] 842 . J Notice of the Mammals of Tibet. 277 



postcally deep rusty : whole chest and front of neck and part of belly 

 confluently sooty black, terminating forward near the ears hornwise 

 or crescentwise : on the crown of the head several series of black dots 

 disposed more or less linearly and lengthwise. On the cheeks from 

 eyes to articulation of jaws two sub-parallel zigzag lines of jet black, 

 five to seven straighter lines and less deep in hue laid transversly across 

 the lower back, and blending gradually with the caudal rings, which 

 are, including the small black, tip of the tail, about nine in number. 

 These rings of the tail are narrow, with large intervals diminishing 

 towards its tip, as the interstices of the dorsal bars do towards the tail's 

 base. The caudal rings are perfect all round, save the two basal ones 

 that are deficient below, whilst the two apical ones, on the contrary, are 

 rather wider below and nearly or quite connected there ; rings and tip of 

 the tail black outside the arms and thighs two or three transverse 

 black bars more or less freckled with the grey hairs of the body. Ears 

 outside grey like the back, but paler : Ears small and much rounded : 

 tail medial, thick and cylindric : mystaceal and other bristles, some 

 black, mostly rufescent hoary : outer fur or longer piles quadrannulate 

 from the base with hoary, blackish, pale rufous and black ; but on the 

 lower surface of the animal these piles are biannulate only with dusky 

 at base, and the rest rufescent hoary, except on the large pectoral dark 

 mark, throughout which the shorter piles are wholly dark, and the 

 longer the same, save at their mere bases : Inner fur, above or generally, 

 slaty black towards the roots; pale rusty towards the tips. Sexes 

 alike, female less in size : Length from snout to vent 22 to 24 inches, 

 mean height 11 to 12, length of tail 10 to 11. 



Remark. — Possess three specimens, the youngest shewing the marks 

 most clearly, which in the others are grizzled with hoary ; in one speci- 

 men the tail appears thin, and shews the rings very glaringly, owing to 

 the outer or longer piles being wanting. Found in the wild state ge- 

 nerally throughout Tibet, where all cat skins, tame and wild, are much 

 prized for lining dresses, and the animals for food by the Chinese locat- 

 ed there.* 



* There is a Felis inconspicua, Gray, suspected to be from Nipal, and described in 

 Mag. Nat. Hist., N. S., I, 577. " Grizzle-grey, black and white, slightly varied 

 with brownish streaks and waves; beneath white. Back of ears, large spots and 

 cross-bands on the throat, belly, and outside of the legs, black Two obscure streaks 

 on the cheeks, yellowish, tail elongates cylindrical, grizzled, soles grilled 



, 



