ORDER CARNASSIER. 427 



Si 



A very prevailing, if not a generic character, distinguishes 

 a large proportion of the Felinae, — which is, a white spot on 

 the back of the ears. Those that are uniform in colour, as 

 the Lion, the Puma, and the black species, as well as the 

 common varieties of the domestic Cat, seem to be without 

 it ; but it is certainly to be found in the Tiger, Panther, 

 Jaguar, Ounce, Hunting Leopards, Ocelots, Lynxes, and 

 several others. In the spotted species, a black bar across 

 the chest seems equally prevalent. 



It might well be presumed, that the natural history of 

 a genus of animals playing so conspicuous a part on the 

 theatre of life as the Felinae, would be by this time clearly 

 known, and the species accurately defined ; but such a con- 

 clusion would be very wide of truth. The Baron Cuvier 

 commences his learned observations on the species of the 

 Cats, to be found in the fourth volume of his Fossil Oste- 

 ology, from which we shall extract largely in the present 

 essay, by observing " that the large Carnivora with retrac- 

 tile claws, and spotted fur, have been for a long time the 

 torment of naturalists, by the difficulty in distinguishing 

 with precision their several species." Some of the species 

 are certainly sufficiently notorious, as the Lion, the Tiger, 

 fyc. ; others are known to zoologists, principally by specific 

 descriptions, which sometimes seems to agree, and some- 

 times to vary, as different types successively come to light, 

 as the Panther, Leopard, the little group of Ocelots, Servals, 

 fyc. ; and many more, hitherto hidden from the eye of critical 

 examination, exist to the scientific world, at least, only in 

 the pages of voyages and travels : these, though named and 

 described, are properly mere candidates for insertion in 

 systematic catalogues, rather than recognised species. Such, 

 however, according to our plan, will be noticed either here 

 or in the table, with the exception only of those that are 

 clearly negatived ; and as the authorities for their insertion 

 will be given with them, the reader will sit in judgment 

 Vol, II. 2 G 



