THE DOG 51 



Up the nomadic life. Nevertheless, the association is very 

 ancient ; it has endured in Egypt at least for a term of 

 several thousand years. 



Amon<^>- the curious features connected with the associa- 

 tion of the cat with man, we may note that it is the only 

 animal which has been tolerated, esteemed, and at times 

 worshipped, without having a single distinctly valuable 

 quality. It is, in a small way, serviceable in keeping down 

 the excessive development of small rodents, which from the 

 beo-inning have been the self-invited guests of man. As it is 

 in a certain indifferent way sympathetic, and by its caresses 

 appears to indicate affection, it has awakened a measure of 

 sympathy which it hardly deserves. I have been unable to 

 find any authentic instances which go to show the existence 

 in cats of any real love for their masters. 



In the matter of intelligence cats appear to rank almost 

 as hio-h as dogs. They are even quicker than their canine 

 relatives in discerning the nature of man's artful contriv- 

 ances ; they readily acquire the habit of opening doors which 

 are closed by means of a latch, even where it is necessary to 

 combine the strong pull on the handle with the push that 

 completes the operation. Feats of this sort are rarely if 

 ever performed by dogs. 



The most peculiar quality in the mind of cats is the intense 

 way in which they cling to a well-known locality. Their 

 memory of places, and affection for them, if we may so term 

 it, is evidently far greater than that which they feel for 

 people. Some years ago I had an interesting exhibition of 

 this singular humor. A well-grown and thoroughly domesti- 

 cated cat, one that seemed more than usually attached to 

 people, was brought from my house in town to a place on the 



