1913- Warren.— H^?7^ Cats hi Ircla7id» 95 
The following year I began trapping the rabbits, and 
from time to time the trappers caught cats of various 
colours, as large as the individual shot. However, when 
we cleared out the old stock, none of their successors were 
permitted to live long enough to attain the size and weight 
of their veteran ancestors. No doubt, a great deal has 
been talked about the Wild Cat being a native, but up 
to the present, no specimen of the Fclis catus has been 
forthcoming, Irish-killed, and with authentic information 
of date and locahty where captured. 
Some years ago, when my valued friend the late A. 
G. More was appointed Curator of the Dublin Museum, 
visiting him one day, he asked me if I would like to see a 
specimen of a Donegal Wild Cat. I repUed — " That is 
a sight I never expect to see." " Well," he said, " come 
with me to the case and I will show you a specimen of a 
cat exhibited before the Zoological Society by a well- 
known London naturahst, and afterwards presented by 
him to the DubUn Museum as a true Wild Cat captured 
in Donegal." The specimen was that of a large male 
wild-bred cat, and the only resemblance to Felis catus 
was his grey colour and size. " Why is the specimen 
kept in the case ? " I asked More. " I am going to regulate 
all the cases," he replied, " but have not had time yet 
to attend to this case, and turn out this impostor to the 
scrap heap." 
Here is an instance of a well-known London naturalist 
being mistaken, and probably led astray by the idle tales 
of country people. 
Dr. Scharff refers to that interesting book by Maxwell — 
Wild Sports of the West, as some evidence of the Wild 
Cat being a native (Maxwell's book was pubhshed as far 
back as 1832) and quotes several passages from it respecting 
Wild Cats, which I have been aware of for over fifty years, 
but I have never credited them as evidence of the Wild Cat 
being a native, always considering that the cats spoken of 
were the wild-bred house cats run wild, and living and 
breeding in rabbit warrens ; also, the cat mentioned as 
mauHng the rabbit -catcher so badly could well be an old 
