148 PROF. G. BUSK ON THE TIGERS [Feb. 17, 



of its fur, of enduring the rigours of the severe winter in the former 

 region. 



M. Alphonse Milne-Edwards describes his Felis fontanieri from 

 the neighbourhood of Pekin as possessing much longer and thicker 

 hair than the common species, and a remarkably bushy tail. But 

 more important distinctive characters adduced by him are those pre- 

 sented by the skull: he states that in F. fontanieri the cranium is 

 much more arched in the antero- posterior direction than it is in the 

 African and Indian Panther, and that the brain-case proper is com- 

 paratively more developed, especially in width ; the fronto-nasal 

 region is more elongated, the posterior border of the palate deeply 

 notched within the tubercular teeth, and the opening of the posterior 

 nares short and wide. As none of these characters applies to the 

 Newchwang Leopard's skull as compared with that from Ningpo, it is 

 clear that we cannot regard the former as F. fontanieri, A. M.-Edw. ; 

 and we may perhaps, in the absence of fuller information respecting 

 the latter, be led to the conclusion suggested by M. A. Milne- 

 Edwards that there are two distinct species of Leopards in China, 

 both of which, according to M. Fontanier, are found in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Pekin. 



In order to render the evidence clear upon which I have gone, I 

 have subjoined a Table showing the comparative measurements of 

 the skulls and teeth in the Chinese as contrasted with the Indian 

 Tigers and Leopards*. 



I have also appended (Plates XXIV. & XXV.) odontograms, or 

 graphic representations, of the dimensions and proportions of the 

 teeth in the various forms — a glance at which will alone suffice to 

 show how cloie the resemblance in these essential particulars is in 

 the respective species, the slight differences observable being clearly 

 merely individual variations - !". 



To judge from the figure of the skull of Leopardus chinensis, 

 Gray (P. Z. S. 1867, p. 264), and the brief description accompanying 

 it, that species would appear to have a strong resemblance to those 

 brought by Mr. Swinhoe — the principal difference, so far as I can 

 perceive, being the comparatively rather smaller size of L. chi- 

 nensis. 



* Comparison of the various dimensions of the skull of F. fontanieri given 

 in Table II. would lead to the conclusion that that species does not materially 

 diflVr from F. leopardus. 



t The construction of these figures will be found explained in the ' Proc. Eoy. 

 Soc.' no. 122, vol. xviii. p. 644. But to save trouble I would merely remark 

 that each horizontal line represents the length and breadth of the antero-poste- 

 rior and transverse diameters of a tooth, the latter diameter being indicated by 

 the dark shade. The scale is divided into ^V* ns °f an incn (0"05). 



