194 MOSTLY MAMMALS 
wild, and one such has been described as a distinct 
species. 
With regard to the fulvous domesticated Indian breed, 
in which the fur of the body is uniform tawny, the legs 
barred, and the tail ringed, it seems probable that this too 
was originally descended from the desert-cat, but that it 
has derived its uniform coloration from the jungle-cat 
(F. chaus), which, as already said, is related to the lynxes. 
That it is not the direct descendant of that species seems 
evident from the different relative lengths of its tail and 
limbs, and the absence of pencils of hair on the ears. 
I have already said that in the opinion of Prof. 
Martorelli the jungle-cat and steppe-cat are descendants 
of the Egyptian cat; and as the desert-cat and steppe-cat 
are closely allied, it follows that, if his views be correct, 
all the Indian domesticated cats trace their ultimate origin 
to the Egyptian cat. . 
Nothing definite is known as to the origin of the beau- 
tiful Siamese cat, but it seems possible that it may be 
the descendant of the golden or bay cat (F. temminckt) of 
the Malay countries, which is a uniformly coloured bright 
ferruginous-red or dark-brown species, with a relatively 
short tail. 
There is likewise no certain information with regard to 
the pedigree of the Persian or Angora cat. The deserts 
of Central Asia are, however, the home of a very peculiar 
species of the genus Fe/is, which was first described by the 
Russian naturalist Pallas, under the name of F. manul, and 
is popularly known as Pallas’s cat. This species, which is 
about the size of an average domesticated cat, differs from 
all other wild Old World members of the genus by the 
great length and softness of its fur. Its general colour is 
pale whitish grey, with some narrow dark markings on the 
