Felis Chaus by Lizars, 1835

Felis Chaus engraved by William Home Lizars,1835.

Felis chaus, also known as the jungle cat, is a medium sized cat found in Egypt and throughout West, Central and Southeast Asia. In India it is the most common of all the small cats. It can be found in savannas, tropical dry forests, and along reedbeds. The jungle cat is somewhat larger than a domestic cat and has claws of equal length, unlike the domestic cat which has hind claws longer than those on the forepaws. This allows Felis chaus to easily climb up and down trees. On the International Union for Conservation of Nature's "Red List of Threatened Species," the jungle cat has a status of least concern because of its widespread range. However some subspecies in certain locations are considered endangered due to rapid declines in population.

William Home Lizars (1788-1859) was the son of copperplate engraver and printer Daniel Lizars. He studied first under his father and then from 1802-5 he studied painting under John Graham at the Trustee's Academy in Edinburgh. Lizars hoped to make his career as a painter and several of his portraits and genre scenes were exhibited upon leaving school. Unfortunately the death of his father in 1812 required him to set painting aside so that he could run the family business. After making a name for himself as a bank note printer, he became a prolific book engraver. 

This hand-colored print is Plate No. 32 from The Naturalist's Library: Mammalia Volume III, by Sir William Jardine (1800-1874). The work was a forty volume set published by Lizars from 1833-43. It was divided into four sections, ornithology, mammalia, entomology, and ichthyology. Mammalia was the second largest section of the work, being comprised of thirteen volumes altogether.