DOMESTIC CATS. 1 57 



Cat just described, they could not be specifically separated 

 from that form, and one name should be applied to both. As 

 a matter of fact, it is, however, much more probable that 

 Domestic Cats have a complex origin, and that the Wild Cats 

 of each country have had more or less to do with the origin 

 of the domesticated breeds found there. Consequently, when 

 we speak of Domestic Cats as forming a species, such species 

 must be regarded as being what may be termed a convergent 

 one. 



That the African Caffre Cat, together with the Leopard-Cat, 

 Rusty-spotted Cat, and Desert Cat of India, will freely breed 

 with Domestic Cats has been well ascertained ; and the same 

 is true of the Wild Cat of Europe. It has been already men- 

 tioned that the CarTre Cat was tamed by the ancient Egyptians, 

 and that from the dark colour of the sole of the hind-foot, and 

 the comparatively long tail, this species was probably the chief 

 ancestral stock of the domesticated Cats of Europe. The 

 Domestic Cats of China, have, however, been regarded as 

 originating from an exclusively Asiatic source, and the same 

 has been suggested for those of India. It may be remarked 

 here that in Europe, before the introduction of a Persian 

 strain, " Tabby " Cats, that is, those with dark trans- 

 verse markings, were the most common in Western Europe, 

 whereas in India they are quite unknown. This suggests 

 most strongly that whilst in Europe, the original stock has 

 been largely crossed with the Wild Cat, in India, where 

 Domestic Cats are generally spotted, it is more probable that 

 the Desert Cat {F. ornata), described in the sequel, has been, 

 to a great extent, or entirely, the parent stock. That the 

 European Wild Cat was not the direct descendant of the 

 domesticated breeds of the western part of that continent is 

 rendered pretty evident by its short and clubbed tail, to say 

 nothing of the absence of dark soles to the hind-feet. 



