338 THE AVILD CAT. 



It is a curious fact that a domestic cat running 

 wild very soon begins to lose the distinguishing 

 features of its class, and to assume in their place 

 the characteristics and appearances of Felis catus. 

 Some years ago a half-starved and wretched little 

 kitten came to my door in search of food. It was 

 given milk, and thereafter came daily for two or 

 three weeks, calling till it was fed, and it was 

 noticed particularly that the animal was growing 

 in strength and developing into a remarkably fine 

 cat. It never attached itself to the house, and 

 having been fed, it immediately assumed an atti- 

 tude of distrust towards those upon whom, a 

 minute or two previously, it had fawned for food. 



Spring came, and the kitten had disappeared for 

 some weeks, when one morning I happened to 

 look out of my window just at daybreak, and 

 beheld an immense 'wild cat' prowling about on 

 the top of a pergola green-eyed, heavy-coated, 

 its tail bushed out like a bottle-brush ! It was 

 almost twice the size of an ordinary domestic torn, 

 yet there was no doubt whatever that it was the 

 kitten I had fed thus, all unwittingly, having 

 inflicted a veritable demon of destruction on the 

 surrounding wood and moors ! When I opened 

 the window the brute was off in an instant, nor 

 did I ever see it again. 



This kitten was probably the offspring of a wild 

 tabby parent of the tame variety, and its offspring, 

 in turn, would acquire still other features in com- 

 mon with the truly wild species, at a sacrifice of 

 what remained in the way of domestic traits. 



Thus the longer domestic cats are wild in 

 habits the more do they become wild in appear- 

 ances. Given a lonely Highland country, we are 

 apt to come across specimens which have sprung 



