584 Great and Small Game of Africa 



handsomely banded with dark markings ; the under parts palish fawn. 

 The markings, like the colouring, vary a good deal in individual specimens 

 as well as in different districts. The tail is rather long, and partially 

 ringed with black or dark markings. The general appearance of this wild 

 cat may, perhaps, best be described as a handsome gray tabby. 



The body is strong and compact. The length of an average specimen, 

 from nose to tip of tail, is about 40 to 42 inches, of which the tail 

 measures some 1 5 inches. This wild cat has been referred to by various 

 travellers under different designations. Bruce, in his Abyssinian journeys, 

 speaks of the closely allied northern form described below as the booted 

 lynx ; and there has been much discussion among naturalists as to whether 

 this is a distinct animal, or merely a local form of the present one. The 

 skins of this cat make excellent karosses, and are much sought after by 

 natives. H. A. Brvden. 



The Jungle-Cat (Fe/is cluuts) 



Reed-cat of British Colonists ; Riet-kat of Cape Dutch 



The jungle-cat has a much wider distribution than the other small 

 Felidtz of Africa, and is found not only from South Africa to the north of 

 the continent, but from the Caspian and Persia to India, and as far east as 

 Burmah. It varies in colour from gray to yellowish with a tinge of 

 rufous. The fur is short, fine, and soft. Typical specimens are pale gray 

 in colour with an ochreous tinge, the under parts lighter ; in some specimens 

 the chest and belly are a golden rufous, faintly barred. The muzzle and 

 throat are pale fulvous. The upper markings vary a good deal. In some, 

 rufous lines or stripes are plainly apparent, crossing the body transversely ; 

 in others they are so faint as to be scarcely noticeable ; while in others, 

 again, they are completely absent. The limbs are sometimes found to be 

 well marked on the outer and inner parts with very dark brown or blackish 

 bars. The slender tail — about 10 inches in length — is marked with rings, 



