Cats. 4r) 



IsiithfuU, in 1907. The collection also includes the skeleton of a 

 German Poodle, presented by Mrs. Himsler in 1888. 



f- t H ^domesticated breeds of Cats have probably 

 Domesticated originated from several wild species of the genus 

 Cats. ^7,^^-^._ fjijjg striped variety of tlie European 



Domesticated Cat is, for instance, probably derived either from 

 the Egyptian Wild Cat {F. ocreata), which is known to have been 

 tamed hy the ancient Egyptians, or from the European Wild Cat 

 {F. catuH or sylrestris), or from both together. Before the intro- 

 duction of the Persian strain, the striped variety of European 

 Domesticated Cat agreed very closely with the Egyptian Cat, and 

 in Egypt many are stated to be extremely like the latter. As to 

 the origin of the true ' tabby,' or blotched variety of Domesti- 

 cated Cat (fig. 24), there is some difficulty in arriving at a satis- 

 factory conclusion, although it has been regarded as a distinct 

 species, to which the name F. catus properly belongs. In the Manx 

 breeds, which may be either of the striped or the blotched type, the 

 tail is reduced to a stump, or wanting. In India, where many 

 domesticated breeds are spotted, the Egyptian Wild Cat has probably 

 been the parent stock. A series of skins of the blotched and the 

 striped varieties is shown, 



Tortoiseshell Cats are almost invariably females, the male of 

 this breed being sandy. The blue Carthusian Cat is a long-haired 

 breed of a uniform greyish blue colour, with the exception of the 

 lips and soles, which are black. The Persian or Angora breed has 

 also long silky hair and a bushy tail ; it is of large size, and the 

 colour is frequently uniform, varying from white to yellowish or 

 greyish, with the lips and soles flesh-coloured, and in some instances 

 one eye yellow and the other blue. There are, however, striped, 

 and also blotched Persians, which suggest that the breed has the 

 same origin iis the short-haired Domesticated Cats of Europe. It is, 

 however, possible that the Bokharan Steppe-Cat {F. caudata), an 

 ally of the Egyptian Wild Cat, may have had something to do with 

 the origin of the Persian and Indian breeds. The Abyssinian 

 Domesticated Cat seems to be a rufous phase derived from the 

 Egyptian AVild Cat. Malay Cats have the tail short and kinked ; 

 while the Monibas Cat of E. Africa is distinguished by its stiff, 

 wiry hair. In the Paraguay Cat the size is small, the form weasel- 

 like, and the hair close, short, and scant, these features being 

 suggestive of affinity with the wild F. eyra of South America, 



The ^iaijies^ breed is short-haired, with the body fawn-coloured, 



