The Origin of the Domestic Striped Tabby Cat

IN the Proceedings of the Zoological Society for February of this year I attempted to prove that English domestic cats are to be referred by their patterns to two distinct kinds, which were described as the blotched and striped tabbies; and in discussing the possible origin of these two cats, I set the blotched tabby aside as of unknown descent, and stated it as my conviction that the striped tabby was to be traced to the interbreeding of two well-known wild species, namely, the European wild cat (Felis sylvestris) and the so-called Egyptian or African wild cat (Felis ocreata). There were living at that time in the Zoological Gardens a male example of F. sylvestris from Scotland and a female example of F. ocreata from Uganda. The latter was captured as a kitten near Nairobi in March, 1906, and had never been put to a male. To test the truth of my belief that the progeny of these two species would resemble our domestic striped tabby, and also to discover if there was any foundation for the theory some authors had put forward previously that the blotched tabby was the result of such a cross, the two cats in question were placed in the same cage this summer. They took to one another at once, and last week the female produced a litter of kittens resembling in every respect a typical striped tabby such as may be seen any day in the streets of London.