WILD CAT AND DOMESTIC CAT. 39 



of the body, and whitish beneath. The head is round, 

 the ears short and somewhat pointed, and the eyes large. 

 The tail is about two feet in length. 



Margay. In Guiana, Brazil, and other parts of South 

 America, this animal has the name of Tiger-cat. Its 

 habits and its voice nearly resemble those of a wild cat : 

 but it is not capable of being tamed. It resides chiefly in 

 trees, where it preys on birds and other small game ; and 

 its activity, in leaping about among the branches, is ex- 

 tremely great. The females produce their young ones, 

 usually two in number, in the hollows of the trees. 



The Margay is about the size of a large cat. The body 

 is tawny on the upper parts, marked with black streaks 

 and spots ; and on the under parts whitish. 



Wild Cat and Domestic Cat. There is no quadruped 

 which inhabits the British islands, so ferocious, so power- 

 ful, or so destructive, as the Wild Cat. It is, at present, 

 unknown in the cultivated parts of the country ; but is 

 yet, occasionally, to be seen in the woods which border 

 the lakes of Westmorland and Cumberland. In the 

 mountainous parts of Scotland, Wild Cats are still very 

 numerous. They reside in the crevices of rocks, and 

 sometimes in hollow trees, but generally in places inac- 

 cessible to man. Their food consists of birds, and every 

 other kind of animal, .'which, by stratagem, speed, or 

 strength, they are able to overcome. Even among lambs 

 and poultry they are oftentimes known to commit great 

 depredations. The Wild Cat has, with propriety, been 

 denominated the " British Tiger." These animals breed 

 three or four times in the year, and produce from three 

 to six young ones at a litter. 



The Common Cat is nothing more than the wild species 



