32 DR. J. E. GRAY ON THE STEPPE-CAT OF BOKHARA. [Jan. 6, 



very numerous small irregular spots. The spots are smallest and 

 roundest on the dorsal line, oblong on the sides, and forming inter- 

 rup ted lines on the shoulders and thighs, which are most distinct on 

 the outside of the fore legs, and especially forming four broad cross 

 streaks on the front edge of the thighs. Tail cylindrical, reaching 

 to the ground, spotted at the upper part of the base, and with eight 

 or nine narrow interrupted rings on the upper part of the remaining 

 portion, and with a black tip. Nose brown, with short hair. Fore- 

 head and cheeks like the back, but with smaller spots, and without 

 any distinct dark streaks from the back edge of the eye. The ears 

 ovate, acute, pale brown externally, with a terminal pencil of blackish 

 hairs, and whitish on the edge within. Chin, hinder parts of the 

 upper lip, under part of the head, throat, chest, belly, inside of legs 

 and hind feet whitish brown, the chin being whitest and the inside 

 of the hind legs and feet darkest. There is a large blackish spot on 

 the upper part of the inside of the fore legs, and two small cross 

 streaks on the front edge of the inside of the hind thighs. The 

 hinder part of the hind feet to the heel blackish. 



Length of body and head 23i in. ; tail 12| in. ; height at shoulder 

 12 in. 



Rob. "Cocan," Bokhara. 



The skull (PI. VII.) is 3| in. long, and 1\ wide at the zygomatic 

 arch; the lower jaw is 2f in. long, and 2\ in. wide at the condyles. 

 It has a short face, with a round well-developed brain-cavity and 

 large orbits. 



This species is most like Chaus ornatus ; but that differs in the 

 spots being round and distinct and in the tail being shorter. 



It differs from the Felis chaus from the shores of the Caspian, 

 known all over Southern Asia as the Jungle- Cat, figured by Giilden- 

 stadt in the 'Nov. Comm. Acad. Petrop.' xx. p. 483, t. 14, in the 

 tail being much longer and the fur distinctly spotted. The pale 

 brown colour of the outer side of the ears at once distinguishes 

 it from the red-eared Chaus catolynx, and the Cape-Cat, Felis 

 caligata. It has nothing to do with the Felis euptilura, described 

 and figured by Mr. Elliot in the Proc. Zool. Soc. 1873, p. 759, 

 t. lxxvi., from a skin in a bad state belonging to Mr. Bartlett, " stated 

 to come from Siberia," and now in the British Museum. Mr. Elliot 

 describes his species as coming from North-western Siberia, and 

 thinks it is the same as a cat from Amurland figured as Felix undata 1 

 by Radde (Reisen im Suden von Ost-Sibirien, 1862, p. 106, t. iv.). 

 I do not know what is the authority for Mr. Elliot's statement as to 

 the part of Siberia in which this animal is said to be found ; Mr. 

 Bartlett does not give any, and M. Radde travelled in East Siberia. 

 Perhaps it is only a mistake in writing. 



Radde collected his Felis undata in the Amurland ; he believes 

 (I.e. p. 113) that it is identical with the cat I described as Felis 

 chinensis, Gray (Mag. Zool. 1837) ; but evidently he had never seen 

 Felis chinensis from S. China, any more than he had seen Felis 

 undata of Desmarest or Felis minuta of Temminck from Java, 

 after which he names his cat on the plate. If he had, he must have 



