The Book of Cats. 289 



Park Place, who is a great lover of animals, gives 

 me this note: — 



" It is quite impossible for a Cat to suck a child's 

 breath, as the anatomical formation of the Cat's 

 mouth would prevent it. No doubt in some remote 

 country places, among the ignorant, a popular 

 superstition to that effect may exist, but when a 

 child has been found dead from suffocation, in 

 many cases the Cat may have lain on the infant's 

 mouth, in the cot or cradle near the fire, for the 

 sake of warmth — not with the slightest criminal 

 intent of course, but purely for the sake of obtain- 

 ing the latent caloric from the warm body and 

 clothing of the infant, who would probably not 

 possess sufficient muscular power to disencumber 

 itself, or even to make any resistance." 



But it is not only in remote country places that 

 the superstition prevails, but here in London, 

 among most of the upper middle classes. And 

 after all, are not more ridiculous notions to be met 

 with every day? Only a few months ago, a lady 

 was seriously informed by a poor woman in a 

 village near Bath, that a mother should never cut 

 her child's nails before it is a year old. She should 

 always bite them, otherwise the children would 

 grow up thieves. 



U 



