The Book of Cats. 65 



with little or no injury to itself. Its ears are not so 

 moveable as those of some other animals, but are 

 more so than in very many animals. The shape of 

 the external ear, or rather cartilaginous portion, 

 is admirably adapted to intercept sounds. The 

 natural posture is forward and outward, so as to 

 catch sounds proceeding from the front and sides. 

 The upper half, however, is moveable, and by 

 means of a thin layer of muscular fibres, it is made 

 to curv^e backwards and receive sounds from the 

 rear. Although a Cat cannot lick its face and 

 head, it nevertheless cleans these parts thoroughly ; 

 in fact, as we often observe, a Cat licks its right paw 

 for a long time, and then brushes down the corre- 

 sponding side of the head and face ; and when this 

 is accomplished, it does the same with the other 

 paw and corresponding side. 



"'A May kitten makes a dirty Cat,' is a piece 

 of Huntingdonshire folk-lore," says Mr. Cuthbert 

 Bede, " quoted to me in order to deter me- from 

 keeping a kitten that had been born in May." 



Dr. Turton says, " The Cat has a more volumin- 

 ous and expressive vocabulary than any other 

 brute ; the short twitter of complacency and affec- 

 tion, the purr of tranquility and pleasure, the mew 

 of distress, the growl of anger, and the horrible 

 F 



