304 



MR. R. I. roCOCK ON RALLAS S CAT. 



Text-fie- 88. 



[Apr. 9, 



Skull oi Felis manul, viewed from above. Nat. size. 



cold latitudes, where lying or sleeping in the snow is possibly not 

 an uncommon occurrence. In that case the hairs would act as a 

 protection against chill to the delicate internal organs, especially 

 the intestinal poition of the alimentaiy canal *. 



The skull of F. mcmid has been described briefly by Milne- 

 Edwards f and Blanford J, and more in detail bySatunin, who gives 

 measurements of thiee examples. The skull of the specimen that 

 lived in the Gardens (text-figs. 88, 89) does not apparently differ 

 greatly from these. The chief peculiaiities of the skull may be 

 shown by comparing it with skulls of Felis sylvestris and Felis 

 ocreata, since F. manul is, in my opinion, an aberrant form of 

 the group exemplified by these two species. 



* The ventral development of the hair in the Yak {Bos gninniens), also a denizen 

 of cold countries, is a parallel case. The size of the tuft of hair at the end of the 

 tail in this animal perhaps acts as a protection against frost-bite of a part of an organ 

 where the circulation is weakest. 



t Kech. Mannn p. 226. + JFamm. Brit. India, p. 83. 



