The Serval c;8i 



antagonist, and many a fatal accident has happened from firing at this animal 

 with a shot gun. 1 p ERCY Rendall . 



The Serval (Felis serval) '- 

 Tijger-kat of the Cape Dutch ; Tali of Bechuanas 

 This very handsome cat is found all over Africa from north to south. 

 It varies greatly in size and coloration in different localities. Typical 

 specimens stand on an average from 1 8 to 20 inches in height. The general 

 colouring varies from bright yellowish -buff to reddish -orange, lined or 

 spotted with black or dark brown. The under parts are whitish-buff, black- 

 spotted. The back is darker along the centre and marked with longi- 

 tudinal lines, or stripes, while the shoulders have also one or two broadish 

 diagonal stripes. The rest of the body is handsomely spotted with black 

 or very dark brown, the tail being black-barred and fairly long ; throat 

 white, chest rich yellowish buff, forehead lined black, cheeks spotted ; the 

 outer portions of the ears, which are very long and upstanding, tipped and 

 banded with black. In certain parts of Africa some specimens are striped 

 instead of spotted on the upper parts of the sides. The skull is long and 

 narrow. The serval stands high off the ground, and has, in the flesh, a 

 somewhat leggy appearance. It is, none the less, a very handsome wild 

 cat. The fur is long and beautifully soft, and the splendid skins of these 

 animals are greatly sought after by native chiefs for the purpose of making 

 cloaks and karosses. The serval is a bush-loving species, found usually not 

 far from permanent water. It preys chiefly on feathered game, small 

 mammals, such as mice and hares, and occasionally the young of small 



1 On the other hand a charge of buckshot is very effective at close quarters. In the year 1890, the 

 late Mr. F. Lochncr, while camped near the Zambesi with Mr. Broadwood, shot a leopard dead with a 

 charge of No. 5 shot. The beast was prowling round the camp and actually came close up to the fire- 

 light and clawed at a piece of meat hanging in a tree. Mr. Lochncr saw it, snatched up a shot gun, and, 

 firing at the leopard's throat, within a few feet, killed it dead on the spot.— En. 



- The Togo serval {Felis togoemis), found in Togoland, the German settlement on the Guinea 

 coast, is, apparently, merely a local variety. 



