43 o THE CARNIVORES 



The desert and waved cats have a particular interest in relation to the origin of 

 the domestic cats of India, since it appears that the former interbreeds with domestic 

 cats, many of which, in the regions inhabited by the desert-cat, are spotted in a 

 nearly similar manner. In regard to the waved cat, Mr. Blanford remarks that 

 ' ' nothing especial is known of the habits, and it is far from improbable that speci- 

 mens of the present form are merely descendants of tame cats that have run wild. 

 The converse is, however, equally probable, that this is the aboriginal race from 

 which Indian domestic cats, and possibly those from other countries, are derived ; 

 and the circumstance- that skins from parts of India so distant from each other 

 as Nipal, Rajputana, and Kashmir, are precisely similar, is in favor of the latter 

 view." 



DOMESTIC CATS 



In the course of our survey of the last few species it has been incidentally 

 mentioned that the domestic cats of various countries interbreed with, and more 

 or less closely resemble in coloration, some of the species of wild cats inhabit- 

 ing the same districts. It has also been mentioned that the ancient Egyptians were 

 in the habit of taming and training the wild caff re cat of their own country, which 

 has been regarded by many authorities as the ancestral stock from which were de- 

 rived the domesticated cats of Europe. 



Without committing ourselves definitely to any one view, we confess that we 

 are inclined to follow those who consider the caffre cat as the original parent stock 

 of the domesticated breeds of Europe, but that, as suggested by Mr. Blyth, there 

 has probably been at least in many districts, a large amount of subsequent crossing 

 of the original domestic breed with the wild cat. We are further disposed to believe 

 that the domesticated cats of India may have had a totally independent origin from 

 those of Europe, and we would also incline to the view that either the desert-cat or 

 the waved cat (if the latter be a truly wild species) may have been the original 

 parent stock from which they were derived. The common occurrence of spotted 

 domestic cats in India such being comparatively rare in Europe is, indeed, 

 highly suggestive of an origin from one or more of the numerous spotted wild 

 species now inhabiting that country, while the general prevalence of "tabbies" in 

 Europe is in favor of their origin from the caffre cat, with more or less intercrossing 

 with the wild cat. It is, of course, possible that the prevalence of spotted domestic 

 cats in India may be solely due to the effects of crossing with their wild compatriots, 

 but the former is certainly the most natural view. Without going into the question 

 of the origin of the domestic cats of other regions, we think, then, that, on the 

 whole, the evidence shows that all those of Europe and Asia have not been derived 

 from one single parent stock. 



Having said thus much as to the probable origin of domestic cats, we pass on to 

 consider briefly some of the most important and well marked of their breeds. Be- 

 fore doing so we may, however, quote with advantage a passage from the writings 

 of Professor Mivart, pointing out the services which the cat confers on the human 

 race. "The domestic cat." observes this writer, "is an animal so common and 



