3. Felis domestica.
Felis domestica, Brisson, Reg. Anim. p. 264.
I find in Mr. Darwin’s collection a cat, the colouring and proportions of which, convince me that its origin is from the domestic cat, as however it was shot in a wild state far from any house, a description may, perhaps, prove useful. Its general colour is deep gray, and the body is adorned with numerous irregular narrow black bands; there is a broad black mark, formed of confluent spots, along the middle of the back, which commences a little behind the shoulders; a considerable space around the angles of the mouth, the chin, throat, central portion of the chest, fore feet, toes of the hinder feet, and the posterior portion of the belly, are white; a black line extends backwards from the posterior angle of the eye, on to the cheeks; thence, across the throat, there are two lines: the space between the eye is chiefly occupied with white hairs: the tail is slender, and tapers towards the apex; the basal half is gray with black rings, and the apical half is black, excepting the extreme point, which is white: the tarsus is black beneath: the legs are of a deep gray colour, banded with black externally.
To the dimensions I will add those of a domestic cat which in colour and markings very closely resembles the animal above described. I may add that I have chosen a cat rather above the ordinary size for my comparison, yet it will be seen that the wild cat has the advantage in bulk.
| Wild Cat. | Domestic Cat. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In. | Lines. | In. | Lines. | ||
| Length | from nose to root of tail | 22 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| of tail | 12 | 3 | 11 | 6 | |
| of tarsus | 5 | 1 | 4 | 7 | |
| of ear | 1 | 11 | |||
| Height | at shoulders | 11 | 3 | ||
Habitat, Maldonado, La Plata, (May.)
“This animal was killed amongst some thickets on a rocky hill a few miles from Maldonado. It appeared, when dead, much larger and stronger than any domestic cat I ever saw, and it was described to me as having been exceedingly fierce. I mention this because M. Temminck supposes that the domesticated varieties of all animals are of larger size, than the wild stock from which they are descended.”—D.[[12]]