The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-10-12
CAI THATLIKES FISHING
PRnTERs WATER TO LAND AND
 sWIMs WITH RAPIDITY.
xslins Family Unknown to Science Until yery Recently-Thought
 Hot to bs . Descendant of the !. Ordinary Cat.
Washington Post.

Washington Post.
 The National Zoo is to be congratu- lated on having within the past few days secured specimens of the Cacomicti ana Eyra cats, animals of the feline family that, until about 1892, were unknown to science. Without doubt they are the most remarkable and curious of all animals or the feline family. Thus far specimens of these cats have never been exhibited in any of the zoos of this country ana Europe, and the three just received are the first animals of the kind ever seen in the geological gardens of the world. Like the Kawiak bear. the okapi, the giraffe with five horn-cores and the pig my hippotamus of Sierre Leone, these peculiar little animals have remained hidden away from the explorer and the naturalist down to within Sew years of the twentieth century, and in conse- Quence the story of their discovery IS well worth relating.
 The Cacomitcl cat differs from all other members of the cat tribe in having a very long body, long neck and, in proportion to the rest of the body, small weasellike head, with slightly tapering muzzle. In height the animal stands about one and one-fourth feet at the shoulder, while the tail, proportionately longer than in any known member of the cat family, exceeds the length of the body almost a foot. The legs are decidedly long. mak- ing this cat the greyhound so to speak. of the feline race A more graceful and active animal it would be hard to imag- inc, and yet there is something about the animal, something in its general makeup, tha. at once reminds one of an otter or a mink. With a body like that of a dachshund, set on long, stiltliko legs, its long neck, small head and long, sweeping tail all contribute to make a very singular animal.
 That which still further gives the ani- mat an otterlike appearance is its small ears, which have somewhat backward turn. In the matter of color the Cacom- inctl cat differs from the general run of cats in being of a rather dark maltese color or, more properly speaking, the color is pretty much the same shade as the domestic maltese cat. In its habits the Cacomictl cat differs from other fe- lines as much as in color and in form. The Non is the king not only of cats but of beasts in general; the tiger is 3 butcher on a large scale; the lynx Is a sort of bird collector and rabbit fam cier; the serval Is a high-jumped and all- around athlete, but Felis Cacomictl deals exclusively in Ash. The habitat of the CacomiStl cat is along the banks of the Rio Gfande River, in both Mexico and Texas, from the mouth up to about Eagle Pass. and extends north and south into the interior of the two only short dist ance.
 They are nocturnal animals, hiding away during the daytime in dens which they make for themselves .n the dense mat of tall grass growing from the rich soil of the river banks, but coming out at night to fish. This the Cacomictl cat does by proving along the bank and perching himself on the trunk of tree overhanging the water, in much the same way that a domestic cat watches a rat hole, waiting until some unlucky fish appears on the surface, when, with a spring almost as quick as a bolt of light ming, he plunges into the water, seizez the fish and swims ashore to devour his prey. In the water the Cacomictl cat Is quite In his element. With his long, sin uous. otterlike body. he swims with per feet ease and grace, while his short close. smooth pelage offers no resistance to the fluid through which he moves with such surprising rapidity Tn fact, he is one member of the cat family that not only does not object to going into the water. but rather prefers 1t to the land. Just the same, he Is none the less of a genuine cat on that account. He splits and yowls and uses his teeth and sharp claws just as other cats do, and Is as difficult to tame as the worst tiger that ever lived.
 From the home of the Cacomictl cat down through Mexico and South Amer ica as far as Paraguay there are other cats that are varieties of variations Of the Feiis Cacomictl, although none of them is quite like the former The chief A. AhaA IA 1. are more cat and less otter than the Rio Grande variety. Of these one is the Eyra cat. another very rare and recently dis covered animal that succeeds the Cacom- fctl cat in Northern Mexico and ranges south through the latter country into South Mexico. In South America the Eyra cat Is succeeded by the Yaguarondi eat which ranges down into Paraguay. but no further.
 The Eyra cat Is not quite so large as the Cacomtcti cat, has a heavier and more cat-iike head and ears, shorter legs. more robust body and a shorter tail. The Bead, shoulders and neck are a bright eliYe yellow, shading into reddish buff and then into a sort of reddish brtndled Maltese over the back and Hanks The Eeiis Yaguarondi of South America is A Wine larger than either of the former and resembles tho ocelot in form and habits. It is of dull, brownish color The last two, like the first, are also night anknals. but prey more upon birds poul- try, small animals. etc., than they do upon fish and seldom go about the water.
 The Yaguarondi cat was first discover cd by the old Jesuit naturalist Azara at the time that order was engaged in set ting up missions for the Indians in par- aguay and Brazil. and he gave it the name that 1t now bears He describes it In his book on the fauna of La Plata valley, and when the scientific men who some sixty years ago accompanied the survey of the Southern Pacific Railroad and the Mexican boundary survey heard from the natives of the Rio Grande val ley of the existence of the Cacomtctl cat they concluded from It's description that it was Azara's Yaguarondl cat and SD