26 WE'LIDM. 



Mr. Ogilby, and myself, all diifer from the one from Giiinea de- 

 scribed by M. Temminck. My Felis neglecta agrees with F. ceh- 

 dogaster in many particulars ; bat the spots are much smaller than 

 M. Temminck describes, they are by no means of a chocolate or 

 bright brown colour, and the tail is not ringed. These are just 

 the characters by which the three skins in the British Mxiseum are 

 distinguished from each other. It is most probable that the F. 

 eelidogaster ot Guinea is distinct from the Cats from the Gambia 

 and Sierra Leone which are in the Museum. AH the three, and, 

 indeed, very many other Spotted Cats, have the belly distinctly 

 spotted and the throat with a half collar ; so that the name F. celido- 

 ffoster would be equally applicable to any of them. — Gray, P. Z. S. 

 1867, p. 394. 



ttttt Smatt-aized spotted Asiatic Cats. Tiger Cats. 



The smaller Spotted Cats of the warmer parts of Asia have all 

 been regarded as one species by Mr. Blyth, following ia the wake of 

 Temminck ; but it is to be observed that the latter naturalist only 

 had the specimens from Java and Sumatra to examine. Perhaps if 

 he had had in his museum specimens from Nepal, Bhootan, China, 

 and the various districts of continental India, he would not have 

 regarded them as belonging to the same species, as he did those 

 from Java and Sumatra. They, no doubt, are very similar, and we 

 know that the Spotted Cats, as the Leopard, the Jaguar, the Ocelots, 

 and the Kuichua of Brazil are very variable;, but then in a large 

 series of these specimens the varieties pass into each other, and the 

 countries where the different varieties come from are contiguous, 

 and different varieties come from the same locality. Now that is 

 not the case with the small Spotted Gats of India ; and until we 

 have a series sufficiently large to show how the species do pass into 

 each other, I think it is safer to regard them as valid. 



Of the small-sized Spotted Asiatic Cats, which have an ovate 

 skull and incomplete orbits, there are several specimens in the Mu- 

 seum which appear to be worthy of being noticed either as species 

 or well-marked varieties. They all have two well-marked streaks 

 on each cheek ; and there is a pale or white streak up each side of 

 the forehead, and one between the cheek-streaks. 



To this group belong Felis sumatrana and Felis javanensis of 

 Horsfleld, Zool. Java ; Felis nepalensis, Vigors and Horslield, Zool. 

 Journ. iv. t. 39 ; and Felis oMnensis, Gray, Mag. N. H. 1837, from 

 China, and some others undescribed. 



19. Felis minuta. B.M. 



Felis minuta (part.), Temm. ; Oray, P. Z. 8. 1867, pp. 273 400. 

 Felis undata (part.), Fischer. ' 



Felis sumatrana, Sorsfkld, Z. Java, t. 



Hah. Sumatra. 



20. Felis javanensis. B.M. 



Felis javanensis, Horsfleld, Zool. Jana, t. ?; Gray, P. Z. S. 1807 



pp. 274, 400. • ' ' 



