CONCERNING CATS. 175 



were formerly made " (Bailey). "• Cot gase " (refuse wool). 

 "■ Cat" no doubt was a corruption of "cot." 



Cat-pear. — A pear, shaped like a hen's tgg, that ripens 

 in October. 



Cat pellet. — The pop-gun of boys, one pellet of paper 

 driving out the other. Davis in his "Glossary" thinks it 

 means " tip-cat." Probably it may be the sharpened piece of 

 wood, not the game, that is different altogether, he quotes. 



" Who beats the boys from cat pellet, and stool ball." 



British Bellman^ 1648. 



Cat-salt. — A salt obtained from butter. 



Cat-salt. — "A sort of salt beautifully granulated, formed 

 out of the bittern or leach brine, used for making hard 

 s oap. " — Encyclopcedia. 



Cafs-eye. — A precious stone, resembling, when polished, 

 the eye of a cat. It has lately become fashionable. 



A large collection of Burmese, Indian, and Japanese 

 curiosities was lately sold by auction. The great attraction 

 of the sale was "The Hindoo Lingam God," consisting of a 

 chrysoberyl cafs-eye fixed in a topaz, and mounted in a 

 pyramidal base studded with diamonds and precious stones. 

 This curious relic stood 2^ inches in height. It was preserved 

 for more than a thousand years in an ancient temple at 

 Delhi, where acts of devotion were paid before it by women 

 anxious to have children. The base is of solid gold, and 

 around it are set nine gems or charms, a diamond, ruby, 

 sapphire, chrysoberyl cafs-eye, coral, pearl, hyacinthine garnet, 

 yellow sapphire, and emerald. Round the apex of this gold 

 pyramid is a plinth set with diamonds. On the apex is a 

 topaz I io-i6ths inch in length, and 9-i6ths of an inch 

 in depth, shaped like a horseshoe ; in the centre of the horse- 

 shoe the great chrysoberyl cafs-eye stands upright. This is 

 i5-i6ths of an inch in height, and dark brown in colour, and 

 shaped like a pear. An extremely mobile opalescent light 

 crosses the length of the stone in an oblique direction. When 



