The Kaffir Cat 583 



three distinct varieties. The general colouring of the upper parts of the 

 coat is rufous, faintly spotted with a darker red on the sides. The spots 

 are smallish. The throat and breast are whitish, often edged with a rich 

 golden colour and handsomely decorated at the sides with rich, tiger-like 

 markings. The whitish under parts — sometimes also of a lovely golden 

 tint — are spotted blackish-brown. 



A somewhat lighter variety of this tiger cat has been called by 

 Temminck F. celidogaster— the gray tiger cat. This is, apparently, only a 

 local variation of the above species (F. chrysothrix), which shows wide 

 differences of coloration in different localities of West Africa. Another 

 form exhibits a splendid golden-red colour, thickly marked with chestnut. 



This fine cat measures from 36 to 38 inches in length, from nose to tip 

 or tail. It is a bush-loving species, shy, and nocturnal, and very little 

 known to the European sportsman. H. A. Bryden. 



The Kaffir Cat {Felts caffrd) 



Wilde Kat of the Cape Dutch ; Phage of Bechuanas 



The Kaffir cat has a wide range throughout Africa in districts suit- 

 able to its wants and likings. In Pleistocene times, according to Mr. 

 D. G. Elliot, a well-known authority on the FeliJie, it had a yet broader 

 range and was foifnd in France, Belgium and Britain. This cat is well 

 known in South Africa, and, up country, is heartily hated by natives and 

 settlers for its assaults on poultry, game birds, wild guinea-fowl, and other 

 small game. Like others of the wild cat tribe, it varies a good deal in 

 coloration, its coat ranging from dark gray or tabby colour to fulvous. 

 The typical Kaffir cat may, however, be described as a rich darkish gray, 

 striped with black or dark markings, which become broader and more 

 defined on the quarters and legs. Fore-legs blotched and partially ringed. 

 The nose and upper parts of the cheeks fulvous ; throat a rich creamy tint, 



