230 The Book of Cats. 



those of other animals. The rounded head and 

 pointed ears, the long, lithe body, covered with fine 

 silky hair, and often beautifully marked ; the silent, 

 stealthy step, occasioned by treading only on the 

 fleshy ball of the foot ; the sharp, retractile claws, 

 the large, lustrous eyes, capable, from the expansive 

 power of the pupil, of seeing in the dark ; the 

 whiskered lip, the trenchant, carnivorous teeth, and 

 the tongue covered with recurved, horny prickles, 

 are common to all. 



In their habits and manners of life they are 

 equally akin : they inhabit the forest and the brake, 

 sleeping away the greater part of their time, and 

 only visiting the glade and open plain when pressed 

 by hunger. They are for the most part nocturnal 

 in their habits, being guided to their prey by their 

 peculiar power of vision, by their scent, and by 

 their hearing, which is superior to that of most 

 other animals. Naturally, they are strictly carni- 

 vorous, not hunting down their prey by a pro- 

 tracted chase, like the wolf and dog, but by lying 

 in wait, or by moving stealthily with their supple 

 joints and cushioned feet till within spring of their 

 victims, on which they dart with a growl, as if the 

 muscular effort of the moment were painful even 

 to themselves. Whether the attack be that of a 



