pampas cat

Zool .: Felis pajeros ; about equal in size to the European Wild Cat ( Felis cat us ), but of stouter form, with a smaller head and a shorter tail. Fur very long, pale yellow-gray in color, with numerous irregular oblique stripes along the sides; broad black bands on legs; belly white. The specific name is from Spanish paja (=straw), from the animal frequenting reedy places. It is common over the plains on the eastern side of South America. ( Darwin : Zool . Beagle , ii. 18, 19.)