40S 
CARNIVORES. 
of the head and the limbs are ornamented with spots; while the tail has a number 
of dusky rings, which are not infrequently incomplete. The skull may be recognised 
by its low and elongated form; as well as by the great relative length of the upper 
tusks, or canine teeth, which are proportionately longer than in any other living 
species of cat. 
In size the clouded leopard may be compared to a small individual of a true 
leopard. One male measured 5 feet 7£ inches in total length, of which 2 feet 6 
inches were taken up by the tail; while another reached 6h feet, of which 3 feet 
were occupied by the tail. The length of the tail in these specimens is thus about 
equal to four-fifths of that of the head and body, but there is a variety from the 
Island of Formosa in which the tail is much shorter. 
The clouded leopard is confined to the south-eastern parts of Asia, ranging 
from the Eastern Himalaya, in the districts of Bhutan and Sikhim, to Assam, and 
thence to Burma, the Malay Peninsula, and the islands of Borneo, Sumatra, and 
Java. The short-tailed variety, found only in the Island of Formosa, probably 
indicates that the distribution of the series on the mainland of Asia was formerly 
more extensive than at present. 
To the Malays the clouded leopard is known as the Rimau-dahan, or Arimau- 
dahan, meaning the tiger of the trees; the word clahan signifying the forked 
branch of a tree. According to Mr. Blanford, the whole of our limited knowledge 
of the habits of this species is derived from the reports of native hunters, and is 
not, therefore, in all respects trustworthy. That it passes almost the whole of its 
time in trees, on the branches of which it sleeps, is, however, thoroughly 
ascertained; and it appears that its food consists chiefly of birds and small 
mammals. 
The Marbled Cat (Felis marmorata). 
The marbled cat from the Eastern Himalaya, Assam, Burma, and the Malayan 
region, is a much smaller species, agreeing in the general character of its markings 
with the clouded leopard. In size this beautiful little species is somewhat larger 
than a domestic cat of average dimensions; the length of the head and body, 
according to Mr. Blanford, varying from 18 J to 23 inches, and that of the tail 
from 14 to 15J inches. The fur is characterised by its thickness and softness; and 
in Himalayan specimens, at least, has an under fur of a woolly nature. 
From the resemblance of its coloration to that of the clouded leopard (in which 
the marbled fur harmonises with the gnarled and knotted boughs on which the 
animal reposes), it may be inferred that the marbled cat is likewise an arboreal 
species. It is figured on the opposite page. 
The Tibet cat (Felis script a), from Eastern Tibet, is another small-sized species 
allied in coloration to the clouded leopard. 
The Golden Cat (Felis temminchi). 
The golden or bay cat is a well-marked Indian species, of somewhat inferior 
dimensions to the clouded leopard, and readily distinguished by its deep ferruginous 
or chestnut colour, which passes into bay along the line of the back; the under- 
