Order CARNIVORA— FLESH-EATING MAMMALS 



Family FELIDiE. 

 Genus Felis. 



THE WILD CAT. 



Felis catus, Linnaeus. 

 Plate io. 



Fierce and bloodthirsty in disposition and possessed of great strength 

 and activity, this typical beast of prey is perfectly adapted by nature 

 for a life of rapine. 



The male, as a rule larger than the female, measures in length of head 

 and body about 2 feet, with the addition of another 12 or 14 inches 

 as the length of the tail. Millais mentions an exceptionally fine specimen 

 killed at Kinloch Moidart, Ross-shire, in October 1899, which measured 

 3 feet 10 inches from the nose to the tip of tail. 



Compared with the domestic cat, which it often resembles in colour 

 and markings, the true Wild Cat is much more muscular and robust, 

 and possesses a bushy unpointed tail. 



The ground colour of the long thick fur of the Wild Cat is in general a 

 tawny or russet grey, beautifully banded and marked with black, the tail 

 barred with the same colour, and the soles of the feet also black. 

 Parts of the chest and belly usually white. The markings on the female 

 are said to be less distinct. 



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