ScuARFb' — Fan ucr Occurrence of Af ricau Wild Cat in Irchind. 5 



The distances from tlic anterior cdgo of tlio socket whicli contained 

 tlio canine tooth to the posterior edge of the caruassial tooth-socket 

 were, likewise, measured ; also from the latter to the anterior edge 

 of tlie first premolar socket, so as to be able to compare the size of the 

 caruassial with the length of the jaw. I also indicate the length of 

 the upper caruassial, measured along its outer edge. The lower 

 caruassial tootli (Plate I., fig. 1) forms a particularly suitable object 

 for discriminating the various species of cats from one another ; and as 

 the lower jaws, aud with them that tooth, are frequently preserved in 

 caves, we possess ample material for comparison, and are thus able to 

 trace the range of the species in past times. It will be noticed from 

 the above table that the length of the lower caruassial in the majority 

 of recent Domestic Cats varies between and 7| mill. Only in two 

 cases did this tooth reach a length of 8 mill., and both of these were 

 probably old males. They were of powerful dimensions, the skull 

 being quite as large as an average-sized African Wild Cat. One of 

 these was shot as a Wild Cat in the County Wicklow. It may have 

 been a descendant of a true Wild Cat wliich had interbred with the 

 domestic form. In the Gower caves of England, and in Ireland in 

 the Newhall caves, similar specimens have been met with, which 

 seem to form a link between the Domestic Cat and the larger African 

 Wild Cat, in so far as the size of the lower caruassial is concerned. 

 The Douuistic Cat may possibly have developed quite independently 

 from the Wild Cat in Ireland, aud these intermediate stages may be 

 the links connecting the later undoubted cave-remains of Domestic 

 Cats with the older ones of the genuine Wild Cat. I had only few 

 opportunities of examining the upper caruassial teeth in fossil cats, 

 as the skull is very rarely preserved in caves ; but that tooth in the 

 two large recent cats referred to was equal in size to that of some of 

 the smaller Wild Cats. The length of the upper caruassial in all the 

 cats, both wild and domestic, ranged from 10 to 12^ mill. ; while the 

 lower caruassial, a smaller tooth, showed difference in size ranging 

 from 5^ to 10 mill. Tlie hitter tooth has apparently been more affected 

 by domestication than the uj)per caruassial. In all Domestic Cats it 

 resembles in shape the same tooth in the Wild African or CafCer Cat 

 (Plate I., fig. 7), being broad and low as compared with that of the 

 European Wild Cat. In recent Domestic Cats the lower caruassial 

 generally varies between 6.^-8 mill, in length ; but I have met 

 with the remains of an extremely small race of cats in the New- 

 hall and Barntick caves (Plate I., tig. 1). Tlieir liuib bones are 

 about the size of the ordinary Marten {Mudela martes), aud the 



