

 D. Circumvallate papillae. 

 E. Horny conical papilla?. 

 E.I. The same enlarged. 

 F. Fungiform papilla;. 



the common 

 leopard, widely distributed in Southern Siberia ; 

 the snow leopard, wild cats, the lynx, and many 

 others. The Ethiopian or African region in- 

 cludes the whole of the continent of Africa up 

 to the tropic of Cancer, and the greater part of 

 Arabia and Madagascar. About nine species 



The Neotropical or South American region 

 extends from Vera Cruz in Central America, 

 through the whole of South America to Pata- 

 gonia. About thirteen well-marked species of 

 the cat family inhabit this region. The better- 

 known species are the puma, jaguar, ocelot, 

 margay, pampas cat, and the curious eeyra. 



ROBERT HOLDING. 



23* 



