4454 Tue Zoo.ocist—May, 1875. 
captivity, it has invariably (I believe) been in the spring (about May), and 
only once in the year. As to the Ringwood example, its tail sounds correct, 
and, being only eight inches long, is shorter by three or four inches than 
those of the few specimens I have measured. Its general or ground colour 
is said to be “ashy” gray: it has always been a difficulty with me to know 
how to describe the ground colour of a wild cat, but I think yellowish gray 
would more nearly express it, and I see Bell (first edition) so describes it ; 
the term ashy gray would, I think, more nearly describe the ground colour 
of the tame cats, which somewhat resemble the wild variety (? species) in 
colour; but this is perhaps “splitting straws,” and some wild cats that 
I have seen, especially, I think, males, are of a rather more ashy hue than 
ordinary. The throat, breast, belly and feet of the Ringwood example are 
white. I have never seen one with so much white about it,—certainly 
none with white feet,—but I do not see that even the white feet need prove 
it to be tainted with tame blood (may it not perhaps be the result of long- 
continued breeding in and in, owing to the very limited number of the 
race in the district?); for, to take foxes,—one of the best known of wild 
animals,—how the colour varies in them from a light chestnut, through 
every intermediate shade of grayish red, down to mahogany colour with 
black pads and ears, and with great variety in the amount of white 
on the under side, with or without the white tag to the brush, and 
some with white pads, and no one will suspect this to be the effect of 
mixing with some domesticated animal. I do not understand from 
Mr. Corbin’s description that the cat he writes of is at all piehald,— 
as suggested in the editorial note,—by which word I understand 
black and white in patches. Mr. Newman complains of the vagueness of 
the information in the second edition of Bell’s ‘ Quadrupeds,’ as to where 
wild cats are still to be found. I could give,—although by no means 
(I hope) a complete list of localities,—at any rate, some idea of the counties 
and districts where they linger; but do not do so, for obvious reasons, and 
will merely state a fact that seems to me to be somewhat curious,—that in 
very few places do the wild cat, and the perhaps equally little-known 
animal, the marten (or martens ?) still survive, in the same district, the con- 
stant persecution to which they are subjected; but in several places where 
the wild cat is still supposed to exist, the last marten was killed some few 
years ago; and in other parts of the country, where martens still linger, no 
wild cat has been heard of for many years past. I fear I am not a sufficiently 
good hand at arguing to be able to convince Mr. Newman of the existence 
of wild cats in Britain; but if (as I gather from his editorial note) he has 
never seen one, and he will run down here some day, and see the pair 
I have in captivity,—one being the individual mentioned in my former 
letter on the subject (S. 8. 3574),—I feel sure he will come round to the 
opinion that they are every bit as genuine wild animals as martens, otters, 
