CHAPTER XXVI 



THE CAT 



HE cat entered our household long after the 

 dog; nevertheless its domestication took place 

 very early. The East, whence we received it, 

 has possessed it from time immemorial. Ancient 

 Egypt, the old land of the Pharaohs, has transmitted 

 to us the most curious documents on this subject. 



"In that country, celebrated for its profound ven- 

 eration for domestic animals, honors almost divine 

 were said to the ox, dog, cat, and many other crea- 

 tures. Nearer the primitive ages than we, and still 

 remembering the miseries from which the domestic 

 animals had freed man, the Egyptians no doubt 

 showed their gratitude by these honors, which seem 

 to us to-day the height of superstition. The ox, 

 turning up the farmer's soil with the plow, was ac- 

 corded the highest position. A magnificent white 

 bull, called the bull Apis, was kept at the expense of 

 the State in a sumptuous temple of granite and 

 marble, and cared for by a retinue of attendants 

 who approached it with reverence, wearing rich cos- 

 tumes of ceremony, swinging the censer, and, in 

 short, observing all the forms of deep venera- 

 tion." 



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