508 THE CAT. [CHAP. xiv. 



more or less significant structural relations with, the anatomy of 

 the cat mammals to which reference will have to be made in the 

 following chapter. 



9. The next and last point to be considered in studying the 

 cat's hexicology, concerns its RELATIONS WITH OTHER LIVING BEINGS. 



Living beings may affect each other's existence in a variety of 

 ways, as food, as rivals, as indirect friends, or as direct enemies. 



Now, in the first place, the Felidce, as essentially carnivorous 

 animals, can only live where they can find such other animals as 

 may be necessary for their food ; and, accordingly, it is where land 

 animals are most abundant, that the most numerous and largest 

 kinds of the cat family are found. Certain kinds of cats also are, 

 as we have seen, of arboreal habits ; and the presence or absence of 

 forests will very importantly affect the existence here or there of 

 such forms. 



The markings of cats have been supposed to be useful to them in 

 various ways in their relations with other animals. The vertical 

 stripes of the tiger resemble the vertical shadows of the grasses of 

 the jungle amongst which it lurks, and may so aid its concealment 

 and allow its prey to approach it unsuspectingly and fatally. The 

 scattered spots of the leopard agree with the scattered spots of 

 shadow amongst the foliage of the trees on the boughs of which it 

 lies in wait. Similarly the hue of the lion has been thought to be 

 useful to it in sandy plains. All this is no doubt true, but a multi- 

 tude of instances are to be found in nature in which shapes, colours, 

 and markings are most noticeable, but yet do not answer any purpose 

 of the kind above referred to, and therefore to regard such relations 

 as the main causes by which these markings have been brought 

 about would be to rest in an explanation fundamentally inadequate. 



Animals stand to each other in the relation of rivalry where they 

 each consume the same kind of food and thus tend to starve each 

 other. Such a rivalry must evidently exist between different kinds 

 of cats, and so prevent the coexistence of many kinds or many indi- 

 viduals of the same kind in the same locality. 



Living creatures may unintentionally act a friendly part to one 

 another ; inasmuch as animals of one kind may destroy creatures 

 which are inimical to the existence of another kind, and thus every 

 animal which destroys creatures which prey upon feline animals of 

 course benefits the latter. Again, whatever creature tends to render 

 abundant the food of another creature is of course the latter's bene- 

 factor. Thus it has been observed that the presence of a certain 

 kind of clover is beneficial to cats ; inasmuch as it is useful to a 

 particular species of ^ humble bee, the nests of which favour the 

 existence of mice, which again are the food of cats. Did we know 

 the analogous inter-relations which exist between the living creatures 

 of tropical forests, we should doubtless come upon many curious cross 

 relations and interdependencies of a similar kind, affecting their 

 feline population. 



But various kinds of cats seem to have other cats for their direct 



