54 Gleanings from the 



deftructive, Mach<erodus latidens. Its remains 

 have alfo been found in Kent's Hole and at Kirk- 

 dale. 1 Mr. Mivart, however, who has more 

 recently investigated the fubject, enumerates, with 

 defcriptions, fifty diftinct fpecies of living cats, and 

 adds, " A much larger number of fpecies have 

 probably exifted in the paft." The great cat, 

 known as the cave lion (F. Spel<ea), lived in 

 England in middle and late pleiftocene times; but 

 Mr. Mivart traces the anceftry of cats to a much 

 more diftant period. " The remains of certain 

 large cats have been found in pliocene, and 

 miocene, and even in eocene depofits, which differ 

 from any exifting cats in the enormous size of 

 their upper canine teeth, e.g., machxrodus, hoflo- 

 phoneus^ pseud<elurus" t * etc. There are figns that 

 the cat was domefticated in the bronze period. 



It is commonly fuppofed that the wild cat is 

 the anceftor of our domeftic cats, but this is 

 certainly a miftake. 3 Few animals are more irre- 

 claimable than the wild cat. One which the Duke 

 of Sutherland, as head of the Clan Chattan, or 

 Clan of the Cats, exhibited in a ftrong cage at the 

 Cryftal Palace fome years ago during a fhow of 

 cats, flew fiercely at all who approached it. No 

 amount of kindnefs appears to tame it ; and the 

 progeny invariably revert to a wild life in the 



1 Owen, "Hiflory of Britifli Foffil Mammals and Birds." 

 (Van Voorft, 1846), p. 173. 



2 Mivart, utfup., pp. 431, 432. 



3 Prof. Owen thinks that " our houfehold cat is probably a 

 domeflicated variety of the fame fpecies which was contem- 

 porary with the fpelaean bear, hyaena and tiger." (" Britifh 

 Foffil Mammals," p. 173.) 



