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FELIS PARDALIS.
he may be said to differ from himself. It is not surprising therefore to find, when these animals were but litle know
that each one varying in any degree from other examples was deemed to represent a distinct species indeed it may be
considered a fortunate circumstance that every Ocelot does not at the present time bear a separate name. Only when
ng scrics of this species has boen obtained can it be fully realized how wonderfally individuals vary in the style and
coloration of their fur from each other, and with what facility a species can be manufactured by any onc who is willing
simply to ignore all intermediate styles, nd select some outré specimen as his type. With the exec
and which I believe were all or nearly all named from the writin
specimens themselves, I have examined almost all the types of the so-called species of Ocelot. ‘The British Museum
contains a fuir assortment of these, being chielly those named by the late Dr. Gray. Some of them, however, he was
ther satisfied with himself, as he states in his ‘Catalogue of Carnivorous Mammalia,” p. 20, that“ the Ove
extremely variable; and though there isa very large series of specimens in the Brith Museum, T cannot make up my
mind whether they are all one, or whether there are three or more species.” An examination of the skulls gave him no
assistance in deciding the question; for he remarks, on the same page, that those of F.pardali, F grisea, and F. melanura
all of which he recognized as distinct species, and one of which he deseribed) “are very similar in size, shape, and structure
The nasal hones vary in shape: in some skulls they are shor, broad, and gradually attenuated ; in others the nasal bones ar
longer, ery broad in front, and then suddenly narrowed at about half their length. But the different skulls vary in this
respects and the to forms gradually pas into eachother.” (The italics are mine.) ‘Thisis the frank statement of a naturalist
who las perhaps recognized more species in this fuily than any one else. OF his Leopardue pict, referred by me to the
present species, he says that it has the “spots very different from those of any other specimen in the eolletion ; Iut this ix
such a difference as one may expeet to find only variation when one examines a large series of specimens.” Very
ntly the spots observed in the markings of this species are seen in certain individuals to be lengthened, and coalese
a very handsome patter
individual was called by Mr. Ball Felis melanura, and described by him in the «
It lived for some time in the menagerie
That it exhibited merely an unusual style of colouring, and was not a distinct species, may be show
from the fuct that it did not retain the same style of markings during the period it was an inmate of the Gardens; for
Mr. Fraser says (inthe work above refered to) that “since the animal first arrived inthis country some trifling change has
taken place, particulaey in the extension of the white on the tal, which makes the name not quite a applicable as it was,
The italics are my own but the fact here stated shows that the chief characteristic of the animal, separating it from
F. pardalis, wos wn unreliable one ; and possibly, if the individual had lived, the peculiar coloration of its fur might
have changed to something mm that it possessed at its death.
The Felis albescen an is represented in the gallery of the Paris Muscum by three specimens, which are alike
in the arrangement of their markings. One is as large as the largest of the specimens of
F. pardali wally met with; the second is of a medium size, while the third is shout equal to the variety that ins been called
F.mitia. "The largest is the lightest in colour, the medium one darkest. ‘They are all ight grey, strongly marked with black
in broken rings and lines; but the patterns do not in the least resemble one another. T do not see any reason to
them as distinct from F. pardalie, but merely as representing « peculiar light-coloured style of this most changeable species.
Individuals are found of ¥. perdalit of all sizes, from that which nearly approaches « small Leopard in power
than the European wild Cat, perhaps in some cases even sialler than that animal. I can
reat diferences, other than possibly climate and food; but, as we might naturally expect would be the
ase, the smallest specimens are, I believe, generally found near the equator, the animals Tanger as we a
From the facts related above it will be seen how slender and unreliable are the characters upon which the diferent
so-called species of Ocelots have been established. From the investigation of a very large series of these animals contained
in various museums I have not heen able to find one spocimen that seemed entitled to a specific rank distinet from
F. pardals; but all more or less exhibited markings that approached some other variety. The skulls also show great
aiations of form and measurements; and I think it would be impossible to find two that in all respects exactly
resemble each other.
FELIS PARDALIS.
"The Ocelot is found from Arkansas, through ‘Texas, Mexico, Central Ameria, the northern part of South America, and
southvwards to Buenos Ayres; I do not know that it has been met with west of the Andes. According to Mr. Schott, who
was with the survey of the United-States and Mexican boundary, this species, althoug n in the westem wild
was only seen once on the lower Rio Bravo. It took refuge from the dogs in islodged by a pisto-bullet,
soon dispatched. All the inside of the skin of this creature was covered with opunti-prckles, which had worked
themselves in, and were all lodged horizontally, so that the points did not each the muscles, and_ probably gave but little
‘uneasiness to the animal, This accounted forthe readiness with which this species takes refuge in these bushes, which are
huble for man, "The Ocelot is eagerly sought for on account of his beautiful furs and almost every western hunter
ans, has some portion of his outfit adomed with, or made out of, the skin. This species is
‘of reat activity, rma on the ground with considerable speed, and ascends trees with great ease and agility, and is
‘conceal itself in the hollows of the trunks, or by aquatting close along the large branches. Tt is rarely found at
any distance from woods or thickets, and. preys 0 i Tt occasionally visits the
poultry-yard, and carries away a chicken, and, if . 1 pressed. Audubon and Buchman
state that informed the Ocelot only has two young in a liter, but were unable to prove the fact themselves,
‘They also say that they had heard of its occurring in the southern parts of Louisiana, though I should be inclined to think
it more likely the animal seen there would be the wild cat (Felis ryfa). This species bears confinement well; but if more
than one are Kept in the same eage ther fleree tempers do not permit them to dwell peaceably together for any length of
time, and usually the wetker is dispatched, the slayer sometimes making a meal off his victim. When, however, itis fed
‘upon milk and vegetable food instead of flesh, the Ocelot is mucl gentler in captivity, and at times evinces « certain
mount of fondness for its master or any one who regularly feeds it. Wilson had one, which became very tame ; and he
gives an account of it in his Mlustrations of Zo She was playful, and delighted in being carried about in somebod
ams. She was also very powerful, and, lth itl, oceasionally gave evidence that her natural fieree disposition
was not entirely emdicated; for onee she seized a glove of chamois leather, and although the owner endeavoured with all
get it away, the animal succeeded in tearing it in pieces and swallowing it. When live binds or raw flesh
she immediately assumed greater fereeness in her aspect, and struck spitefully with her fore paws at any
g animal. Once she sprang upon a elild about four years old, threw her down, and apparently scized her by the
throat. It was, however, only rough play, as the litle girl was rescued uninjured, though terribly frightened ; but itis
quite evident that the Ocelot is not the best kind of a othe house as a pet
A very interesting account is given by Dr. Wilson in the “Proceedings of the Philadelphia Academy” (Lc) of a young
Ocelot that he had once on board the U.S, ship ‘Vandalia’ Its colour was light grey, marked with dark rings and spots,
probably. the grisea style of this species. The ship was terribly infested with rats; and one having been caught was
nted to “Miss Tiger,” as she was called, who pounced upon it at once with great ferceness, and walked about
srowling, very proud of her prize. She then played with it as eat would, tossing it about, and rolling over with it in he
paves. She eventually became a most expert rateatcher, and frequently pounced upon her prey from long distances,
sometimes as much a 10 feet being covered in one leap, an Killed the rat so quickly that it was not heard to
squeal. This Ocelot was so gentle that she allowed herself to he picked up by anybody, and even when feeding never
would bite or seratch. She was fond of being handled, and when rubbed would roll over onto her back, and take
the person’s fingers into her mouth, but very
used to visit the hammocks of the men, and, if ©
hedfellow. Once it was noticed that « large tumour and abscess hd formed on the side of her face, which proved to be
due to one of the mill-tecth; and she made no resistance when one of the officers took her into his lap, and the doctor
Arew the tooth with a pair of foreeps. She delighted in going up the rigging; and when the men were ordered aloft she
would jump into the shrouds and have a race with them, and with but litle effort was first in the top. As the ship was
passing the West-India Islands n number of flocks of flyingfish were started ; and Miss Tiger beeame much intrested in
them, they looked so like birds; and she was observed watching them in the moonlight very intently. Next moming her
absence was noticed, and a fruitless search for her through the ship made it certain that she had been lost overboard during
Fur-soft and short. Top of head, neck, shoulders, and buck rufous, marked with black lines and spots some of the latter |