660 MR. R. I. PococK ON SOME AFRICAN CATS [June 18, 



occurrence of the change is fully confirmed ; but whether it is 

 seasonal or not still remains unknown. It is, however, possible 

 that the new coat is always red, and fades to grey before being- 

 replaced at the end of the year. 



The above mentioned facts prove conclusively that the "colour" 

 cannot be used as a basis for splitting Felis aurata into two or 

 more local races ; since the red and the grey phases may succeed 

 one another in the life of the individual; and red and grey 

 individuals occur side by side in the same localities. On the other 

 hand, the material available for examination seems to justify the 

 provisional recognition of two subspecific forms distinguishable by 

 " pattern," that is, by the size and distribution of their spots. 

 These may be defined as follows : — 



a. F. aurata celidogaster { = chalyheata-\-neglecta). 



Primitive form ; red or grey in colour, but spotted or 

 striped on the crown of the head, the neck, and the median 

 area of the back ; the spots on the sides of the body distinct, 

 of comparatively large size and comparatively few in number. 

 Tail distinctly or^indistinctly banded. — Sierra Leone, Liberia, 

 Ashanti, Cajje Coast Castle, Accra. 



b. F. aurata aurata { = chysothrix-\-rutila -\- cottoni). 



Derivative form ; red or grey in colour, with the pattern 

 evanescent on the head, neck, and dorsal area of the body, 

 but generally retained on the sides as small, numerous, 

 close-set spots ; tail not or only indistinctly banded. — Sierra 

 Leone, Mandingo Country, ? Liberia, " hinterland von 

 Bismarckburg " *, Cameroons, Benito River ; and the French 

 Congo t eastwards to the Ituri forest. 



It must be freely conceded, however, that the arguments in 

 favour of the subspecific distinctness of F. a. aurata and F. a. celido- 

 gaster on the characters I have indicated are somewhat weakened 

 by the recorded occurrence of both forms in Sierra Leone and 

 possibly in Liberia. 



Of the specimens of this Cat obtained by Sir Harry Johnston 

 in Liberia ('Liberia,' vol. ii. 1906), those represented on the plate 

 and by the right-hand photograph on p. 703, evidently belong to 

 the large-spotted or F. a. celidogaster-ioYm.. Regarding the other 

 I am a little in doubt. But it appears to belong rather to the 

 F. a. aurata-iorm. The two flat skins, obviously native-prepared, 

 are said to have come from the same locality. Sir Harry Johnston 

 repeats Matschie's statement that the grey form is larger than the 

 red. lean find no evidence of any value bearing upon this point. 

 Indeed, of the two skins photographed in Sir Harry Johnston's 

 book, the one of the red type is longer than the other measured 

 frora the root of the tail to the fore part of the shoulder. 



* Karscli, Mittli. deutsch. Scliutz. vi. pt. 3, p. 10 (1893). 



t Pousargues describes two skins of this type obtained from natives of the Sanga 

 and of the countrj' of the Eschivas (Ann. Sci". Nat. [8] iii. p. 322, 1896). 



