200 SIR HARRY H. JOHNSTON ON [Mar. 21 



which apparently can be derived froui one and the same district. 

 But for the assertions of the German authorities who have de- 

 scribed specimens of this cat from Togoland, one would be led t6 

 suppose that the reddish-grey form with very small and faint spots 

 on the upper parts and a somewhat small head was restricted to 

 Senegambia, Sierra Leone, and the northern parts of Liberia; 

 while the smoother, shorter-haired, larger-headed form, with very 

 distinct spots and a greyer coat, extended from Eastern Liberia to 

 the Niger Delta. (I am not aware that the existence of this cat 

 has yet been traced to the east of the Niger, but I expect it will 

 be found to extend to the limits of the Congo Basin.) But the 

 Germans assert that both varieties are found concurrently. It is 

 presumably called the Golden Cat because on the flanks, between 

 the white of the belly and the reddish-grey of the upper parts, are 

 bands of golden-yellow. This cat has a very savage disposition, 

 and the closer-haired, more distinctly spotted form grows nearly 

 to the size of a Caracal. The Serval is fairly common in the 

 interior of Liberia. The Leopard is everywhere common, and is 

 often much dreaded by the natives. The Lion appears to be 

 known in the Mandingo hill-country to the north of the forest. 

 The Spotted Hyaena is known to the Mandingos, though it is 

 never heard of in the forest-region. The Mandingos from the 

 interior of Liberia call the Hysena " Djawa " or " Djani." The two 

 words seem to exist side by side, and it is possible from the some- 

 what varying descriptions that both the Striped and Spotted forms 

 may be known in the northern part of Liberia on the verge of 

 the Niger Basin. The big Civet Cat is very abundant, so also are 

 the Genets and the Palm- Civet [N'andinicc hinotata). 



Amongst the Rodents I have noticed the African Brush-tailed 

 Porcupine {Atherivra africana) ; but Biittikofer also records the 

 Common Porcupine as being a Liberian mammal. Mr. Whyte 

 obtained specimens of tlie Graphiurus Dormouse {Gi^aphmrus 

 hueti), and also of Anomalurus beecroftii, the Scaly-tailed Flying 

 Squirrel. The Black Rat is present in Liberia, and the Brown 

 Rat has also reached that country, through the intercourse with 

 foreign ships no doubt. The otlaer Mice recoixled are Mus cdex- 

 andrimis, nigricauda, rufinvs, harharus, trivirgattts, dorsaUs, and 

 muscidoides. The Octodont " Ground Rat," Thryonomys, is 

 common. Most of the West- African Squirrels are represented, as 

 also the genera Cricetomys and Lojjhuroviys. 



The Elephant is fairly abundant all over the interior of Liberia 

 but has not within recent times approached nearer than about 

 twenty miles from the coast. Usually elephants are not met with 

 till a journey of about forty miles inland has been accomplished, 

 and then they are so abundant as to be very dangerous to caravans, 

 which they often attack without provocation. I have seen at 

 Monrovia tusks of fair size. The largest that was weighed in my 

 presence was 75 lbs. The ivory is rather curved as a rule and 

 fairly thick. I think it will be found as a rule that the elephant 

 of the densely forested regions in Africa has somewhat smaller 



