RELATIONSHIP WITH FEUS DOMESTIC A. 77 



THE RELATIONSHIP OF FELIS GATUS 

 WITH FELIS DOMESTICA. 



Many of the earlier writers on the Wild Cat, as 

 Buffon, Pennant, Bingley, Cuvier, Church, Shaw, 

 Donovan, Stark, and Owen, consider that Felis catus 

 is the ancestor of the Domestic Cat of Europe ; on the 

 other hand, Temminck, Cretzschmar, Sir W. Jardine, 

 Isidore Geoffroy St.-Hilaire, and others consider that 

 the Egyptian Cat described by Eiippell {Felis manicu- 

 lata *) is the original founder of our Domestic race ; 

 whilst Pallas, Blyth, and others believe that the 

 Domestic Cat is the descendant of several species 

 commingled together. 



Buffon ('Histoire Naturelle,' vol. vi. 1756) says: — 

 "Le Chat sauvage represente la race originaire des 

 Chats domestiques ; ils lui ressemblent tous par- 

 faitement par les principaux caracteres de la figure 

 exterieure et de la conformation interieure, et ils n'en 

 different que par des varietes ou des caracteres qui ne 

 sont ni essentiels ni par consequent propres a con- 

 stituer une autre espece." Pennant (' History of 

 Quadrupeds,' 1781) says: — "This animal (the Wild 

 Cat) does not differ specifically from the Tame Cat, 

 the latter being originally of the same kind but 

 altered in colour and in some other trifiing accidents 

 as are common to animals reclaimed from the woods 

 and domesticated." 



* Some confusion appears to exist as to the different scientific 

 names of the Egyptian Cats. Gray in Cat. Brit. Mus. gives Fdis 

 ealigata as the Egyptian Cat. Temminck gives Felis maniculaia or 

 Felis gcinte as the Gloved Cat, and Felis caffra as the Caifor Cat. 

 Felis maniculata is considered to he the same as Riippell's Cat. 



