CRANIUM AND BONES OF SKULL. 47 



THE FORM OF CRANIUM AND OTHER BONES 

 OF THE SKULL. 



Vaeiation in the form of the skull of the European 

 Wild Cat is very perceptible when examining a 

 number of examples. 



In some (1) the skulls are long and narrow ; the 

 cranium is compressed and elongated ; the frontal 

 bones are narrow and depressed, concave in the 

 centre and flat ; the occipital ridge jagged and thick ; 

 the sagittal (parietal) ridge well rnarked, extending 

 sometimes as far as the coronal suture, generally 

 a little more than halfway. The external bones of 

 the skull are firmly welded together and dense. 

 See fig., 13. 



The hasal length ranges from 85 to 91 mm. 



The breadth over the parietal bones 44 to 47 mm.* 



In others (2) the skulls are shorter and broader ; 

 the cranium round and bulging ; the frontal bones 

 broad, convex, or flat ; the occipital ridge thin and 

 less jagged ; the sagittal ridge short or absent ; the 

 bones of the external portion of the skull thinner. 

 See fig. 14. 



The basal length from 78 to 84 mm. 



The breadth over the parietal bones 47 to 53 mm. 



In seven examples of African Cats labelled F. cali- 

 gata and F. maniculata the skulls were short and 



* The measurements were taken by compass : the basal length 

 from the insertion of the incisors in the upper jaw to the anterior 

 edge of the foramen magnum ; the breadth from the posterior inser- 

 tion of the Z)'gomatic process to the opposite side. 



