CALIFORNIA RING-TAILED CAT. Bassariscus astutus raptor (Baird)

Field characters.—Body slender and tail long, the two of about equal length; general bulk that of house cat; ears broad, scantily haired; head and body 13-1/2 to 15-1/2 inches (346-396 mm.), tall 13-3/4—15-1/2 inches (350-392 mm.), ear about 1-3/4 inches (45-47 mm.); weight 28-39 ounces (0.8-1.1 kg.). Body coloration drab brown, shaded with black on back; under surface white; tail full-haired, with alternate rings of black and white; a narrow black ring around eye, this nearly surrounded by white.

Occurrence.—Moderately common resident in Upper Sonoran Zone on west slope of Sierra Nevada. Recorded from Pleasant Valley eastward to El Portal; also taken in one verified instance on floor of Yosemite Valley. Inhabits rocky and brushy places, usually near streams.

The California Ring-tailed Cat, as might be inferred from its general scheme of coloration and particularly from its zoned tail, is a relative of the raccoon. In early days it was known commonly as 'miner's cat,' because many of the gold-seekers in the Sierras kept the animal as a free roaming pet to rid their cabins of native mice. It has less often been called 'civet cat,' a doubly unfortunate choice of name, first, because the ring-tail is in no wise related to the Old World civets; second, because this particular name is locally applied by trappers to our Spotted Skunk. The ring-tail is not at all nearly related in either structure or habits to the cat family.

In the fall and early winter of 1914 trappers in the vicinity of El Portal captured a number of Ring-tailed Cats; the species seemed to be common in the nearby cañons. One specimen was taken by our party at Pleasant Valley on May 27, 1915; and in early February of 1920 Mr. F. S. Townsley obtained an individual in Yosemite Valley.

The California Ring-tailed Cat is of rather gentle demeanor, and hence a desirable animal to keep as a pet. In the wild it seldom causes any concern to people resident in the territory where it occurs, for its prey is almost entirely the smaller native animals. Occasionally in dusty places the small, somewhat cat-like tracks of the Ring-tailed Cat may be seen in the early morning, showing where it has been hunting abroad at night in search of wood rats, white-footed mice, and similar game. It spends the daytime in small caves among rocks or in the hollows of logs or trees.