156 MR. R. I. pococK ON [Feb. 19, 



from the Wild Cat in having the back of the hind leg from the hock 

 to the pad blackish. This statement is negatived by three facts: — 

 the area in question is not blackish in all Domestic Cats ; nor in 

 all examples of the Egyptian Oat ; nor does it lack the dark tint in 

 any specimens of the European Wild Cat that I have examined. 

 The prevalent idea on this subject has been expressed as follows : — 

 " The black sole of the foot suggests that the Caffre Cat is the 

 chief stock from which the Domestic Cats of Europe have been 

 derived " ; and " that the European Wild Cat was not the direct 

 descendant [? lapsus for ancestor] of the domesticated breeds of 

 the western part of the continent is rendered pretty evident by its 

 short and clubbed tail, to say nothing of the absence of dark soles 

 to the hind feet " *. And again : — " It has been maintained 

 by many naturalists that the European Domestic Cat is chiefly 

 derived from the north-eastern race of this species [F. ocreata] 

 found in Egypt ; at least, the domestic form is certainly not 

 derived from the European Wild Cat " t. The foundation for this 

 positive opinion entertained by Mr. Sclater may be found, I 

 think, in his belief (Cat. Mamm. Indian Mus. ii. p. 934, 1891), 

 taken from Blasius, that in the skulls of the Domestic Cat the 

 frontal and squamosal bones are separated from one another by 

 the parietals and alisphenoids, and the nasals are not produced 

 posteriorly beyond the frontal processes of the maxillse, the con- 

 verse being the case in the Wild Cat. I have before me the 

 skulls of four " London " Cats. In one of them the nasals project 

 well beyond the maxillae, in two as far back as the maxillae, and in 

 the fourth not so far. Again, the distance between the frontal and 

 the squamosal is in one skull as much as 3 mm., in two others it is 

 only about 1 mm. or less, while in the last the squamosal and 

 frontal touch on one side but not quite on the other. Nevertheless, 

 it is perfectly true that, as a very general rule, the squamosal 

 and frontal are separated by the junction of the parietal and ali- 

 sphenoid in Domestic Cats as they also are in F. ocreata. But 

 this is also the case in both the skulls of the Scotch Wild Cat that 

 I possess J. In one of them the parieto-alisphenoid bridge 

 measures 4 mm., in the other 2 mm. The bridge is also present 

 in one of two skulls of this species in the Museum of the College 

 of Surgeons, whereas in the other the frontal and squamosal have 

 a long sutural union. 



Thus, as Dr. Hamilton has already shown, the claims of both 

 Blasius and ISTehring regarding the differences above alluded to 

 between the Wild and Domestic Cats of Europe will not stand 

 the test of the examination of skulls and skins. 



It appears to me that much barren discussion on this subject 

 would have been saved by the realisation of the closeness of the 

 aflinity between the Egyptian and the European Wild Cats 



* ' Cats &c.' in Allen's Nat. Library, pp. 15rt & 157 (1896), by R. Lydekker. 

 t ' Mammals of S. Africa,' i. pp. 43-44 (1900), by W. L. Sclater. 

 X There is no reason to doubt that both these skulls belonged to pure-bred Wil 

 Cats ; this I can vouch for, since I have the skins. 



