THE CATS. 7 



" Some species follow their prey into the trees, as the Leopard 

 and Jaguar, and seize the Monkeys and larger birds, after they 

 have gone to rest for the night. Sometimes, says Humboldt, 

 the cry of the Jaguar comes from the tops of the trees, fol- 

 lowed by the long and sharp whistling of the Monkeys, which 

 appear to flee from the danger which threatened them ; and 

 this manner of hunting is also pursued by most of the smaller 

 Cats, which vary the size of their prey, according to their 

 strength to seize it." 



The external appearance of the Cats is so well-known and so 

 characteristic as to demand but brief notice in this place. 

 The fur with which the entire body is invested is generally 

 short, thick, and close, although frequently longer on the 

 under-parts than elsewhere ; and is always kept in the most 

 brilliant and glossy condition by constant licking and cleansing 

 with tongue and paws, as is exemplified by the care and regu- 

 larity with which the Domestic Cat " washes her face." In 

 species like the Snow-Leopard, inhabiting cold climates, the 

 fur is, however, long and almost shaggy ; and the same con- 

 dition obtains in those races of normally short-haired species 

 ranging into colder regions than ordinary, as exemplified by 

 the Siberian variety of the Tiger. The hair is, however, always 

 short on the face and paws, while it is totally wanting on the 

 tip of the nose, the lips, and the pads on the soles of the feet. 

 In the male of the Lion a large mass, or mane, of long hair 

 is developed on the head, neck, and shoulders ; and the 

 True Lynxes have an incomplete ruff of longish hair on the 

 throat, in addition to stiff pencils of elongated hairs on the 

 summit of the ears. The inside of the ear is always lined with 

 long hairs, and each side of the upper lip is furnished with a 

 dozen or so of long tapering bristle-like hairs, projecting hori- 

 zontally outwards, and known as the whiskers, or vibrissa?, the 

 function of these hairs being to act as organs of touch or per 



