172 LLOYD’S NATURAL HISTORY. 
its disposition, and endowed with, in proportion to its size, 
singular strength and activgggy of body, the Wild Cat is now the 
only really formidable wild animal to be met with in the 
British Islands, where it always inhabits wooded, and generally 
mountainous, districts. Inthe most secluded and inaccessible 
parts of such regions the Wild Cat makes its lair, which may 
be situated either in some dense thicket, in the hollow stem of 
a decayed tree, or in a cleft or crevice of the rocks, and rears 
its young. Sometimes, however, the female selects in pre- 
ference the deserted hole of a Badger or Fox in which to 
litter ; and we have heard of the nest of one of the larger birds 
being chosen as a nursery. The young, which are born during 
the early summer, are usually five or six in number, and closely 
resemble ordinary domestic kittens. After being suckled by 
the female till such a period as milk no longer satisfies the 
needs of their appetites, they are fed by her on Mice and 
small birds until they are capable of taking care of themselves 
and capturing larger prey, when they are freed from parental 
control. 
Those who have had experience of game and game-pre- 
serving are well acquainted with the enormous amount of 
damage that an ordinary Domestic Cat, which has taken 
either to occasional poaching or to a thoroughly wild life, will 
inflict on the denizens of their coverts, moors, or warrens. 
From its larger size and more powerful build, the Wild Cat is 
a still more serious enemy to game of all kinds; while in the 
neighbourhood of human habitations it is likewise a foe to 
poultry and pigeons. No wonder, therefore, that gamekeepers 
wage incessant war against the Wild Cat, shooting and trap- 
ping it whenever the opportunity presents itself; indeed, the 
marvel is that the creature has managed to survive as long as 
it has. From the extreme boldness and ferocity of its dis- 
position, an angry and wounded Wild Cat, when brought to 
