6o 



THE LIVING ANIMALS OF THE WORLD 



When in anger, it is by no means a despicable 

 antagonist, and very few dogs would like to 

 engage in a combat with one single-handed." 



THE COMMON WILD CAT 



The WILD CAT was once fairly common 

 all over England. A curious story, obviously 

 exaggerated, shows that traditions of its 

 ferocity were common at a very early date. 

 The tale is told of the church of Barn- 

 borough, in Yorkshire, between Doncaster and 

 Barnsley. It is said that a man and a wild 

 cat met in a wood near and began to fight ; 

 that the cat drove the man out of the wood 

 as far as the church, where he took refuge 

 in the porch ; and that both the man and 

 cat were so injured that they died. Accord- 

 ing to Dr. Pearce, the event was formerly 

 commemorated by a rude painting in the 

 church. 



Mr. Charles St. John had an experience 

 with a Scotch wild cat very like that which 

 General Douglas Hamilton tells of the jungle- 

 cat. He heard many stories of their attack- 

 ing and wounding men when trapped or 

 when their escape was cut off, and before 

 long found out that these were true. " I 

 was fishing in a river in Sutherland," he 

 wrote, " and in passing from one pool to 

 another had to climb over some rocky ground. 

 In doing so, I sank almost up to my knees in 

 some rotten heather and moss, almost upon 

 a wild cat which was concealed under it. I 

 was quite as much startled as the cat itself 

 could be, when I saw the wild-looking beast 

 rush so unexpectedly from between my feet, 

 with every hair on her body on end, making 

 her look twice as large as she really was. I 

 had three small Skye terriers with me, which immediately gave chase, and pursued her 

 till she took refuge in a corner of the rocks, where, perched in a kind of recess out of reach 

 of her enemies, she stood with her hair bristled out, spitting and growling like a common 

 cat. Having no weapon with me, I laid down my rod, cut a good-sized stick, and pro- 

 ceeded to dislodge her. As soon as I was within six or seven feet of the place, she sprang 

 straight at my face over the dogs' heads. Had I not struck her in mid-air as she leaped at me, I 

 should probably have received a severe wound. As it was, she fell with her back half broken 

 among the dogs, who with my assistance dispatched her. I never saw an animal fight so desper- 

 ately, or one which was so difficult to kill. If a tame cat has nine lives, a wild cat must have 

 a dozen. Sometimes one of these animals will take up its residence at no great distance from a 

 house, and, entering the hen-roosts and outbuildings, will carry off fowls in the most audacious 

 manner, or even lambs. Like other vermin, the wild cat haunts the shores of lakes and rivers, 



Photo bj Otttmar Anscttutx\ 



SERVAL CLIMBING 



Note the active, cat-like method of climbing 



[Birlin 



