Quadrupeds. 2721 



building a royal cell; in this instance at the margin of the comb, contrary to their 

 usual custom when raising an artificial queen. A grub was removed from one of the 

 cells, placed in the royal cell, and assiduously nursed for the usual period, about 

 thirteen days from the hatching of the egg. This is now one of my most prosperous 

 hives, and, never having swarmed, this artificial queen is in all probability the pre- 

 sent sovereign of the hive. The weather was, at the time of giving them the comb, 

 cold, and other glasses were in consequence deserted by the bees ; but in this instance 

 they clustered on the comb, and kept up the necessary temperature for the maturing 

 of the young queen. She emerged from the cell on the 13th of August. — George 

 Fox ; Kingsbridge, 2 mo. 5, 1850. 





Some Remarks on Wild Cats shot in England. — I have at present in my possession 

 a skin of the wild cat, Felis catus of Linneus, I believe, which was got in Wales, and 

 is I think very different from the Felis maniculata, one of which is now in the course 

 of preservation by Mr. Gornal, of this town, for R. A. D. Gresley, Esq. : it was shot 

 in the park at Auckland Castle, and is a fine large animal, but in contour very unlike 

 the other, having — if I maybe allowed the comparison — the appearance of the cheetah 

 as compared with the tiger ; for the Felis catus appears from the skin to have been a 

 much more powerful animal ; the leg very stout, neck thick and head very large, while 

 the tail assumes almost the appearance of a fox brush. The markings of the two 

 animals are also very different, the one shot here being of a uniform gray, with very 

 distinct black markings almost equal to a tiger ; while the colour of the other is a ru- 

 fous gray, with the markings on the side and legs broken and undefined, giving the 

 whole a cloudy mixed appearance ; from the muzzle to the eyes a fawn colour ; from 

 the eyes, passing between the ears, are six well-defined black lines, which, after 

 passing the ears, merge into four along the neck, but before reaching the shoulder are 

 lost ; the mark along the back is often broken, as are also the rings on the tail, except 

 the three near the end, which are well defined ; tail end black. The following are 

 the admeasurements of the Felis catus, and, as the skin is dry and never has been 

 stuffed, are within its natural size. 



ft. in. 



Length from snout to the insertion of tail 2 8 



Length of tail 1 H 



Across the neck „ 11 



Across the chest behind fore legs 1 3 



Across the loins 1 4 



Length of fore leg to the middle of the skin 1 3£ 



Height of hind leg do. do 1 5 



Length of canine teeth „ 0§ 



The length of Felis maniculata (inclusive of tail, which is 1 ft. 3£ in.) is 3 ft. 1 in. ; 

 the height 1 ft. OJ in. I think Charles St. John, Esq., considers them as two distinct 

 species. — Joseph Duff"; Bishop's Auckland, Janxuvry 6, 1850. 



[I am much puzzled by this communication. May I inquire whether my cor- 

 respondent considers we have two species of Felis wild in Britain ? I have never 



