290 



ANIMALS OF 



instruction. Whatever animal is much weak- 

 er than themselves, is to them an indiscrimi- 

 nate object of destruction. Birds, young rab- 

 bits, hares, rats, and mice, bats, moles, toads, 

 and frogs, are all equally pursued ; though 

 not, perhaps, equally acceptable. The mouse 

 seems to be their favourite game ; and, al- 

 though the cat has the sense of smelling in 

 but a mean degree, it, nevertheless, knows 

 those holes in which its prey resides. I have 

 seen one of them patiently watch a whole day 

 until the mouse appeared, and continue quite 

 motionless until it came within reach, and then 

 seized it with a jump. Of all the marks by 

 which the cat discovers its natural malignity, 

 that of playing and sporting with its little cap- 

 tive, before killing it outright, is the most 

 flagrant. 



The fixed inclination which they discover 

 for this peculiar manner of pursuit, arises from 

 the conformation of their eyes. The pupil 

 in man, and in most other animals, is capable 

 but of a small degree of contraction and dila- 

 tation; it enlarges a little in the dark, and con- 

 tracts when the light pours in upon it in too 

 great quantities. In the eyes of cats, how- 

 ever, this contraction and dilatation of the 

 pupil, is so considerable, that the pupil, which 

 by day-light appears narrow and small like 

 the black of one's nail, by night expands over 

 the whole surface of the eye- ball, and, as every 

 one must have seen, their eyes seem on iire. 

 By this peculiar conformation, their eyes see 

 better in darkness than light; and the animal 

 is thus better adapted for spying out and sur- 

 prising its prey. 



Although the cat is an inhabitant of our 

 houses, yet it cannot properly be called a de- 

 pendent; although perfectly tame, yet it ac- 

 knowledges no obedience ; on the contrary, 

 it does only just what it thinks fit, and no art 

 can control any of its inclinations. In gene- 

 ral, it is but half tamed ; and has its attach- 

 ments rather to the place in which it resides, 

 than to the inhabitant. If the inhabitant quits 

 the house, the cat still remains ; and if car- 

 ried elsewhere, seems for a while bewildered 

 with its new situation. It must take time to 

 become acquainted with the holes and retreats 

 in which its prey resides, with all the little 

 labyrinths through which they often make 

 good an escape. 



The cat is particularly fearful of water, of 

 cold, and of ill smells. It loves to keep in the 

 sun, to get near the fire, and to rub itself 

 against those who carry perfumes. It is ex- 

 cessively fond of some plants,suchas valerian, 

 marum, and cat-mint : against these it rubs, 

 smells them at a distance, and, at last, if they 

 be planted in a garden, wears them out. 



This animal eats slowly, and with difficul- 

 ty, as its teeth are rather made for tearing, 

 than chewing its aliments. For this reason, 

 it loves the most tender food, particularly fish, 

 which it eats as well boiled as raw. Its sleep- 

 ing is very light ; and it often seems to sleep, 

 the better to deceive its prey. When the 

 cat walks, it treads very softly, and without 

 the least noise ; and as to the necessities of 

 nature, it is cleanly to the last degree. Its 

 fur also is usually sleek and glossy; and, for 

 this reason, the hair is easily electrified, send- 

 ing forth shining sparks, if rubbed in the dark. 



" The wild cat breeds with the tame;" and, 

 therefore, the latter may be considered only 

 as a variety of the former : however, they dif- 

 fer in some particulars ; the cat, in its savage 

 state, is somewhat larger than the house-cat ; 

 and its fur being longer, gives it a greater ap- 

 pearance than it really has; its head is bigger, 

 and face flatter; the teeth and claws much 

 more formidable ; its muscles very strong, as 

 being formed for rapine ; the tail is of a mo- 

 derate length, but very thick and flat, mark- 

 ed with alternate bars of black and white, 

 the end always black; the hips, and hind part 

 of the lower joints of the leg, are always black; 

 the fur is very soft and fine : the general co- 

 lour of these animals, in England, is a yellow- 

 ish white, mixed with a deep gray. These 

 colours, though they appear at first sight con- 

 fusedly blended together, yet on a close in- 

 spection, will be found to be disposed like the 

 streaks on the skin of the tiger, pointing from 

 the back downwards, rising from a black list, 

 that runs from the head, along the middle of 

 the back, to the tail. This animal is found 

 in our larger woods ,- and is the most destruc- 

 tive of the carnivorous kinds in this kingdom. 

 It inhabits the most mountainous and woody 

 parts of these islands, living mostly in trees, 

 and feeding only by night. It often happens, 



British Zoology. 



