ORDER CARNASSIER. 485 



vered with black spots, forming longitudinal bands. Other 

 similar spots descend down the shoulders perpendicular to 

 the preceding, On the thighs and part of the flanks are 

 black rings, open, with the centres gray, and upon the legs 

 are black full spots. The yellowish-gray and the black of 

 the tail form some dusky rings. 



Mr. Burchel, in the second volume of his travels in Africa, 

 describes, from at least fourteen skins he met with, a species 

 of South African Cat, in size not larger than the common 

 domestic species. The general colour is tawny, fainter on 

 the under parts, but entirely covered with black spots, 

 rather long than round, neither annulated nor ocellated. A 

 few of the spots on the back of the neck are sometimes 

 elongated into stripes, while those on the fore-part of the 

 shoulder join and form very black transverse stripes or 

 irregular bands, of which several surround both the fore 

 and the hind legs. In some older individuals the upper spots 

 seem faded nearly to a brown. All these marks on the 

 lower part of the body are extremely black ; and the under 

 parts of the feet are the same, whence Mr. Burchel appears 

 to have named the species, F. Ni gripes. 



The tail is of the same colour as the back, and confusedly 

 spotted, at least, to four inches from its base ; but it was 

 in no part annulated. 



The top of the head is of a darker colour than the body. 

 The ears ovate, obtuse, and of an uniform grizzled dark 

 brown covered with very short close hairs, the anterior edge 

 being furnished with upright white hairs as long as the ear 

 itself. The hair over the eyes is whiter ; the cheeks are of 

 the same colour as the sides ; and the whiskers are white. 



This, though not bigger than the Common Cat, may per- 

 haps be placed in the little group of Servals ; but as the 

 length of its tail is not ascertained, its proper place in the 

 genus must remain doubtful. 

 ' We have seen that the Baron, in a note on the text 



