ZOOLOGICAL SOClLT'i HLLl-l/l'IN 



263 



THE OCELOT. 



The climbinji power of this species is surjjrisinj;. 

 It can walk at some speed along a horizontal liar 

 not over an inch in diameter, or traverse the same 

 bar with body lianqini^, sloth-like, the latter opera- 

 tion being accomplished with 

 the assistance of a sharp, in- 

 ward contraction of the feel. 

 On the ground it is not espe- 

 cially graceful, as it ap[)ears 

 more like the cub of some 

 large species than a mature 

 animal. The feet are large, 

 and in walking the gait is 

 clumsy and waddling rather 

 than lithe and stately like the 

 tread of most cats. 



A large specimen of the 

 Clouded Leopard measures 

 from 36 to 40 inches in length 

 of head and body, the tail 

 about 30 inches in length. 

 The species is alleged to attain 

 a larger size. It inhabits In 

 dia, from the southeastern 

 Himalayas throughout Bur 

 ma, and the Malay Peninsula, 

 toSuniatra, lava. and Horneo. 



.\ iiandsume s|)ecinien of 

 the Jungle Cat or Leopard 

 Cat (Felis beiigalcnsis), has 

 been in the Small Mammal 

 House for some weeks. This 

 is one of the large number of 

 .s|)otted cats found in southern 

 .\sia and the larger islands of 

 tlie Malayan Archi])elago. It 

 is a graceful animal, not un- 

 like a domestic cat in general 

 appearance, though the tail is 

 shorter. The ground-color is 

 tawny, thickly sprinkled with 

 solid brown blotches and the 

 neck is banded. The beauty 

 of this animal induced its 

 former owner to try to tame it. 

 He was unsuccessful. After 

 e.\])erimcnting for several 

 months — even j)ermitting the 

 animal to wander from its 

 cage — it remained as cross 

 and nervous as when he received it. This experi- 

 ment has often been tried, and almost invariably 

 with the same result. The beauty of the creature 

 and its simllaritv in jiroportions to a house-cat are 



1 111, i;a\ i,v.\.\ ok wild (,.\t. 



