The Book of Cats, 1 05 



world, and he suggests that this deficiency may be 

 due to an accident originally, but perpetuated by 

 interbreeding. I am not quite of the same opinion. 

 It reminds one of the old saying, " It runs in the 

 blood, like wooden legs." 



I recollect the case of a young gentleman who 

 devoted his leisure evenings to cutting off Cats' 

 tails in the neighbourhood in which he lived. He 

 hung them up in bunches to dry, and had rare 

 sport, while it lasted, in making the collection, only 

 some one, who was a Cat-owner, did not see the 

 fun of it, and put an end to the joke. Some 

 young men think it a manly sport to kill or hunt 

 down Cats ; and, by the way, do you remember 

 Sir Robert Peel's memorable speech about the 

 Volunteers, thus reported in Hansard? — 



" At Hythe the first prize was carried off 

 by a genuine Cockney. Upon being asked how 

 he had acquired his extraordinary skill and pre- 

 cision — 



'' * Oh,' said he, as reported in the columns of the 

 Court yournal, ' I live in London, and have had con- 

 siderable practice in shooting at the Cats of my 

 Brompton neighbours.' 



" It was not, perhaps, of much consequence in 

 the depth of winter (continued Sir R. Peel), but no 



