PHI AND THETA 39 



herself alone among strangers, and in the presence of 

 a rather terrible dog, she summoned up her courage 

 and stood bravely on the defensive. Nature has taught 

 the cat how to make up for small size and weakness, 

 by pluck and nimbleness. In those early days Phi 

 learned that a cat's claws are sharp and a dog's nose 

 tender. 



In presence of a dangerous animal the cat arches 

 her back and erects her tail. This increases her 

 apparent size, and is calculated to strike terror into the 

 enemy. It is curious that the cat assumes very nearly 

 the same attitude when she comes into the room, or 

 sees the family enter. Now her object is to attract 

 attention, and with this end in view, she rubs herself 

 against your legs or your chair, and purrs. The 

 similarity of the attitude assumed under such ex- 

 tremely different circumstances may be explained by 

 supposing that apparent increase of size is useful, 

 either to inspire terror or to attract friendly notice. 

 It seems to me a little discordant with Darwin's 

 Principle of Antithesis, which is, that gestures 

 appropriate to a strongly marked state of mind will 

 be reversed when the state of mind is reversed, and 

 this whether the reversed gestures are serviceable or 

 not. 1 



Where is Angora, and what is the history of the 

 Angora cat ? It is a proof of a want of curiosity about 

 certain kinds of facts that very few people can ever 

 tell where Angora is, though the name is so familiar. 

 Put the question in your own family-circle, and see 

 how many know. Angora is in the central highlands 

 1 Expression of the Emotions, Ch. II. 



