254 THE FIRESIDE SPHINX 



but bitterly, the perpetual murder of their off- 

 spring. Cases, indeed, are recorded of indifference, 

 of neglect, and even of cold-blooded butchery on 

 the part of young cat mothers ; but they count for 

 little when contrasted with the overwhelming evi- 

 dences of care and affection. M. Pierquin de Gem- 

 bloux, in his " Trait e de la Folie des Animaux," 

 asserts that female cats occasionally betray a jealous 

 detestation of their kittens, and instances a Spanish 

 Angora who destroyed all her young at their birth, 

 twice only sparing male kittens, which she ignored, 

 but permitted — through some cold caprice — to 

 live. 



More repellant still are the authenticated stories 

 — happily very few — of pussies who prefer their 

 own selfish ease to the joys of motherhood. Of 

 two such cases I have melancholy knowledge. One 

 was that of an English cat who so neglected her 

 first litter that the poor little things were in danger 

 of perishing through starvation. To prevent this 

 catastrophe, and teach her the nature of her duties, 

 she was shut up with her kittens in the tool-house ; 

 whereupon she indignantly trampled them to death, 

 and, hiding the wee corpses in a corner, hastened, 

 when the door was opened, to more luxurious 

 quarters. She was young, and she was very pretty. 

 Her master pardoned her, but showed, in a manner 

 she could not mistake, his anger and disgust; caress- 



