Hanhart i:
F E L IS q S j f y G O L L A .
M O L IN A ’S G U IA N A CAT.
FELIS COLOCOLO, Molina, Sagg. Stor. del Chili (1810, 2nd ed.) p. 245. sp. 7.—F. Cuv. H ist Mamm. (1825) pi. 142.—Temm. Mon. Mamm.
(1827) vol. i. App. p. 259.—H. Smith, Griff. Anim. King, v o l ii. p. 257.—Less. Compl. BufF. (1839) vol. i. p. 410.—Id. Nouv. Tab. Rfcgn.
Anim. (1842) p. 55. sp. 539.—Gerv. Hist. Nat. Mamm. (1 8 6 9 ) p. 91. sp. 10.—Philippi, Wiegm. Archiv, erstes Heft (1870) p. 41, (1873)
p. 8, pi: iii. fig. 42.—Gray, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. (1874) vol. xiii. p. 259.
FELIS COLOCOLLA, Desm. Nouv. Diet. Hist. Nat. (1816) p. 115.—Less. Man. Mamm. (1827) p. 193. sp. 519.—Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. (1867)
p. 272.—Id. Cat. Cam. Mamm. (1869) p. 23. sp. 10.
FELIS COLOCOLLO, Fisch. Syn. Mamm. (1849) p. 204. sp. 15.— Mivart, The Cat, (1881) p. 413.
FELIS LINEATA, Swains. Anim. Menag. (1838) p. 128.
CATUS STRIGILATA, Wagn. Schreb. Säugeth. Supp. B. ii. Sp. 546. no. 44.
DENDRAILURUS STRIGILATA, Severtz. Rev. Mag. Zöol. (1858) p. 386.
FELIS JACOBITA, Cornalia, Mem. Soc. Ital. Seien. Nat. (1 8 6 5 ) vol. i. pi.
PANTHERA STRIGILATA, Fitzin. Sitzgsb. Akad. Wiss. Wien, (18 6 9 ) lix. p. 274.
Hab. Guiana.
M o l in a described tliis Cat in the work quoted above. Very little is known of it ; and but one specimen presumed
to belong to the species is, so far as I am aware, contained in collections. This example is in the Museum at Milan,
and was described and figured by Prof. Cornalia as above quoted, under the name of F. jacobita. It is from a portrait
of this specimen that the figure in the Plate is drawn. Smith, in Griffith’s ‘Animal Kingdom,’ gives the following
account of this animal. “ The specimen I have named conditionally Colocolo, from Molina, seems to terminate this
little group, and by the character of its markings to approximate to the Servals and Tiger-cats of the Old World. It
does not appear certain, though it may be probable, that this is the animal Molina indicated as the Colocolo, as he
calls the marks spots, and not streaks; at least the word is so translated. This fierce animal was shot in the interior
of Guiana by an officer of Lewinstein’s riflemen, and by him stuffed and sent to England for His Royal Highness
the Duke of York, but probably never reached its destination. A whimsical occurrence took place with it. The
gentleman who had shot it, placed it on the awning of the boat to air, as he was descending the river Paramaribo.
The boat often passed under the branches of large trees, which overhung the river, and on which were the resting-
places of numerous monkeys, sometimes hanging to the extremest branches above the water. Although the vessel
would on other occasions excite but little attention, no sooner was the stuffed specimen in sight than the whole
community would troop off with prodigious screams and howlings. I t was, of course, surmised from the excessive
terror of these animals, that this species of Cat must be an active enemy to them.” Philippi (I. c.) gives a comparative
description of the skull of this animal and F. pageros. I have never seen a skull of F. colocolo, and therefore
would refer those who desire to investigate this part of the skeleton to the article in Wiegmann’s Archiv quoted
above.
General colour greyish white with broken black bars on top of head, back, and sides. The usual two lines across
the cheeks, and three rather faint ones across the breast. Legs spotted sparsely with black. Tail rather long, with
nine or ten black rings scattered along its entire length.
Mivart (I. c.) gives the following description of the skull:—
“ The orbits not enclosed by bone. There is no first upper premolar. The upper true molar is visible when the
skull is seen in profile. The infraorbital foramen is large. The skull is much elongated and depressed. The muzzle
produced, and the upper surface of the snout markedly concave when the skull is looked at in profile. When the skull is
seen from above, the prominence of the upper jaw causes part of the anterior palatine foramina to be distinctly visible.
The nasals narrow very gradually backwards, and do not extend so far backwards as do the nasal processes of the maxillae.”
Prof. Mivart does not state where he saw the specimens described.
In size this species is about equal to the Domestic Cat. More specimens and fuller information of this Cat are needed
before its true specific value can be determined. At present too little is known about it for a decided opinion to be formed.