MAMMALIA CARNIVORA DIAGRAM 3 39 



cat does not confine herself to the house, however well off she is 

 there. She likes those who caress her and give her titbits, but 

 her friendship is not proof against ill-treatment, and if she is 

 teazed she is not slow to scratch. 



The eyes of cats sometimes shine at night, and are liable to 

 frighten children, who see only the two eyes without being able 

 to perceive the animal. However, cat's eyes are not luminous 

 of themselves, but only reflect the light like a mirror. If we 

 see their eyes shine at night there must be a door or window 

 behind us from which comes a little light, which is reflected by 

 the eyes of the animal. During dry weather, in winter, when 

 the cat is lying near a warm fire, we hear slight cracklings, 

 which are also distinctly felt by the hand when we stroke her. 

 These are slight electrical discharges, and in a dark place 

 we can see a shower of sparks fly from the fur of the animal 

 when stroked by the hand. 



Lions and tigers hunt oxen, as the wild cat hunts rabbits. We 

 hear of the magnanimity of the lion and the ferocity of the tiger. 

 The truth is that these animals are more or less savage, accord 

 ing to their personal character. We see very gentle tigers and 

 very savage lions in menageries. Nor is the lion to be considered 

 the king of beasts ; for no animal deserves this title. The lion 

 is neither the most intelligent nor the strongest ; and the ele- 

 phant would certainly take precedence in these respects. 

 The lion has a mane, and the lioness has none. The tiger 



may be known by the black stripes 

 on the reddish brown ground 

 colour of its fur. The panther is 

 smaller and is spotted. There are 

 no lions or tigers in America, but 

 jagua/rs, spotted like the panther 

 are found there instead. 

 Head of Tiger. Tlie fynx is a little larger than 



the wild cat, and may be known by the tufts of hair at the end 

 of its ears. It is not common except in the wilder parts of 



