THE CAT FAMILY— DOMESTIC CAT. 



105 



the yard to a hay-shed. Soon she appeared in the 

 door of the upper story carrying in her mouth a 

 Kitten, which she dropped down upon a bundle of 

 hay. Three other Kittens followed in like manner 

 and were made welcome and petted. It proved that 

 the Cat had no more milk to give her young ones, 

 and in her dilemma bethought herself of the people 

 who gave her food. 



Pechuel-Loesche had a Cat which had struck up a 

 friendship with an old Parrot, and would always go 

 to it when the bird called its name: "Ichabod." 

 When the Parrot interrupted the Cat's slumbeis by 

 biting its tail the latter never showed the least resent- 

 ment. The two friends were fond of sitting together 

 at the window, looking out at the passing sights. 



In my native village a friend of mine lost a little 

 Robin Redbreast and in a few days his Cat brought 

 it back in its mouth unharmed. Thus it had not 

 only recognized the bird, but caught it with the 

 intention of pleasing its mastet. Therefore I also 

 believe the following story to be true: A Cat lived 

 on very good terms with a Canary bird and fre- 

 quently played with it. 

 One day it suddenly 

 rushed at it, took it in 

 its mouth and growling 

 climbed up on a desk. 

 The terrified owner, on 

 looking around, per- 

 ceived a strange Cat in 

 the room. Pussy had 

 distrusted her sister and 

 thought it best to res- 

 cue her friend from the 

 other Cat's clutches. 



Great F r o m all 

 Usefulness these a c - 

 ofthe Cat. counts we 

 must conclude that Cats 

 are deserving of the 

 friendship of Man, and 

 that the time has come 

 at last to correct the un- 

 just opinions and preju- 

 dices many people hold 

 against them. Besides, 

 the usefulness of Cats 

 ought to be taken more 

 into account. He who 

 has never lived in an 

 old, tumble-down house, 

 overrun with Rats and Mice, does not know the 

 real value of a good Cat. But when one has lived 

 with this destructive plague for years and has seen 

 how powerless Man is against it, when one has 

 suffered da)' after day from some fresh mischief and 

 has become thoroughly enraged at the detestable 

 rodents, then he gradually comes to the conclusion 

 that the Cat is one of the most important domestic 

 animals, and deserves not only tolerance and care, 

 but love and gratitude. The mere presence of a Cat 

 ir! the house is sufficient to render the impudent 

 rodents ill-humored and inclined to desert the place. 

 The Beast of Prey pursuing them at every step, seiz- 

 ing them by the neck before they have become 

 aware of its presence, inspires them with a whole- 

 some terror; they prefer moving away from a locality 

 defended in this way, and even if they remain, the 

 Cat soon gains a victory over them. 



Mice of all kinds, notably house and field Mice, 

 arc the preferred game of the Cat, and most Cats 



will also wage war upon Rats. Young and inexpe- 

 rienced Cats catch and kill Shrews, but do not eat 

 them, as their powerful scent repels them; older Cats' 

 usually leave these odorous animals unmolested. 

 The Cat finds variety in its diet by hunting Lizards, 

 Snakes and Frogs, May-Bugs and Grasshoppers. 

 The Cat exhibits as much perseverance as dexterity 

 in its hunting. Being a Beast of Prey at heart, it is 

 also guilty of many little depredations. It destroys 

 many an awkward young bird, attacks rather grown- 

 up Hares, catches a Partridge once in awhile, lies in 

 wait for the very young Chickens in the yard, and 

 under some circumstances goes fishing. The cook 

 is usually not on speaking terms with it, for it proves 

 its domesticity by visiting the pantry whenever it 

 has a chance. But the sum total of its usefulness- 

 by far exceeds all its peccadilloes. 



Varieties The Domestic Cat (Felis maniculata do- 



of the mestica) embraces but few differing 



Domestic Cat. species. The following colorings are 



the most common: black with a white star on the 



breast; white, yellow and red; brown and striped; 



THE ANGORA CAT. — Although it is as tame and tractable as any others of the domestic Cats, the animal 

 shown in the picture has such marked differences from the more common type as to be classed as a distinct variety. 

 The fur is just as soft as that of the common Cat. but is remarkably long, and the tail is bushy, and these characteris- 



tics are well brought out in the picture. {Felis ; 



iculaia domestica angorensis.) 



bluish gray; light gray with darker stripes, or tri-col- 

 ored, with white and yellow or yellow-brownish and 

 coal-black or gray spots. The bluish gray Cats are 

 rare, the light gray ones very common. The most 

 handsome Cats have dark gray or blackish brown 

 stripes like a Tiger. It is a peculiar fact that tri- 

 colored Cats, which in some localities are regarded 

 as witches, and for this reason slain, are nearly with- 

 out exception females. 



The Angora The Angora Cat {Felis maniculata domes- 

 Cat, a Distinct tica angorensis ) is usually regarded as a 

 Variety. quite distinct variety of the domestic 

 Cats. It is one of the most beautiful Cats, distin- 

 guished by its large size and long silky hair, which is- 

 either a pure white or. assumes a yellowish, grayish 

 or mixed tinge. The lips and soles are flesh-colored. 



THE LION. 



A single glance cast at the Lion and particularly 

 at the expression of his face, suffices to make us- 



