240 The Book of Cats. 



monkeys, it may be conjectured that the Colocolo 

 is in the habit of procuring its food at the expense 

 of the monkey tribes. Of the tiger-cat in Africa, 

 the Serval may be taken as the type : it is about two 

 feet long, exclusive of the tail, which measures nine 

 inches, and is a foot in height at the shoulders. Its 

 upper parts are clear yellow, and its under parts 

 white, and its entire body is spotted with black. 

 Among the Dutch settlers it is known as " Bosch- 

 katte," or " Bush-cat." It is an inoffensive creature, 

 not easily irritated, and behaving generally like our 

 own familiar grimalkin. 



The wild Cat of Ireland would seem to be quite 

 as savage a fellow as his Scotch cousin. In Max- 

 well's " Wild Sports of the West',' is a story of one 

 of these animals, which was killed after a severe 

 battle : it was of a dirty grey colour, double the 

 size of the common house Cat, and with formidable 

 teeth and claws. It was a female, and was tracked 

 to its burrow under a rock, and caught with a rabbit- 

 net. So flimsy an affair, however, was scorned by 

 the fierce brute, which speedily rent a hole with its 

 teeth and claws, and was about to run off, when 

 the lad who had set the snare seized it by the 

 neck. It was finally dispatched by a blow of an 

 iron spade. The lad, however, was so terribly 



