100 



THE BEASTS OF PREY. 



The Wild Cat attains a weight of sixteen or eight- 

 een pounds. Its height at the shoulders is about 

 sixteen inches ; its length from snout to tip of tail, 

 forty to forty-five inches, the tail measuring twelve 

 or thirteen inches. 



The fur is long and thick, gray in the male, yel- 

 lowish gray in the female. The face is yellowish, 

 the ears are russet gray on the outside and yellowish 

 white on the inner side. Four black bands run from 

 the forehead backward between the ears, and two of 

 them uniting run along the spine and the upper side 

 of the tail. From this band others of a rather faded 

 dark color proceed downwards, dying away on the 

 abdomen, which has a yellow color, dotted with 

 black spots. The eyes of the animal are yellow. 

 Where and How The Wild Cat inhabits all parts of 



the Wild Cat Europe, with the exception of the 

 Lines. north, or more especially Scandinavia 



and Russia. In Germany it inhabits all the wooded 

 mountains, though not in very large numbers. The 

 southeast of Europe is par- 

 ticularly well stocked with 

 it. In the lower parts of 

 the Alps it is very common. 

 It is also frequent in Spain 

 and France, and Great Brit- 

 ain has not yet quite exter- 

 minated it. Outside of Eu- 

 rope it has only been found 

 in Grusia, south of the Cau- 

 casus. Great, thick forests, 

 especially gloomy woods of 

 the pine and fir-tree, are its 

 favorite haunts. The more 

 deserted a district is, the 

 more devoted is the Wild 

 Cat to it. It prefers rocky 

 forests to all others, as 

 rocks afford so many places 

 of concealment. Besides it 

 lives in the holes made by 

 Badgers and Foxes, and in 

 hollow trees. 



The Wild Cat lives in 

 company with others of its 

 kind only during the breed- 

 ing season and while its 

 young ones are dependent 

 on it. At all other times it 

 leads a solitary life. The 

 young separate from the 

 mother at an early age and 

 try hunting on their own 

 account. 



The Wild Cat begins its activity at dusk. En- 

 dowed with excellent organs of sense, cautious and 

 cunning, noiselessly creeping up to its prey and 

 patiently watching its opportunity, it is a dangerous 

 foe to small and moderate sized animals. It lies in 

 wait for the bird in its nest, the Hare on the ground, 

 the Squirrel on the tree. It kills larger animals by 

 jumping upon their backs and severing the carotid 

 artery with its sharp teeth. It also shows its genu- 

 ine feline nature by renouncing its intended prey, if 

 the first leap is unsuccessful. Fortunately its prin- 

 cipal nutriment consists of Mice of all kinds and 

 small birds. It is only occasionally that it seeks for 

 larger animals. Still, it is a fact that it attacks Fawns 

 and Roes, and is strong enough to cope with them. 

 It keeps watch by the banks of lakes and rivers for 

 fish and birds and catches them very adroitly. It 



The Wild Cat 

 is hunted with 



COMMON WILD CAT. This fierce European animal is thor- 

 oughly hated by its human neighbors, who often trap it, like the one in 

 the picture. Here we see the principal distinguishing features of this 

 Cat— the arrangement of its strong teeth, the long whiskers, the 

 stunted tail and the gray and black markings of its shaggy coat. (Felis 

 calus.) 



is extremely destructive in parks and game pre- 

 serves. 



Considering its size, the Wild Cat is a very dan- 

 gerous Beast of Prey, especially as it is guilty of the 

 bloodthirstiness that distinguishes all of its kindred. 

 For this reason hunters detest it and pursue it with- 

 out mercy. No sportsman gives it due credit for all 

 the Mice it kills. How many of them it destroys 

 may be seen from Tschudi's statement that the 

 remains of twenty-six Mice were found in the stom- 

 ach of one Cat. Zelebor examined several stomachs 

 of Cats of this species and found them to contain 

 the bones and hairs of Martens, Fitchets, Ermines, 

 Weasels, Marmots, Rats, Mice, Squirrels and birds. 

 Small mammals, therefore, form its principal food, 

 and as Mice are the most frequent among these, we 

 are inclined to think that the good services of the 

 Wild Cat more than compensate for the mischief it 

 does. It exterminates more harmful than useful 

 animals, and if its attributes do not endear it to the 



hunter, our woods profit by 



its activity. 



Hunting 



the 

 Wild Cat. a considerable 

 amount of zeal. Zelebor 

 says: "It is the most diffi- 

 cult thing in the world to 

 draw a live Wild Cat from 

 the hollow of a tree. Two 

 or three of the strongest 

 and boldest men, with 

 hands protected by tough 

 gloves and a wrapping of 

 rags, will find both strength 

 and courage taxed to the 

 utmost by the effort to drag 

 one of these Cats from such 

 a retreat and put it in a 

 bag." I must confess that 

 the chances of success of 

 this method of hunting 

 these animals seems du- 

 bious to me, for all other 

 writers agree that to hunt a 

 grown Wild Cat is no joke. 

 Winckell advises sports- 

 men to proceed with cau- 

 tion, not to delay with the 

 second shot if the first 

 does not kill outright, to 

 approach the Cat only 

 when it has been complete- 

 ly disabled from moving, 

 it a finishing stroke before 

 touching it. Wounded Wild Cats driven to bay are 

 very dangerous. Tschudi says: "Take good aim, 

 hunter ! If the beast is only wounded, it curves its 

 back, lifts its tail straight up, and makes for the 

 sportsman with a vicious, hissing snort, and buries 

 its sharp claws in his flesh, preferably his breast, so 

 that it can hardly be torn away ; and such wounds 

 are extremely slow to heal. It has no fear of Dogs, 

 but will of its own accord, and before it sees the 

 hunter, often come down to them from a tree; and 

 the fight that ensues is fearful. The fierce animal 

 uses its claws to good purpose, always aiming at the 

 Dog's eyes, and fights with desperate energy until 

 the last spark of its tenacious life is extinguished." 

 We must carefully differentiate the Wild Cat 

 proper from stray domestic Cats that may have 



and even then to 



give 



