366 COMMON CAT. 



the Tower, was surprised by a visit from his fa- 

 vourite Cat, which, says tradition, reached its 

 master, by descending the chimney of his apart- 

 ment. 



No animal, whose habits and manners we have 

 the opportunity of accurately observing, exhibits 

 a greater degree of maternal tenderness than the 

 Cat: the extreme assiduity with which she at- 

 tends her young, and the fondness which she 

 shews for them, afford the most pleasing entertain- 

 ment to a philosophic observer. She even pos- 

 sesses a propensity to nurse with tenderness the 

 young of a different individual ; and it is a gene- 

 ral observation, thc.t a domestic Cat will com- 

 monly suckle and nurse any young kitten that is 

 newly introduced to her. 



Nothing can be more beautiful than the expe- 

 riment of setting a young Cat, for the first time, 

 before a looking-glass. The animal appears sur- 

 prised and pleased with the resemblance, and 

 makes several attempts at touching its new ac- 

 quaintance; and, at length, finding its efforts 

 fruitless, it looks behind the glass, and appears 

 highly surprised at the absence of the figure : it 

 again views itself; tries .to touch with its foot; 

 suddenly looking at intervals behind the glass: it 

 then becomes more accurate in its observations, 

 and begins, as it were, to make experiments, by 

 stretching out its hand in different directions; 

 and when it finds that these motions are answered 

 in every respect by the figure in the glass, it 



