WILD CATS IN BRITAIN.
[TO THE EDITOR Or THE " SPECTATOZ.1
Sts,—The wild cat, which was so common in medieval times as to supply fur trimmings for ladies' dresses, is thought by zoologists to be now extinct in England and Wales.. The last recorded in France-appears to. have been killed before 1830. The Royal Zoological Society, who keep in their gardens several specimens of the Felis Camel from South Africa, possess but one solitary representative of the rare British species. This creature was captured in Seotland, and was presented to the Society five years ago by the Hon. /T. 0. Rothschild. All efforts to procure a second as companion to the exile have proved unsuccessful. With regard to Wales, the writer has explored the mountains for twenty years without observing any trace of the animal, but last month, when climbing down the crags of an unknown precipice and rounding a sharp projecting corner into a trough or gully; he had-the-unique experience .of coming upon a wild cat between the two ribs of rock. The animal. was about sixteen yards below, and as it remained still for some moments before making off down the-trough an excellent view of it was obtained. The colour was fawn on the back, yellow on the tail, and white about the belly. To the writer and his companion, Mr. H. M. F. Dodd,.the-beast appeared very much. larger than the domestic alien cat. For obvious reasons, which all naturalists will approve, the locality must not be specified, but the place was hemmed in by precipitous crags, and at an• altitude: of more than 2,000 feet aboveaeadevel--I am, Sir, &e.,
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