88 CHARACTERS OF VERTEBRATE ANIMALS 



example, the African Leopard {Felis leopardus) and the Asiatic 

 Panther [Felis panthera), which closely resemble one another. 

 Various small felines are native to Asia and Africa, one of them, 

 the Fallow Cat {Felis maniculatd), being probably the form from 

 which the domestic animal is descended. It was venerated and 

 embalmed by the ancient Egyptians, and its present range includes 

 North-east Africa and part of South-west Asia. An European 

 species, the Wild Cat par excellence [Felis catus), is probably 

 native to Britain but is now practically limited to the more 

 remote parts of Scotland. 



All the true felines so far mentioned belong to the New World, 

 but forms of similar kind are also found on the American conti- 

 nent. Of these the Jaguar {Felis onca), resembling a large 

 leopard in its characters, is distributed through the whole of 

 South America to the southern part of North America, while the 

 Puma [Felis concolor), a much less dangerous form, ranges from 

 Canada to Patagonia. There are also smaller species, e.g. the 

 Pampas Cat [Felis pajeros), which is a native of Patagonia, and 

 is not unlike the European Wild Cat. 



(2) Lynxes (genus Lynx) have longer legs than the true 

 felines, and a smaller number of teeth, indeed their dentition is 

 more specialized than in any other carnivorous genus. They are 

 further distinguished by tufts of hair on the tips of the ears and 

 by the shortness of the tail. Most of them are restricted to the 

 northern hemisphere. There are two European species, of which 

 the smaller, the Spanish Lynx [L. pardinus) is only found in the 

 Peninsula, while the Polar Lynx [L. vulgaris) is now chiefly found 

 in Scandinavia and Russia (fig. 56). 



(3) The third genus (Cynailurus) of the Felidae includes the 

 Hunting Leopards, which look something like ordinary leopards, 

 but have slender limbs and non-retractile claws. Their range 

 includes Africa and South-west Asia, and the best-known form 

 is the Cheetah [C. jubatus) of the latter region, which is trained 

 for hunting purposes. 



A ferocious cat-like animal, the Foussa [Cryptoprocta ferox), 

 found only in Madagascar, and sometimes considered as consti- 

 tuting a distinct family, may be mentioned here as a form 

 intermediate in some respects between the present family and the 

 one next to be described. 



2. The Viverrines (Viverridae) are small carnivores represented 



