324 
BENGAL CAT. 
and has two at a time. It seems a species of wild 
cat ; but its hair is shorter than that of those 
creatures in general., its head more square, and its 
muzzle and tail longer. It is supposed to be uu~ 
tameable. 
Bengal cat. 
These cats have white whiskers, large dusky 
ears, with a white spot in the middle of the out- 
side ; between each eye and the nose, a white line,, 
and another under each eye. Their colour is a 
beautiful pale yellowish brown. The head and 
face is striped downward with black. Along the 
back there are three stripes of the same colour, 
pointing towards the tail. Behind each shoulder 
to the belly, there is a black line. The chin and 
throat are white, surrounded with a semi- circle of 
black. The breast, belly, and inside of the limbs 
are white. The spots on those parts, as well as 
those on the legs and rump, are round. The 
tail is long, full of hair, brown armulated with 
black. 
This species is distinguished from the common 
cat by this peculiarity, that it is not afraid of being 
wet, but takes to the water like a water-dog. 
There was one of them brought to England, which 
swam on board a ship at anchor off the coast of 
Bengal, After it was brought to England, it 
coupled with the female domestic cats, which pro~ 
dueed young, resembling the male in marks on 
the body and in character ; but the ground colour 
was cinereous. Mr. Pennant says, that he saw 
one of these plunge into a vessel full of water 
about two feet deep, and bring up a bit of meat, 
flung in by way of trial ; that it was far better 
^souser than the tame cat, and in a short tiimi 
