Instance of a Cat stickling young Rats. 199 



7*8 in.; in December, 6'14in. In 1833: in Jan., 2*8 in. ; in 

 Feb., 5*6 in. ; in March, 2*10 in.; in April, 2*2 in. ; in May, 

 4in.; in June, 5*12 in.; in July, 2 in. ; in August, 2*8 in.; 

 in Sept., 4*2 in.; in October, 6 in. ; in November, 8.2 in.; 

 in December, 14 in. : the sum for 1833, 59*2 in. In 1834: 

 in January, 10*12 in. ; in Feb., 3*14 in. ; in March, 5*14 in. ; 

 in April, 0*10 in. ; in May, 2'6 in. ; in June, 4*4 in. ; in July, 

 3*2 in. ; in August, 5*10 in.; in Sept., 3*10 in. ; in October, 

 4*8 in. ; in November, 5*6 in. ; in December, 4*12 in. : the 

 sum for 1834, 54*12 in. In 1835: in January, 4*2 in. ; in 

 February, 9*2 in. ; in March, 5^6 in. ; in April, 1 in. ; in May, 

 5*9 in. ; in June, 1*4 in. ; in July, 4*4 in. ; in August, 2*2 in. ; 

 in September, up to the 24th, 6*14 in. 



I have not seen any account of any other place to equal 

 this. Trees do not make much progress in a season, although 

 they ai$ quite healthy. The temperature is much lower here, 

 in general, than at about 20 miles distant, south or east; 

 which I attribute to there being so much uncultivated ground 

 in the neighbourhood: for 18 miles to the south and west, 

 and for a great distance to the north-west, there is nothing 

 but heath-clad hills, composed chiefly of granite. 



Sept. 24. 1835. — Harvest work has been suspended for 

 two weeks past by continued rain : there is much grain to cut 

 down around this place yet, and much of it has been destroyed 

 by high winds that have prevailed for a few days past. 



Art. X. Short Communications. 



Mammiferous Animals. — Affection shown by the domestic 

 Cat to the Young of other Species of Animals. — Notwithstand- 

 ing the ferocious character of domestic cats in a comparative 

 state of nature, and the cruelty which they generally manifest 

 n torturing their captured prey (especially when about half 

 grown), and revelling with delight in the quivering flesh of the 

 yet gasping victim before they devour it (which, I believe, is 

 the character, generally speaking, of the feline tribe), yet 

 they have, in many instances, been known to manifest great 

 affection for the young of different species of animals, and 

 especially of those tribes which are the peculiar objects of 

 their ferocious appetites. 



Female cats, I have frequently observed, not only possess a 

 very strong desire for the preservation of their own young, 

 but are particularly gratified in the exercise of maternal 

 duties, either to their own offspring, or to the young of other 

 species of animals. 



