F E L IS P A JE O O S
P AM P A S CAT.
FELIS PAJEROS, Desm. Nouv. Diet. Hist. Nat. (1816) p. 114.—C u t . Ossem. Foss. (1825) vol. iv. p. 439.—Less. Mon. Mamm. (1827) p. 195.
sp. 526.—Fisch. Syn. Mamm. (1829) p. 213.—Azara, Hist. Quad. Parag. (1838) p. 245.—Less. Comp. Buff. (1838) vol. i. p. 411.—
Darw. Voy. Beag. Mamm. (1839) p. 18, pt. ix.—Less. Nouv. Tab. Regn. Anim. (1842) p. 57. sp. 552.—D’Orbig. Voy. Amer. M6rid.
(1847) p. 22.—Gerv. Hist. Nat. Mamm. (1855) p. 91.—Sclat. Proc. Zool. Soc. (1868) p. 530.—J. E. Gray, Cat. Cam. Mamm. (1869)
p. 18. sp. 9.—Philippi, Wiegm. Archiv, (1873) p. 8.
LE CHAT PAMPA, Temm. Mon. Mamm. (1827) vol. i. p. 156.
FELIS LINEATA, Swains. Anim. Menag. (1838) p. 128.
LYNCHAILURUS PAGEROS, Severtz. Rev. Mag. Zool. (1858) p. 386.
PAJEROS PAMPANUS, J. E. Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. (1867) p. 270.—Id. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. (1 8 7 4 ) vol. xiv. p. 353. sp. 15.
PANTHERA PAJEROS, Fitzin. Sitzungsb. Akad. Wiss. Wien, (1869) lix. p. 276.
FELIS PASSERUM, Sclat. Rev. List Vert. Anim. (1872) p. 40.
H a b . Buenos Ayres (Az a r a ) ; Patagonia (D ’O r b ig n y ) ; Straits of Magellan (D a r w in ).
A c co r d in g to Darwin this species takes its name from “ paja,” the Spanish name for straw, from its habit of frequenting
reeds; and Azara says that the natives call it gato pajero, because it lives on the plains, concealing itself in the jungles, and
does riot enter the woods. The latter author states it is found as far north as 35° south latitude; and Darwin says that he
has reason to believe that it is found as far south as the Straits of Magellan, while D’Orbigny met with it only between 35°
and 45° south latitude, in the small woods of the desert-region of Patagonia. Both Azara and D’Orbigny speak of it as
rather common on the river Negro. From the above statements it would seem that this Cat has a range of about 1400
miles in a north and south direction. Azara states that he onee took from a female a single young upon which the hair
had already commenced to grow. I t is said, however, that two, and even three, are usually brought forth at a time. The
last-mentioned author says that the principal food of this species is guinea-pigs. In the synonymy of this animal there is
not any confusion, it fortunately only having received two names, so far as I have been able to discover. I t varies slightly
in the colouring of its fur, the chief differences being in the conspicuous markings of the breast and legs, some having these
red, others black or dark brown. The two styles are well shown in the Plate.
General colour silvery grey upon the body, with narrow lines of rufous brown, placed rather widely apart, running
diagonally along the back, sides, and loins; the line on the centre of the back darker than those on the sides. Head
silvery grey, inclined to rufous on the occiput. Two faint rufous stripes from behind and below the eyes reach beneath
the ears; these last are dark rufous behind. Throat, breast, belly, and legs white, all of them, except the first,
conspicuously crossed with bright rufous bars, broadest and deepest on the breast; two bars on the upper part of each
fore leg inclined to blackish chestnut. Tail long, dark grey, many of the hairs tipped with black. (This is the usual
style.) Entire length 25 to 26 inches, tail 12.
The young are similar in colour and markings to the adults.
Another stage of pelage is dark grey, without any stripes visible upon the body, the bars on the breast, belly, and legs
being black instead of rufous. The tips of the ears behind also black. Tail long, thickly furred and grey, like the body.
(Specimen in Paris Museum.)
The skull of this species has a very short face and high forehead. The nasal bones are short, narrow, and contract to a
point at their articulation with the frontal bone; interorbital space wide, and the brain-case large and rounded, the
squamosals, when the skull is viewed from above, swelling prominently outwards; orbits incomplete; processes of the
maxilla rounded at their upper ends. Upper outline of skull much rounded, the nasals descending quite abruptly from the
prefrontal. Outline of ramus perfectly straight from symphysis to angle. Superior canines rather long, with a prominent
sharp edge on their posterior sides, and two grooves on their outer face, the posterior one being.broad and flat. Auditory
bullae large and prominent; zygoma rather broad, arching well outwards; premaxillas rather broad, with their processes
extending well up the sides of the nasals, nearly meeting those of the prefontal.