THE WILD CAT OF BRITAIN. 167 



with the masters of the king's hounds ; they were called 



Beaumont and Fletcher in The Scornful Lady allude to 

 the hunting of cats in the line, 



Bring out the cat-hounds, I'll make you take a tree. 



But although large and ferocious, the wild cat was not 

 considered a match for some of the lesser animals, for in 

 Salmon's "English Physician," 1693, we read that Ihe 

 weasel is an enemy to ravens, crows, and cats, and although 

 cats may sometimes set upon them, yet they can scarcely 

 overcome them." „ 



Nevertheless, we find in Daniel's " Rural Sports, 1813, 

 that " Wildcats formerly were an object oi sport to huntsmen. 

 Thus, Gerard Camvile, 6 John, had special licence to hunt 

 the hare, fox, and wild cat, throughout all the King's >-^^/^ ; 

 and 23 Henry III., Earl Warren, by givmg Simon de 

 Pierpont a goshawk, obtained leave to hunt the buck, doe, 

 hart, hind, hare, fox, goat, cat, or any other wild beast, in 

 certain lands of Simon's. But it was not for diversion alone 

 that this animal was pursued ; for the skin was much used by 

 the nuns in their habits, as a/z/r." . , „ ,r c 



Still it appears from Mr. Charles Darwin's Voyage of 

 the Beagle," that tastes vary. " Doctor Shaw was laughed at 

 for stating the flesh of the lion is in great esteem, having no 

 small affinity with veal, both in the colour, taste, and flavour. 

 Such certainly is the case with the puma. The Guachos 

 difl'er in their opinion whether the jaguar is good eating ; but 

 were unanimous in saying the cat is excelle?ity _ 



It is also stated that the Chinese fatten and eat cats with 

 considerable relish ; but of this I can obtain no reliable in- 

 formation, some of my friends from China not having heard 

 of the custom, if such it is. ^ 



Again referring to the skin of the cat, vide Strutt : in 

 the thirty-seventh year of the reign of Edward III., it was 

 decreed, after enumerating the various kinds of cloth that were 

 to be worn by the nobles, knights, dames, and others, that 



