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Show 2 0 0 SIR HARRY H. JOHNSTON ON [Mar. 21 which apparently can he derived from one and the same district. But for the assertions of the German authorities who have described specimens of this cat from Togoland, one would be led to suppose that the reddish-grey form with very small and faint spots on the upper parts and a somewhat small head was restricted to Senegambia, Sierra Leone, and the northern parts of Liberia; while the smoother, shorter-haired, larger-headed form, with very distinct spots and a greyer coat, extended from Eastern Liberia to the Niger Delta. (I am not aware that the existence of this cat has yet been traced to the east of the Niger, but I expect it will be found to extend to the limits of the Congo Basin.) But the Germans assert that both varieties are found concurrently. It is presumably called the Golden Cat because on the flanks, between the white of the belly and the reddish-grey of the upper parts, are bands of golden-yellow. This cat has a very savage disposition, and the closer-haired, more distinctly spotted form grows nearly to the size of a Caracal. The Serval is fairly common in the interior of Liberia. The Leopard is everywhere common, and is often much dreaded by the natives. The Lion appears to be known in the Mandingo hill-country to the north of the forest. The Spotted Hytena is known to the Mandingos, though it is never heard of in the forest-region. The Mandingos from the interior of Liberia call the Hyaena " Djawa " or " Djani." The two words seem to exist side by side, and it is possible from the somewhat varying descriptions that both the Striped and Spotted forms may be known in the northern part of Liberia on the verge of the Niger Basin. The big Civet Cat is very abundant, so also are the Genets and the Palm-Civet (Nandinia binotcita). Amongst the Rodents I have noticed the African Brush-tailed Porcupine (Atherura africana); but Buttikofer also records the Common Porcupine as being a Liberian mammal. Mr. Whyte obtained specimens of the Graphiurus Dormouse {Graphiurus hueti), and also of Anomalums beecroftii, the Scaly-tailed Flying Squirrel. The Black Rat is present in Liberia, and the Brown Rat has also reached that country, through the intercourse with foreign ships no doubt. The other Mice recorded are Mus alex-andrinus, nigricauda, rufinus, barbarus, trivirgatus, dorsalis, and musculoides. The Octodont " Ground Rat," Thryonomys, is common. Most of the West-African Squirrels are represented, as also the genera Cricetomys and Lophuromys. The Elephant is fairly abundant all over the interior of Liberia but has not within recent times approached nearer than about twenty miles from the coast. Usually elephants are not met with till a journey of about forty miles inland has been accomplished, and then they are so abundant as to be very dangerous to caravans, which they often attack without provocation. I have seen at Monrovia tusks of fair size. The largest that was weighed in my presence was 75 lbs. The ivory is rather curved as a rule and fairly thick. I think it will be found as a rule that the elephant of the densely forested regions in Africa has somewhat smaller |