DOMESTIC CATS. 163 
probable tnat the origin of the Manx Cats is due to the same 
cause. At the present day, probably owing to crossing with 
Cats introduced from the mainland, Cats with tails of all 
lengths are to be met with in the Isle of Man. 
The Mombasa Cat, from the eastern coast of Africa, near 
Zanzibar, is reported to have the fur short and stiff, instead of 
the ordinary structure. 
Finally, we have the Paraguay Cat of South America, which 
is but one-fourth the size of the ordinary domestic breed, and 
is further characterised by its elongated body, and its covering of 
short, shiny, and close-lying hair, more especially on the tail. 
In the same continent there is stated to be another breed lack- 
ing the discordant nocturnal cries which render the ordinary 
Cat such an unmitigated nuisance in all parts of the world. 
With regard to the date of the introduction of Domestic 
Cats into Europe, there is a considerable amount of uncer- 
tainty ; and it has been considered that the so-called “Cat” of 
the ancient Greeks was really the Marten. Be this as it may, 
“there can be no question,” writes Professor Mivart, ‘‘as to 
the Cat having been domesticated in Europe before the 
Christian era. There are signs that it was domesticated 
amongst the people of the Bronze period, and the supposition 
that it was first introduced into Western Europe by the Cru- 
saders, is of course an altogether erroneous one. They may, 
however, have introduced a distinct race, for if it be true that 
our Domestic Cats have mainly descended from the Egyptian 
Cat, it does not follow that blood from other sources may not 
have mingled with that of the Egyptian breed. Pope Gregory 
the Great, who lived towards the end of the sixth century, is 
said to have had a pet Cat; and Cats were often inmates of 
nunneries during the Middle Ages. The great value set upon 
the Cat at this period is shown by the laws which in Wales, 
Switzerland, Saxony, and other European countries, imposed 
M 2 
