60 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



a whitish or nearly white muzzle, white feet, and by a tendency to bear a 

 white patch oil the breast. Further investigation may show that the 

 singular concomitants to melanism, in the case of the Wolf and the Rat, 

 are perhaps more general, and not confined to these species. [So-called 

 *' black cats" are hardly ever entirely black ; there is almost always a white 

 foot or a white spot on the chest.— Ed.] We should like to take this 

 opportunity of modifying a statement in our paper in the last number of 

 ' The Zoologist,' which escaped attention when bringing our report down to 

 date. The words " several naturalists " (p. 1) should have been " British 

 naturalists"; for since that statement was penned we became aware that 

 Blasius, in 1857 ('Fauna der Wirbelthiere Deutschlands : Saugethiere,' 

 p. 815), and De LTsle, in 1865 (Ann. Sci. Nat. iv. Zoologie, p. 189), had 

 expressed the opinion that Mus hibernicus was only a variety or race of M. 

 decwnanus. We did not, however, think it necessary to allude to this in our 

 report, for our object there was to make known facts based upon the 

 examination of specimens, and not to quote mere opinions founded upon a 

 perusal of Thompson's original description. — W. Eagle Clarke & Gerald 

 E. H. Barrett-Hamilton. 



Reported Wild Cat in Shetland. — As there are no real Wild Cats 

 in Shetland, the animal reported (Zool. 1890, p. 454) was doubtless a 

 descendant of the ordinary domestic animal — cats which have run wild, 

 and are to be found in several of the Shetland Islands, haunting the steep 

 cliffs where rabbits abound, and living upon these. The father of the 

 Mr. Laurenson who shot the animal, and is mentioned in the report referred 

 to, in a letter to me describing an eyrie of the White-tailed Eagle, alludes 

 to the abundance of these so-called Wild Cats near the site of the eyrie. 

 The shooter, Mr. J. G. Laurenson, states that he can find no difference, 

 except in size, between the cat referred to and a domestic animal. In 

 colour it is said to resemble a leopard, but with white paws. From its 

 teeth, it was evidently an old animal. — Harold Raeburn (The Elms, 

 Eastern Road, Romford). 



Leaping powers of the Irish Hare (Lepus variabilis).— In ' The 

 Zoologist' for 1888 (p. 259) there is an interesting note, by Dr. R. W. 

 Shufeldt, on the leaping powers of two species of American Hares, Lepus 

 callotis and L. sylvaticus, to which is appended an editorial request for 

 details of similar experiments with English and Scotch Hares. Bearing 

 this in mind, I made a few experiments here during the recent frost with 

 some Irish Hares. On Dec. 28th I was standing near a fir tree close to 

 the lawn at Kilmanock, when a Hare passed by me across the lawn. 

 I immediately shouted loudly, and sent a little Dachshund, which happened 

 to be with me at the time, in pursuit. The uproar caused by our united 

 efforts had the effect of making the Hare go away at a great pace. T then 



