22 



Quadrupeds. 



often sitting stroking their faces with their paws, as if 

 washing themselves. 



In the eye of the Cat, the pupil is perpendicularly 

 oval, extending from above downwards, and when con- 

 tracted appears like a straight line. This conformation 

 is suited to the habits of these animals, for they are not 

 content with prowling along the ground, but occasion- 

 ally spring to great heights, their heads being directed 

 upwards, and their eyes placed in front and more nearly 

 parallel. This structure of the eyes occurs in all the 

 Cat tribe. 



THE WILD CAT. (Felis CatusJ 



THE WILD CAT is a native of the forests of Europe, and 

 was formerly abundant in Britain, but is now confined 

 to some of the wilder parts of this country. It is a 

 stouter and more powerful animal than the domestic 

 Cat, and is of a greyish colour with black stripes, some- 

 thing like an ordinary tabby. It is a fierce creature, 

 and is very destructive to birds and small quadrupeds. 



