CHAPTER X 



OF THE (WILD) CAT AND ITS NATURE 



The cat is a common beast enough therefore I 

 need not tell of his making, for there be few men 

 that have not seen some of them. Nevertheless 

 there be many and diverse kind of cats, after 

 some masters' opinions, and namely of wild (cats). 

 Especially there be some cats as big as leopards 

 and some men call them Guyenne loup cerviers 1 

 and other cat-wolves, and this is evil said for they 

 are neither wolves nor cerviers nor cat-wolves. 

 Men might (better) call them cat-leopards than 

 otherwise, for they draw more to a leopard kind 

 than to any other beast. They live on such meat 

 as other cats do, save that they take hens in hedges 2 

 and goats and sheep, if they find them alone, for 

 they be as big as a wolf, and almost formed and 

 made as a leopard, but their tail is not so long. 

 A greyhound alone could not take one of them 



1 According to the Shirley MS. this passage runs, "Men 

 calleth him in Guyene loupeceruyers." See Appendix : Wild 

 Cat. 



2 Shirley MS. has " and egges," instead of " in hedges," which 



is the rendering G. de F. gives. 



7 o 



