MISCELLANEOUS XOTES. 



419 



Recapitulation. 



Secunderabad, Deccan. 



W. GAYE. 



IV.— MEMORY versus REASON IN CATS. 



The following incidents connected with a Persian cat of mine seems to show 

 that some cats at least do not reason, though they possess and exercise 

 memory. 



Incident No. 1. — The cat had two kittens in the corner of a bed room not in 

 use. She was seen by me the day before yesterday to pass through the dining 

 room with one kitten in her mouth, changing her quarters evidently. I 

 followed to see where she would lie up, and found she had chosen a corner of the 

 writing room. As she had only fetched one kitten I thought I would save her 

 the trouble of going back for number two, so went and brought it. As I 

 returned and got near her place the kitty mewed and the mother came to 

 meet me. I handed her the little one and she took it in her mouth and laid it 

 down beside number one and coiled herself up alongside. I returned to the 

 dining room and in about ten minutes she trotted passed me back to the old 

 corner in the first room and commenced a vigorous mewing and search as if she 

 had remembered that she had left a kitten there, and had not carried it away. 

 She returned in a great state of excitement to the kittens, sniffed them, lay 



