THE SERVAL— THE WILD CAT 79 



of rather large elongated patches, enclosed in black borders, of a colour darker 

 than the general ground-tint, while the head and limbs have small solid black 

 spots. The bodily size of the animal also varies a good deal, from about a yard 

 in total length to nearly a foot longer. 



In one or other of its numerous varieties the Ocelot has a wide range, reaching 

 Arkansas in North America, and ranging south to Patagonia; but wherever it 

 is found it is an inhabitant of wooded country. Like the smaller Cats generally, 

 it preys on small beasts and on birds, and is credited with being very fierce. It 

 is, however, not uncommon in captivity, and appears to be fairly easy to tame, 

 though its temper is not by any means to be implicitly trusted. 



THE SERVAL 



(Felis serval) 



The Serval, which is found all over Africa, is another Cat of medium size, measur- 

 ing about four feet in length. It is peculiarly built, very slender, standing high 

 on its legs, with a rather short tail and decidedly large ears, the more noticeable 

 on account of the small size of the head. The coat is close and of a tawny colour, 

 marked with bold solid black spots. 



A form in which the spots are very numerous and small is distinguished as 

 the Servaline Cat (F sei-valina), but there seems to be no difference between this 

 and the type except these markings. The Serval frequents bushy country, and 

 feeds on game-birds and Antelope fawns ; it is a good runner, and seems to 

 approximate to the Cheetah — presently to be noticed — to some extent in its 

 hunting-habits, as it certainly does, very markedly, in colour and length of limb. 



It is not rare in captivity, and may become very tame ; in East Africa, in 

 1892, I got a kitten of this species which bade fair to make a very nice pet, but 

 unfortunately it died on the voyage home. One peculiar thing about it was that 

 it showed no desire to attack some guinea-fowls I also had on board, though these 

 form part of the natural prey of the species. It has been observed that an other- 

 wise tame Serval is roused to ferocity by the sight of a negro, just as the really 

 formidable Lion, Tiger, and Leopard sometimes are. 



THE WILD CAT 



(Feh's catus) 



It is, of course, out of the question here to go into the subject of all the various 

 species of small felines known as "Wild Cats," found almost all over the world 

 where Cats are found at all — i.e., except in Madagascar and the Australian region. 



