74 ^he Book of Cats. 



by a river side for their prey. At other times they 

 were seen at opposite sides of the river, not far from 

 each other, on the look out for game. 



A writer in the Plymouth Journal, June 1828, 

 says : — " There is now at the battery, on the Devil's 

 Point, a Cat which is an expert catcher of the finny 

 tribe, being in the constant habit of diving into the 

 sea and bringing up the fish alive in her mouth, 

 and depositing them in the guard room for the use 

 of the sailors. She is now seven years old, and has 

 long been a useful caterer. It is supposed that her 

 pursuit of the water-rats first taught her to venture 

 into the water, to which it is well known Puss has 

 a natural aversion. She is now as fond of the water 

 as a Newfoundland dog, and takes her regular 

 peregrinations along the rocks at its edge, looking 

 out for her game ready to dive for it at a mo- 

 ment's notice." 



Talking of the Cat's fondness for fish, I should, 

 however, mention, that if a plate of meat and a 

 plate of fish, either raw or cooked, be placed before 

 the generality of Cats, they will be found almost 

 always to choose the meat. 



It is usually supposed that a tortoiseshell Tom is 

 an impossibility. The animal is certainly rare, as 

 is also a Queen Anne's farthing ; but it is not 



