346 ON THE PHILOPROGENITIVENESS OP THE CAT. 



upon their fluidity than their nutritious properties, would, were facts wanting on 

 the other side, go far to give weight to the opinion of capillary attraction being 

 a main cause of the ascent of sap in the branches. 



The vital energy must be considered as indispensably necessary for the proper 

 regulation and the continuance of the propelling action, and in conjunction with 

 this must be taken into consideration the influence of the absorption of sap from 

 below, consequent upon the continual exhalation of moisture from the surfaces of 

 the leaves, &c. I shall not at all enter upon the second query, as I have not 

 sufficient information to lead me to adopt the conclusion intimated in your cor- 

 respondent's question. 



York, July 19, 1837- E. 



ON THE PHILOPROGENITIVENESS OF THE CAT. 

 By W. R. Scott, 



Corresp. Memb. of the Edinbuagk Phrenological Society. 



The instinct for the love of young is very strongly exhibited in many of the 

 lower animals, but a rather rare manifestation of it met my observation a few 

 days ago, an account of which may not be altogether uninteresting to the readers 

 of The Naturalist. I have been shewn a Cat nursing four young Rabbits with 

 two of her own offspring, and becoming to them a careful and affectionate foster- 

 mother. Soon after she had brought forth her own progeny a nest of young Rab- 

 bits was found by the person to whom she belongs, and as she had before shown 

 some affection for the young of other animals at a similar interesting period, it 

 was thought possible that she might not withhold her kindness from these helpless 

 sucklings. They were put beside her young, and she has ever since bestowed 

 upon them all the attention of a careful and watchful mother. They have been 

 now with her between three and four weeks, and are all doing very well. 



I mentioned that she had previously shown some wish to extend her affections 

 to the young of other animals at a time when she had kittens. This makes the 

 case yet more interesting. She has thrice had young, and at each of these times 

 has indicated a strongly-excited Philoprogenitiveness. The first time she brought 

 a puppy to the place where she had her young, and wished to adopt it as one of 

 her own, taking every means to induce it to suck. The next time she brought 

 a young Lapwing (Vanellus gavia), which was running in an adjoining garden, 

 and placed it in a box with her kittens. This child of her adoption, however, 

 could not rest satisfied with its new mode of life, and as often as she put it into 

 her nest, so often it lept out. This was allowed to continue until the people of 

 the house were sufficiently amused with the curiosity, when the bird was taken 



