12 NATURAL HISTORY [Quadrupeds. 



to live in some of our islands. These are faithfully propagat- 

 ed, and handed down from father to son ; however, none of 

 the stiffest assertors of the story could assure me they had 

 made the experiment. This story is gravely told of Grasm- 

 sey, Damsey, and others ; but upon asking my informers 

 how they came to know this particular virtue of their islands ? 

 They had it from such an old man, who, I suppose, had it 

 from them that should know ! The mystery is, there are no 

 mice in these small isles, arid, of consequence, no need of 

 cats. 



The cats are very ready to run wild, especially when near 

 rabbit warrens, where they make great destruction, being an 

 unsuspected enemy, playing this hour, and killing the next. 

 There have been numerous instances of cats regularly bring- 

 ing in their prey to their owners ; however, they are not al- 

 ways so exact in this particular, but often betake themselves 

 to their own shifts, when once they have tasted the sweetness 

 of the cuning's blood. 



GENUS VL THE DOG. 



Canis, Rail Syn. Quad. 175. Cams Familiaris, Lin. Sys. 56. Brit. Zool.49> 

 Pen. Syn. 141. fy 144. Sib. Scot. III. 12. 



THERE are several varieties of the dog kind to be found 

 here, as elsewhere, trained for different purposes, as the water 







