72 THE WILD CAT OF EUROPE. 



3. Felis domestica (Egyptian var.) S . 



centim. ft. in. lin. 

 Length of small intestine . . 161 '0 = 537 



„ large intestine . . 27"4 = 10 10 



188-4 6 2 5 

 Length of body including the 



tail 2 3 6 



The entire length of the intestinal canal of four examples 

 of the European Wild Cat from different districts measured : 



5 feet ; 4 feet 6 inches ; 4 feet 1 inch ; and 3 feet 2 inches. 

 The entire length of the intestinal canal of two examples 



of the European Domestic Cat measured 6 feet 5 inches and 



6 feet 7 inches. 



In Felis chaus the length of the intestinal canal is 

 much shorter than in the Egyptian Domestic Cat, 

 and is somewhat longer than in Felis catus. 



In the Egyptian Domestic Cat the length approxi- 

 mates to that of the intestinal canal of the Domestic 

 Cat of Europe. 



The length of the large intestine (colon) in the 

 Egyptian Wild Cat {Felis chaus) is longer than in 

 the Egyptian Domestic Cat, whilst in the European 

 Cats it is the reverse. 



Daubenton did not consider that this change had 

 been produced solely by the abundance or quality of 

 the food, but attributed it to other circumstances 

 which the Cat finds in a state of domestication, and 

 regarded it as " une alteration de I'espece qui a plus 

 degenere dans les parties interieures du Chat domes- 

 tique que dans la figure exterieure du corps." 



Darwin (' Animals and Plants under Domestication,' 

 vol. ii. p. 293) considers the increased length of the 

 intestines in the Domestic Cat is due to the food 

 being less strictly carnivorous than in any wild feline 



