1907.] ENGLISH DOMESTIC CATS. 145 



it cannot be claimed that an intermixture with any known 

 species of Lynx has contributed to the abbreviation of the tail in 

 the " Manx." When and where this breed arose has been much 

 debated. Some have suggested Spain as its original country, 

 others China. But in all probability the " sport " has appeared 

 independently and been preserved by selective crossing on many 

 occasions and in many places. 



The liability of the tail to modification in Domestic Cats is 

 shown by the frequency with which it is kinked or twisted as 

 well as shortened in Burmese, Siamese, and Malaccan specimens ; 

 and by the stunting it acquired in a few generations in the Cats, 

 above alluded to, that were bred in the frigid climate of St. Paul's 

 Island and in the cold-storage warehouses of Pittsburgh. 



3. With respect to tint or the ground-colour as a whole, irre- 

 spective of pattern, it must be remembered that albinotic and 

 melanotic " sports " may arise in almost any group of Mammals. 

 Amongst the Cats, albinos appear to be rare in a state of nature, 

 probably in part on account of a correlated inherent delicacy in 

 organisation, accompanied possibly by defective sight or hearing ; 

 pi'obably in part on account of the conspicuousness of the 

 coloration making capture of prey and escape from enemies, 

 especially during cubhood, difficult. There are one or two 

 records, however, of albino Tigers — the species, be it noted, in 

 which the young after leaving the mother's protection are more 

 capable of taking care of themselves and less liable to attack than 

 any other Cat, with the possible exception of Lions. Melanisms 

 are far more frequently met with in the genus. Black Leopards 

 are familiar to all ; black Jaguars are not uncommon, and black 

 Tigers, Caffre Cats, and Servals have been recorded. 



In other species the tint may be dimorphic, dark grey or dark 

 brown and red or chestnut examples being about equally abvmdant, 

 as in the S. American Felis jaguarondi, the West African Felis 

 <ourata, the Oriental F. temmincki, and the Bornean F. badia. 



Thus in the genus Felis coloui-- variation in a state of nature 

 may depart from the noi-mal in the direction of " black," or 

 " red," or " white," without respect to locality. Moreover, 

 geographical variation also attesting inherent instability of tint 

 is met with. The greyness of the Persian Leopard as compared 

 with the rich tawny yellow of South Indian specimens is a case 

 in point. 



The tints of Domestic Cats themselves establish the same con- 

 clusion. Between " blacks " and " whites" all intermediates seem 

 to exist. "Blues "are self-coloured slate or lavender-grey cats 

 and appear to be merely stages in the direction of " blacks." 

 " Smokes " are darkish grey or blackish cats with the basal part 

 of the hair white. " Silvers " are the " palest conceivable edition " 

 of Smokes. " Reds,'' " Yellows," and " Creams " are variations 

 from the normal in the direction of " Whites." 



4. On the other hand, notwithstanding individual and local 

 variations, the pattern formed by spots or stripes in existing 



Proc. Zool. Soc— 1907, No. X. 10 



