Its dimensions. 549 



most cases without any defined boundary, while a distinguishing 

 character of our animal is aiforded by a deep velvet-black margin 

 which confines the spots posteriorly. 



The following are the dimensions of the subject now described, 

 which was a female : 



Ft. In. 

 Length of the body and head, from the extremity 



of the nose to the root of the tail 3 



Length of the tail 2 8 



Height at the shoulders 1 4 



Height at the rump 1 3 



Circumference of the abdomen 2 



Circumference of the neck 1 2 



To this detail of the dimensions of the Felis Macrocelis, I am 

 enabled to add various interesting remarks, kindly communicated 

 to me by Sir Stamford Raffles, which will shew the size our ani- 

 mal acquires in a state of nature, and illustrate several points in 

 its external appearance. " A small Rimau-Dahan lost in the 

 Fame, which had been living in my possession about ten months, 

 and might have been four months old, when he first came into my 

 possession, attained a size of about one-third larger than the speci- 

 men which was brought to England last August, (the subject de- 

 scribed in the present Essay.) The colours and marks were 

 nearly the same, but more defined, and nothing yellow or red 

 about it, the black having a striking velvety appearance. The tail 

 was longer and more bushy than in the latter specimen. This was 

 obtained a few days before I last left Bencoolen in April. It was 

 then smaller than the common Tiger Cat, and only distinguishable 

 from that animal, by the length of the tail, breadth of the paw, 

 and colours. The natives assert that they do not attain a much 

 larger size than the first specimen, and perhaps the full size of the 

 wild and full-grown animal may be fairly taken as half as large 

 again as the present specimen." These remarks are confirmed by 

 Mr. Cross of Exeter-Change, who has had much experience in 

 bringing up Leopards and other large species of this genus. Judg- 

 ing from the age at which the animal died, which was before the 

 process of dentition was completed, Mr. C. thinks it had acquired 

 about two-thirds of its size and bulk. 



