THE DOG 55 



word, animals of very determined routine. As there has 

 been no effort by breeding to change this feature, it has 

 remained in all its old ingrained intensity. 



As a consequence of the affection which cats have for par- 

 ticular places, they often return to the wilderness when by 

 chance the homes in which they have been reared are aban- 

 doned. Thus in New England, in those sections of the dis- 

 trict where many farmsteads have of late years been deserted, 

 the cats have remained about their ancient haunts and have 

 become entirely wild. In this State they are bred in such 

 numbers that their presence is now a serious menace to the 

 birds and other weaker creatures of the country. The behav- 

 ior of these feralized animals differs somewhat from that of 

 creatures which have never been tamed. They have not 

 the same immediate fear of a man, but the least effort to 

 approach them leads to their hasty flight. 



While considering the inelastic quality which is exhibited 

 by cats as compared with the dog, the naturalist notes with 

 interest the fact that the former creature belongs to a family 

 which has never been accustomed to any social life beyond 

 the limits of the family. Moreover, all the cats have the 

 habit of hunting in a solitary way, each for itself, in the 

 achievement and in the result. It is otherwise with dogs. 

 They belong to a group which hunts in packs. For ages 

 they have been used to a communal life. Their minds 

 have thus become accustomed to social intercourse ; they 

 are used to having their excitements of the chase in com- 

 radeship, and generally they are accustomed to the rough- 

 and-tumble fraternity which we behold in a pack of wolves. 

 It was long ago remarked that the really social animals are 

 those which afford the only good material for subjugation. 



