Title: Brehm's Life of animals : a complete natural history for popular home instruction and for the use of schools. Mammalia
Identifier: brehmslifeofanim1896breh (find matches)
Year: 1896 (1890s)
Authors: Brehm, Alfred Edmund, 1829-1884; Pechuel-Loesche, Edward, 1840-1913; Haacke, Wilhelm, 1855-1912; Schmidtlein, Richard
Subjects: Mammals; Animal behavior
Publisher: Chicago : Marquis
Contributing Library: Internet Archive
Digitizing Sponsor: Internet Archive

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THE CAT FAMILY—CHEETAH. 135 is frequently passed unnoticed. In this country there is almost an entire lack of the larger forests in which a Beast of Prey could effectually conceal itself, and therefore the only refuge for such an animal is that furnished by reeds, high grass and corn-fields. The Jungle-Cat prowls around both day and night. He boldly comes up to the very out- skirts of villages, and seems even to select orchards in their vicinity as his favorite haunts. Captive Jungle-Cats are seldom seen, and when taken old, they are of a fierce and unamiable dis- position, but young animals may, with kindly care, become very affectionate. The Egyptian explorer, Dumichen, recounts the following story of a young Jungle-Cat which he found half-starved in a subter- ranean vault as he was searching the ruin of a tem- ple : " The Jungle-Cat made no attempt at escape when I seized it, but seemed to be meekly resigned the Guepard. It serves to bridge over the chasm between the Cat and the Dog. This animal has a perfect right to its scientific name, Cynailurus (Dog- Cat), for he is really half Cat and half Dog. The head and the long tail are Cat-like, but the rest of the body, and especially the long legs, are much like a Dog's. The paws still show, like the Cat's, a per- fect arrangement for retracting the claws, but the flexor muscles are so weak and ineffectual that the claws nearly always protrude, and therefore are blunted like those of Dogs. The teeth are similar to those of the other Cats, but the canines are pressed together as they are in Dogs. The mental endowments correspond to the physical attributes : The expression of the face is in the main Cat-like, but the disposition of a Dog, in all its good-natured gentleness, speaks to us through the eyes.
Text Appearing After Image:
THE FAHHAD, OR AFRICAN CHEETAH. A glance at this picture will show why the naturalist lias given these animals a name which means Dog-Cat. The limbs are long like those of the Dog, but the long tail, the head and the paws are Cat-like. The African variety, shown in this picture, differs from the Asiatic species principally in the shortness of the mane on the nape of the neck and different markings of the fur. (Cynailurus guttatus.) to its fate. It ravenously ate the food I gave it. and allowed itself to be taken up and caressed. Fully appreciating the service I had rendered it, the little animal became my inseparable companion, jumped on my Camel when I set out on a trip, wandered with me through the greater part of Xubia, and when I was copying inscriptions, it would keep near me for hours at a time. It also was on friendly terms with my Dog. The two never quarreled, but often played with each other in the most amiable way." THE CHEETAH. We now turn to a singular species, the Cheetah or Hunting Leopard, which is sometimes also called Character- Our present knowledge is not sufficient isticsof the to enable us to decide whether the Chee- Cheetah. tahs constitute more than one species. Certain naturalists hold the African and Asiatic ani- mals to be identical; others count besides the Asi- atic Cheetah, sometimes called the Maned Cheetah (Cynailurus jubaius), and the Fahhad or African Cheetah (Cynailurus guttatus), the Spotted Cheetah I Cynailurus soemmeringii), and the Woolly Cheetah ( Cynailurus laneus). The Asiatic Cheetah is very slender, and has much longer limbs than the Cats proper. The head is small and elongated in a Dog- like way, instead of being round like that of a Cat; the ear is wide and low, and the eye has a round pupil ; the fur is long and tangled, especially on the

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