FBLIS 457 



FELIS SILVESTRIS Schreber. 



(Synonymy under subspecies.) 



Geographical distribution. — Central and southern Europe, 

 from Great Britain eastward into Asia Minor ; formerly occur- 

 ring everywhere throughout its range, but now restricted to the 

 wilder regions. 



Diagnosis. — Size slightly larger than in the domestic cat, Felis 

 cdtus Linnteus,'"' and form appearing more robust owing to the 

 somewhat greater depth of the fur ; tail rather more than half 

 as long as head and body, its width at middle about 70 mm., 

 abruptly, almost truncately, rounded at tip ; fur soft and full, 

 the hairs about 50 mm. long on sides, those along middle of back 

 about 10 mm. longer, but not noticeably different in texture ; 

 occiput and nape with four longitudinal black stripes ; two 

 short longitudinal black stripes on middle of shoulder ; a single 

 median black stripe from back of shoulder to base of tail ; sides 

 with two or more brownish cross stripes ; tail with black tip and 

 two to four complete or nearly complete black rings ; middle of 

 chest obscurely or not spotted ; ground colour of upper parts a 

 very pale cream-buff overlaid with whitish and slightly darkened 

 by the black annulations and tips of the longer hairs, the general 

 effect about smoke-grey. 



External characters. — General form essentially as in the 

 domestic cat, but appearing heavier on account of the longer 

 fur, a peculiarity especially noticeable in the tail. Fore foot with 

 thumb much shorter than other digits, but bearing a well 

 developed claw ; third and fourth digits sub-equal and longest 

 (the third slightly exceeding fourth), the second and third 

 successively shorter ; palm with obscurely trilobed, somewhat 

 heart-shaped pad at base of longer digits ; a rounded pad on ball 

 of each digit, that on thumb small and inconspicuous, and a 

 noticeable, subterete, almost horny excrescence near wrist ; 

 surface of all tubercles smooth ; surface of palm elsewhere 

 velvety-furred. Hind foot with digits and pads essentially as in 

 fore foot except for absence of both hallux with its pad and 

 posterior horny excrescence. 



Colour. — Underfur of back and sides a cream-buff distinctly 

 paler than that of Ridgway, the basal half of the hairs light 

 drab-grey. Longer hairs whitish from base to just below tips of 

 underfur, then blackish, followed by a whitish annulation about 

 7 mm. wide and a long black tip. The coincidence of the lower 

 dark area with the terminal portion of the under hairs makes 

 the latter appear at first sight brownish at tip. The general 

 effect of the ground colour is a buffy grey frosted with whitish. 

 This is very uniform throughout the head, back, sides and tail, 



* For use of this name in place of Felis domestica Auct. see Pocock, 

 Proc. Zool. Soc, London, 1907, p. 149, June 12, 1907. 



