CRANIUM AND BONES OF SKULL. 59 



No. 1 appears to be similar to the skull of F. chaus, 

 and No. 2 to that of F. inaniculata and somewhat 

 like that of F. domestica. 



In two examples of well-authenticated hybrids 

 (more properly mongrels) between the ^^'ild Cat and 

 the Domestic Cat, the form of the skull was short and 

 broad ; the cranium round and bulging ; the frontal 

 bones broad and flat ; the external bones of the 

 skull somewhat thin ; the sagittal ridge very short. 

 See Fig. 17. 



The basal length 77 mm. in both. 



Breadth over parietals... 48 mm. 



In the skulls of Pleistocene Cats found in the 

 caverns of Engis, in the province of Liege, the 

 basal length ranges from 68 to 77 mm., and the 

 breadth from 39 to 42 mm. The sagittal ridge 

 was present in all more or less, ranging from 12 to 

 23 mm. (See figs. 9 and 10.) 



The Nasal Bojs-es. 



Blasius, in his description of the Wild Cat, states 

 that the nasal bones extend further into the frontal 

 bones than is the case in the Domestic Cat. This, 

 however, is not at all persistent, and cannot be taken 

 as a specific character. Out of ten examples of the 

 Wild Cat, in six the nasal bones extended into the 

 frontal bones beyond the insertion of the nasal process 

 of the upper maxilla, in two they were on the same 

 level, and in two below; and out of ten examples of 

 the Domestic Cat, five extended beyond, three were 

 level, and two below. 



Blasius also makes a distinction between the two 

 races in respect of the frontal bones ; in the Wild 



