Felid^e.- 



-MAMilALU.- 



-Kelid-e. 



HI 



by her side tUere lay two dead leverets I In the ordi- 

 nary domesticated condition, the cat is certainly of a 

 capricions disposition, but its habits are too well known 

 to demand any lengthened exposition. 



THE JSGYPTIAN CAT {Ftlis maniculata).—1hc 

 Frankfort naturalist, Kiippell, who discovered this 

 species during his travels in Nubia, has expressed his 

 opinion that our common domestic cat owes its origin 

 to this species. Temrainck and others have supported 

 this persuasion, and authorities are still divided on the 

 subject. After weighing the arguments on either side, 

 all that we can say, is, that there appears more pro- 

 bability of our tame animals having descended from 

 the .S^gyptian, than from the European wild form ; but 

 the matter is by no means settled. In the Egyptian 

 cat the limbs are more slender, while the tail is 

 narrower and longer than in Fclis Caius. The fur is 

 greyish-yellow generally ; the cheek, throat, under part 

 of the throat, and belly being white. A dark stripe 

 runs along the central line of the back, and the limbs 

 are crossed by several foint blackish bands. The 

 length of the body is about twenty inches, exclusive of 

 the tail, which measures three-quarters of a foot. 



THE PAMPAS CAT {Felis j'cjeros). — This species is 

 extensively distributed over the South American 

 plains, from the banks of the La Plata to the Straits of 

 JIagellan. It is about the size of the European wild 

 cat, measuring twenty-six inches, exclusive of the tail, 

 which is about a foot from root to tip. The fur is 

 particularly long, the individual hairs being from three 

 to Hve inches in length ; it is of a pale yellowish-grey 

 colour generally, and banded at the sides by numerous 

 irregularly-disposed stripes of a brownish tinge. Along 

 the central line of the back the hairs have a brownish- 

 black colour, which is more or less continued on the 

 tail. The head is comparatively small and rounded, 

 the ears having a moderate development. The tail is 

 short, thick, and rather bushy ; but it does not exhibit 

 any circular markings or spots. According to D'Azara, 

 the natives call it Gato Pajero, or jungle cat. It is 

 said to fi:ed chiefly upon guinea-pigs. 



THE CHATI {Felis mitis) is somewhat larger than 

 our common domestic cat, measuring three feet includ- 

 ing the tail, for which eleven inches may be reckoned. 

 The fur displays a multitude of irregularly arranged 

 dark-brown patches on a general ground colour of pale 

 yellow above, and white below ; on the limbs these 

 spots are more rounded, and there are two crescent- 

 shaped collar-like bands beneath the throat. The ears 

 are blackish externally; the pupil of the eye is rounded. 

 The tail is sKghtly ringed towards the tip. Like the 

 foregoing, the Chati is an inhabitant of the plains of 

 South America. The female preserved in the Parisian 

 menagerie, was extremely gentle and fond of attention. 



THE CHIBIGUAZXr (Felis chibigitazu) is also a 

 South American animal, being rather larger than the 

 above, and measuring, according to D'Azara, four feet 

 including the tail, which is about thirteen inches long. 

 Some regard it as identical with the chati, others refer 

 it to the ocelot ; probably it is distinct. It is exceed- 

 ingly cunning and destructive in its habits; approaching 

 and entering human habitations only in the darkest 

 niglits, and then, not content with carrying oft' as much 



poultry as it can manage, it destroys others that have 

 been left behind. If taken young it becomes very 

 tractable and amusing, but if allowed much liberty it 

 soon displays its fowl-destroying propensities. 



THE SERVAL [Felis served) is a native of southern 

 Africa, and is called the Tiger bosclikatti by the Dutch 

 colonists at the Cape. By others it is called the 

 leopard. According to Mr. Andersson some of the 

 African tribes believe the real tiger to exist in that 

 country, but it is evident that they refer to the serval. 

 This animal is remarkably savage. " One night," says 

 Mr. Andersson, " I was suddenly awoke by a furious 

 barking of our dogs, accompanied by cries of distress. 

 Suspecting that some beast of prey had seized upon 

 one of them, I leaped, undressed, out of my bed, and, 

 gun in hand, hurried to the spot whence the cries pro- 

 ceeded. The night was pitchy dark, however, and I 

 could distinguish nothing; yet, in the hope of frighten- 

 ing the intruder away, I shouted at tlie top of my 

 voice. In a few moments a torch was lighted, and wo 

 then discovered the tracks of a leopard, and also large 

 patches of blood. On counting the dogs, I found that 

 ' Summer,' the best and fleetest of our kennel, was 

 missing. As it was in vain that I called and searched 

 for him, I concluded that the tiger had carried him 

 away ; and, as nothing further could be done that 

 night, I again retired to rest, but the fate of the poor 

 animal contiiuied to haunt me, and drove sleep away. 

 I had seated myself on the front chest of the waggon, 

 when suddenly the melancholy cries were repeated; 

 and, on reaching the spot, I discovered 'Summer' 

 stretched at full length in the middle of a bush. 

 Though the poor creature had several deep wounds 

 about his throat and chest, he at once recognized me, 

 and, wagging his tail, looked wistfully in my face. 

 The sight sickened me as I carried him into the house, 

 where, in time, however, he recovered." It is also 

 satisfactory to leain that the savage animal was found 

 on the day succeeding the encounter. On being dis- 

 covered the beast took refuge in a tree, and. was not 

 dispatched before it had received sixteen wounds, some 

 of the arrows employed for this purpose having been 

 poisoned. In Dr. Gray's arrangement of the Felidse 

 contained in the British Museum, this species is 

 denominated Lcopardus serval. 



THE NEPAULESE CAT {Felis Nijyatdensis).— In the 

 list of feline mammalia preserved in our National 

 Museum, this species is called the waved cat or Felis 

 inconspicuus, and it is beheved by Dr. Gray to be 

 identical with the Bengal cat. Dr. Horsfield considers 

 these forms to be distinct. The body is scarcely two 

 feet long, exclusive of the tail, for which another ten or 

 eleven inches must be allowed. The general colour of 

 the fur is that of a tawny-grey, the surface being 

 marked with spots and linear patches of a deep-black 

 colour, somewhat irregularly disposed. The throat and 

 under part of the belly are whitish ; the spots on the 

 tail being uniform, rounded, and arranged so as to 

 resemble transverse bands. 



THE KUWTJK {Felis JavaRends) is also a small 

 species, principally distinguished by its comparatively 

 short tail and rather long legs; it is also only jirovided 

 with three molars on either side of each jaw. The body 



