444 Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [No. 5. 



V. bengalensis is equally abundant at all times of the year. I also 

 learn that V. leucopus is plentiful on the line of march from Ludiana to 

 Ferozepore ; and in Cutch there would seem to be no other. Yet so 

 common and widely distributed a species has only been quite recently 



tame Cat, one or another predominating in different countries ; as F. sylvestbis 

 in Europe, F. maniculata perhaps in N. E. Africa, and besides the two pre- 

 sumed types above mentioned, F. chaus, F. ornata, and F. rubiginosa have 

 been known to interbreed with domestic Cats in this country : probably also F. 

 manul in middle Asia, F. planiceps in the Malay countries, and F. cafra in 

 S. Africa! Indeed, I find that examples of the hybrid from F. cafra are in the 

 British Museum. 



Mr. Hodgson, in the 1st Volume of the Society's.Journal (p. 341), observes, of 

 the domestic Cat in Nipal, that — "judging from its markings, I should conjecture 

 that it is derived from the Felis nipalensis" i. e. F. bengalensis; "if so, it 

 has lost by domestication the fine ground-colour of that beautiful species." Now 

 Pennant's original description of the F. bengalensis was drawn up from a speci- 

 men which was taken alive to England, where " it coupled with the female Cats, 

 which twice produced young : I saw," remarks Pennant, u one of the offspring, 

 which was marked in the same manner as the male parent ; but the ground-colour 

 was cinereous." Such a hybrid or hybrid-race I believe to be represented by the 

 F. nipalensis of Vigors, described in the ' Zoological Journal,' probably from a 

 Nipalese domestic Cat ; and perhaps by other of the very numerous synonymes 

 which may be referred to F. bengalensis. 



The F. maniculata is stated by de Blainville to have the first deciduous inferior 

 molar broader than in the European Cat, tame or wild, and attached to the socket 

 by three roots or fangs ; an extraordinary peculiarity throughout the genus ! 



In the Indian tame Cats of either type, it has two fangs only, as usual ; and all 

 the teeth are much smaller than in the European wild Cat (F. sylvestris). I 

 believe the latter to have contributed to the formation of the tame race of Britain, 

 but not to be the sole origin of the latter. But however this may be, nobody will 

 suspect that F. sylvestris is a wild type to which the tame Cats of India can be 

 referred in any degree ! Then whence the origin of the latter ? It would appear 

 that several wild species intermingle with them even now ; as does F. sylvestris 

 with the tame Cats of the Scottish Highlands. Thus Sir W. Jardine, while sup- 

 posing the domestic Cat to have derived from F. maniculata, remarks — li We 

 have no doubt that since its introduction to this country, and more particularly to 

 the north of Scotland, there has been occasional crossing with our own native 

 species, and that the result of these crosses have been kept in our houses. We 

 have seen many Cats very closely resembling the wild Cat, and one or two that 

 were very tame, which could scarcely be distinguished from it." But such are 

 never seen in the southern parts of England, where we may look in vain for the 

 peculiar bold wavy streaks arid the thick untapering tail of F. sylvestris. Still, 



