of Animals to secure Warmth. 499 



a short tail, which, when bent over the back, Only reaches to 

 the shoulder, while it is thick, or rather broad, and does not 

 taper, but ends bluntly, as if a portion had been cut off. 



M. Temminck, looking at these distinctions, and also at the 

 great difference of size the wild being a third larger than the 

 domestic cat is of opinion that they are decidedly different 

 species; and he is disposed to consider a new species (Felix 

 maniculata) recently sent from Nubia by M. Ruppel, as the 

 original of the domestic cat *, which opinion would accord 

 with the above remarks respecting its impatience of cold. 

 Linnaeus and Buffon seem to have been among the first to 

 confound these two species, though the latter was aware of 

 the remarkable difference in the length of their intestines ; 

 those in the wild cat being only thrice the length of the body, 

 proving it to be purely carnivorous, while those of the domestic 

 cat are much longer, being nine times the length of the body, 

 proving it to be able to subsist on a portion of vegetable food, 

 and, accordingly, we find that our cats are very fond of boiled 

 greens, &c., which it is probable no wild cat would touch. 

 That these changes are not caused by domestication, is proved 

 by no such difference appearing in the intestines of the wild 

 boar and the pig, and by domestic animals being always in- 

 creased rather than diminished in size when compared with 

 their known wild originals. To enter more minutely into this, 

 however, would lead me too far from my immediate subject ; 

 but it may be worth mentioning, that the domestic cat is only 

 of recent introduction in the higher northern latitudes, as in 

 Sweden f and Norway J, while they are not yet introduced 

 into Lapland . 



From the chinchilla (Chinchilla lanigera), being a native of 

 Chili, it was inferred that, like the cat, it might be pleased to 

 lie warm, and a piece of flannel was accordingly given to one 

 in the collection of the Zoological Society ; but, instead of 

 lying upon it as a cat would have done, it always pulled it 

 about, and dragged it to the outer division of its cage. It is 



* Temminck, Mammalogie, No. iv. sp. 17. 



t Linnaeus, Faxina Suecica. J Pontoppidan, Nat. Hist. Norw. ii. 18. 



6 Zimmermann, Specilegia Zool. Geograph. p. 172. 



