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JOURNAL OF MAMMALOGY 
From the foregoing, therefore, it is concluded (1) that Felis ocelot Smith is 
preoccupied and wholly untenable, (2) that Felis griffithii Fischer is a synonym 
of Felis pardalis Linnaeus, (3) that Felis maraqua Link is not fully identifiable 
and may be disposed as a possible synonym of Felis tigrina Schreber, and (4) 
that Felis chibigouazou Griffith is a synonym of Lynx brasiliensis Oken which 
becomes Felis (Leopardus) pardalis brasiliensis, the first tenable name for a 
South American cat of the pardalis group. Thus ’not onh^ the troublesome 
Felis ocelot goes out of use, but also all the names based on the so-called varieties 
associated with it by Hamilton Smith. — Wilfred H. Osgood. 
NOTE ON GUELDENSTAEDT’s NAMES OF CERTAIN SPECIES OF FELID^ 
Recent investigations of the African Felidse have led me to the consideration 
of the nomenclature of the caracal group, and especially to the alleged ‘‘Felis 
caracal Gueldenstaedt.”^ Although Gueldenstaedt’s names were given correct 
binomial form by nearly all subsequent authors they are not binomial in Guel- 
denstaedt’s text. The first author known to me to have challenged their accept- 
ance is Matschie, in a paper on the caracals published in 1912,2 which he states 
that Gueldenstaedt’s names cannot be accepted because they are none of them 
binomial. To demonstrate the correctness of Matschie’s claim it is only 
necessary to quote Gueldenstaedt’s diagnoses, which run as follows: 
“Lynx: Felis auriculis apice barbatis; capite et corpore albido-ruffo, nigro 
maculato; cauda obsolete annulata, apice nigra; 
“Felis ruffa: Felis auriculis apice barbatis; capite ruffo, fronte et temporibus 
nigro striatus; corpore ruffo, fusco maculato; cauda subtus et apice alba, supra 
nigro fasciata; 
“Caracal: Felis auriculis apice barbatis, extus nigris; capite, corpore et 
cauda unicoloribus fuscentibrunneis; 
“Chaus: Felis auriculis apice nigro barbatis, extus brunneis; capite, corpore 
et caudse basi unicoloribus, fuscenti-luteis; cauda apicem versus albido et nigro 
annulata, ipso apice nigro.” 
The second of these species, “Felis ruffa,” has the appearance of being bi- 
nomially named, but a reference to the preceding context on the same page 
(page 499, second paragraph^) is sufficient to show that this is, as well as “Lynx,” 
“Caracal,” and “Chaus,” a vernacular name, not a technical one, it being simply 
the rufous cat; in other words, the “Bay cat” of Pennant translated into Latin, 
the language in which Gueldenstaedt’s paper is written.^ In other parts of his 
1 Chaus, animal deli affine descriptum. Auctore A. I. Gueldenstaedt. Novi 
Comm. Acad. sci. imp. Petropolitanse, XX (for 1775), 1776, pp. 483-500, pis. 
xiv, XV, animal and skull of the Chaus. Diagnoses of four species, pp. 499-500. 
2 tlber einige Rassen des Steppenluchses Felis {Caracal) caracal (St. Muller). 
Von Paul Matschie. Sitzungsb. Ges. naturf. Freunde Berlin, 1912, pp. 55-67. 
Comment on Gueldenstaedt’ s names, pp. 56-57. 
® “A Fele ruffa facile distinguitur,” etc. 
* “Addidit nuper Zoologus his acutissimus (vid. sp. 136. in Synops. of 
Quadrup.) animal americanum Lynci proximum, quod illi Felis ruffa (bay cat) 
dicitur. Addamus nunc alterum animal asiaticum Caracali adeo cognatum, 
ac Felis ruffa Lynci, quod d nobis Chaus appelator.” (Op. cit., p. 484.) 
