CAPTURE OF ANIMALS. 65 



the following account of this Cat and of its relations to the 

 common Cat : — 



" There are many kinds of Wild Cat, but that from which the do- 

 mestic Cat is supposed to have sprung is called the Common Euro- 

 pean Wild Cat, and is found in most parts of that quarter of the 

 globe, as well as in Asia and Africa; it is also sometimes met with 

 in this country. When America was first discovered, t!iis species, 

 either tame or wild, was not found here; all our domes: ic Cats, as 

 well as the wild ones occasionally found in the woods, are the de- 

 scendants of those brought hither by the Europeans. The Wild Cats 

 of the European Continent are either the descendants of the original 

 races that have continued untamed from the beginning, or of domes- 

 ticated cats that have wandered from their homes, and, living apart 

 from man, have relapsed into barbarism. It is said that the wild 

 and tame Cats, in their wanderings, sometimes meet ; when this is 

 the case, the females of the tame breed are well treated by the sav- 

 age Cats, but the males are rudely set upon and sometimes torn in 

 pieces. The wild and tame Cats sometimes breed together, and pro- 

 duce the kind called Tiger Cats. Some authors hold that the Wild 

 Cat is a distinct species, because its tail is shorter and more bushy 

 than that of the domestic Cat ; but this opinion seems not well 

 founded, for still greater diffei-ences are found in dogs which are ac- 

 knowledged to be of the same race." 



The European Wild Cat is common in France, Germany, 

 Russia, Hungary, and some other parts of Europe, and is 

 found in Northern Asia and Nepaul. It was formerly found 

 in Eno-land, and a few yet linger among the hills of Scotland. 

 It resembles the tame Cat, but is rather larger and more ro- 

 bust, and has a more savage aspect. Its fur is long, soft, and 

 thick. Its color is gray, darker on the back than below, with 

 a blackish stripe along the back and paler curved stripes on 

 the sides. It is a very shy animal ; lurks in the woods and 

 preys on hares, squirrels, and birds, and is for the most part 

 nocturnal in its habits. It makes its home in clefts among 

 rocks or in hollow trees. The feiuale brings forth from three 

 to six young at a time. A full-grown male is about two feet 

 and a half long from the nose to the root of the tail ; with a 

 tail of considerable length. The female is smaller. 



