K p i j s EUPTILURA
T H E B U S H Y -T A IL E D E E D -S PO T T E D CAT.
FELIS UNDATA, Radde, Reisen im Süden von Ost-Sibirien, (1 8 6 2 ) p. 106, pl. 4?
FELIS EUPTILURA, EUiot, Proc. Zool. Soc. (18 7 1 ) p. 761, pl. lxxvi.—J. E. Gray, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. (1 8 7 4 ) vol. xiü. pp. 54 &472.
FELIS MICROTIS, Alp. Milne-Edwards, Recher. des Mamm. (18 7 2 ) pl. xxxi. B . fig. 1, p. 221.
FELIS DECOLORATA, Alp. Milne-Edwards, Recher. dés Mamm. (18 7 2 ) p. 223.
H a b . China. Pékin and Canton (F o n t a n i e r ) . Shanghai (Gray, Brit. M u s . s p e c .) . Siberia?
T h i s species, described by me in 1871 from a very poor and imperfect skin, without any portion of skull, is apparently an
inhabitant of the more northern parts of China, and also of Siberia, as it was procured by Radde in the latter country. I
am inclined, after careful examination of the types, to connect with this the F. macrotis and FI decolorata of A. Milne-Edwards,
procured by M. Fontanier in China from the neighbourhood of both Pekin and Canton. If I am correct in my surmise, the
names bestowed by Mons. A. Milne-Edwards will have to become synonyms, as my description was published in the
‘ Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London ’ nearly a year previous to the issue of the Part of his work on Mammals
that c o n ta in s this species. I t is an extremely rare animal in collections, the type and one example in the British Museum,
and the two specimens in the Paris Museum, being all that are known. In the 'Annals and Magazine of Natural History ’
for 1874, vol. xiii. p. 472, Dr. J. E. Gray stated that a wild Cat from Shanghai had been received at the British Museum
which he was inclined to regard as a perfect specimen of my F. euptilura■, the only difference between the skin and
Mr. Wolf’s figure published in the Proc. Zool. Soc. (1871) pl. 76, is that in the former the streaks on the crown and nape
are not so wide and the tail is longer and more cylindrical. These differences, however, are naturally to be looked for, as
the markings of all spotted Cats vary greatly.
The following is my description of the type of this species (/. c.):—“ Ground-colour of the body light brownish yellow,
strongly mixed with grey, covered with reddish brown spots rather oblong in shape, darkest and most conspicuous on
the hind quarters; head grey, with a white line under the eye and on the side next to the nose; two dark brown stripes
in the centre, commencing at the top of the nose, and one on each side, beginning at the eye, pass over the top of the
head, and down the back of the neck to the shoulders ; a dark red stripe from the corner of the eye runs back across the
cheek to the base of the e a r ; and another, rather lighter in colour, starting below the eye, passes across the cheek and
curves back under the throat. The centre of the back is much darker than the sides, with spots of dark brown. Under
Up white, as is also the throat and underparts. Across the upper part of the breast are four broken bands of foxy red ;
belly covered with large brown spots, becoming rufous between the hind legs. Inner side of hind legs buff, with cross
bands of foxy red, and covered with small reddish spots to the toes. Tail thick, rather short, bushy, darker than the body,
with several incomplete broken rings of blackish brown. Inside of ear buff, behind black. In size the animal appears
somewhat larger than the ordinary domestic Cat.”
The F. macrotis of A. Milne-Edwards, represented in the Plate by the front figure, is slightly smaller than the type, and
redder in its general coloration; but I cannot distinguish any character sufficient in my opinion to separate it specifically.
The ears are not smaller in proportion than those of the type. The specimen may be described as follows:—
Fur soft and rather long.- General colour greyish buff, or yellowish grey, darkest on the head and back. A white line
on each side of the nose. Four dark-brown lines run along the top of the head to the lower part of hind neck. Ears
behind black, edged at their tips with yellowish white, and' a white spot in the centre, the basal portion dark brown.
Entire body covered with reddish spots, some with dark brown centres, more especially as they approach the loins.
Cheeks, throat, breast, and belly white. Two red lines from the eye to beneath the ear cross the cheeks ; the throat and
breast are crossed by several more of the same hue, while the belly is covered with reddish brown spots. Legs yellowish
brown, faintly spotted on the outside; one or two black bars cross near the top of the fore legs inside. Tail moderately
long, bushy, dark greyish with numerous indistinct dark brown rings, and tips also dark brown. Nose to root of tail 19;