THE PEDIGREE OF THE CAT 189 
so that the tail of the domesticated breeds appears longer 
and more slender; but, on the whole, it seems that in 
domesticated cats the tail does differ to a certain extent in 
this respect from that of the pure-bred wild animal, although 
individuals of the domesticated breeds are sometimes met 
with which exhibit scarcely any difference in this respect 
from the wild cat. Obviously, then, the tail—on which so 
much stress has been laid—is not a matter of very much 
importance in the inquiry. With regard to the general 
coloration of the fur, although both the wild cat and a 
large number of individuals of the old European domesticated 
breed are what is commonly known as the “ tabby” type, 
the markings of pure-bred specimens of the former are 
stated to present certain differences from those of the latter, 
and are described as being more tiger-like. Then, too, the 
dark rings on the tail of the wild cat appear blackish 
brown when held against the light, whereas those of the 
domestic tabby are jetty black. 
Perhaps the most important point in which domesti- 
cated cats differ from the pure-bred wild cat, and thereby 
resemble the Egyptian cat, isin the coloration of the hind- 
foot. Dr. A. Nehring, of Berlin, who first brought the 
fact to notice, states that in the Egyptian animal the pads 
on the under-surface of the toes are black, this colour 
extending upwards on the foot as far as the heel-bone, the 
under-surface of this part of the limb being in some cases 
wholly black, but in others marked with black stripes 
on a lighter ground. On the other hand, the pure-bred 
wild cat has only a small black spot on the pads, while the 
colour of the fur on the under-surface of the foot as far 
up as the heel-bone is some shade of yellow or yellowish 
grey. Since all European domesticated cats—except, of 
course, those which are wholly black or white—agree with 
