14 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 6l 



FELIS OCREATA NANDAE, new subspecies 

 Nandi Wild Cat 



Type from the headwaters of the Lukosa River, Nandi escarp- 

 ment, altitude 7,000 feet, British East Africa ; adult male, Cat. No. 

 182367, U. S. Nat. Mus. ; collected by Edmund Heller, Feb. 9, 1912. 

 (Original No. 2688.) 



Characters. — Coloration very dark and at once distinguishable 

 from the other East African races, all of which are light colored. 

 Median dorsal color blackish, vermiculated sparingly with tawny, 

 sides crossed by distinct dark bands ; underparts rich ochraceous 

 spotted with black; upper surface of feet and legs ochraceous like 

 the belly. Ears much darker than in the other races, blackish 

 throughout, with a very slight tawny suffusion. 



Measurements of the type in the flesh. — Head and body, 530 ; tail, 

 410 ; hindfoot. 140; ear, 63. Skull adult, but sutures still distinct and 

 teeth unworn. Greatest length, 101 ; basal length, 87 ; condylo-basal 

 length, 94 ; zygomatic breadth, 69 ; interorbital breadth, 20 ; post 

 orbital constriction, 35 ; breadth of brain case, 47 ; palatal length, 39 ; 

 width of mesopterygoid fossa, 14 ; length of upper carnasial on outer 

 edge, 10; nasals, 27 x 14. 



Besides the type there are three other specimens in the National 

 Museum which were collected at the base of the Nandi escarpment 

 on the lower edge of the Kakumega forest. These are somewhat 

 lighter than the type, but they agree with it in being distinctly darker 

 than Uganda. This race in its dark color is almost equalled by the 

 type of rubida from Mombuttu in the Congo watershed. This type 

 has been examined at the British Museum and is considerably darker 

 than average specimens from Mombuttu in the same collection, and 

 actually represents a much lighter race than nandae. 



FELIS OCREATA TAITAE, new subspecies 



Desert Wild Cat 



Type from Voi, British East Africa ; adult female, Cat. No. 182220, 

 LI. S. Nat. Mus.; collected by Edmund Heller, Oct. 27, 191 1. 

 (Original No. 2533.) 



Characters. — A light colored race resembling closely typical Felis 

 ocreata of Abyssinia, but differing by having the breast marked by 

 distinct spots, the darkest of which are fuscous ; ears very light in 

 color, the backs fulvous without darker tips. From Felis ocreata 

 ugandae this race differs by its decidedly lighter coloration and 

 smaller body size. 



