256 GANGETIC HINDOOSTAN. 



Bengal Cat. The Bengal Cat,— N° 1 93, is a moft elegant tigrine fpecies, 



remarkable for wanting that antipathy which the feline race 

 have to water. One of this kind was long in poffeflion of my 

 honeft and ingenious friend the late Mr. Lee, nurferyman, of 

 Hamjnerfmith, who gave me the following account : that it 

 fwam on board a fliip at anchor off Bengal, that after it was 

 brought to England it coupled with the female cats, which twice 

 produced young. I faw one of the young, which was marked 

 in the fame manner as the male parent, but the ground color 

 was cinereous. It had as little fear of water as its fire, for it 

 would plunge into a veffel of water near two feet deep, and 

 bring up the bit of meat flung in by way of trial. It was a far 

 better moufer than the tame cat, and in a little time cleared 

 Mr. Lee's magazine of feeds of the fwarms of rats, which, in 

 fpite of the domeflic breed of cats, had for a long time made 

 moft horrible ravages among his boxes. 



Lynx. The Lynx, N° 203, hitherto fuppofed not to be found in In- 



dia, is, as I am affured by Do6lor Pallas, a native of its northern 

 parts. The poets may ftill harnefs it to the triumphal car of 

 Bacchus returning from his celebrated conquefls. 



Vidla racemifero Lyncas dedit India Baccho. 



But I believe that part of the peninfula owes the gift of the vine 

 to modern times, to the Britijlj votaries of the god. Vines (but 

 not for the purpofes of making wine) have of late years been 

 introduced, but the exceffive heat of the climate obliges the 

 planters to form a long fkreen of a certain height, and to plant 



the 



