The Book of Cats. 1 5 i 



victory seemed to favour the nearly exhausted 

 mother, and she availed herself of the advantage ; 

 for, by an instantaneous exertion, she laid the hawk 

 motionless beneath her feet, and, as if exulting in 

 the victory, tore off the head of the vanquished 

 tyrant. Disregarding the loss of her eye, she imme- 

 diately ran to the bleeding kitten, licked the wounds 

 inflicted by the hawk's talons on its tender sides, 

 purring while she caressed her liberated offspring, 

 with the same maternal affection as if no danger 

 had assailed them or their affectionate parent." 



A lady writer says : — 



" Soon after I came to Middlehill, a small 

 tortoise-shell Cat met my children on the road, 

 and followed them home. They, of course, when 

 they saw her, petted and stroked her, and showed 

 their inclination to become friends. She is one of 

 the smallest and most active of full grown Cats I 

 ever saw. From the first she gave evidences of 

 being of a wild and predatory disposition, and 

 made sad havoc among the rabbits, squirrels, and 

 birds. I have several times seen her carrying 

 along a rabbit half as big as herself Many would 

 exclaim, that, for so nefarious a deed, she ought to 

 have been shot ; but I confess to having the feel- 

 ings of the unsophisticated Arab, the descendant of 



