THE DOMESTIC CAT. 49 



They are common throughout tlie whole bush, living by- 

 day in hollow logs, old dead log fences, and holes in the 

 ground, and at night they come out to feed on the 

 ground ; and the dogs, when hunting, generally run them 

 up the small shey oaks and honeysuckles. You rarely 

 see a wild cat up a gum-tree. They much frequent the 

 belts of timber on the edges of the swamps ; and I have 

 often killed them on the beach by moonlight, coming 

 down, no doubt, to look after the dead fish washed 

 ashore. The little native cat is one of the most prolific 

 animals in the bush, and I have often killed six young 

 ones in a nest. It is marsupial ; but, unlike the rest of 

 these animals,, does not appear to carry the young much 

 in the pouch after they have left the teat. They are not 

 at all shy ; are very easily caught in any kind of trap 

 baited with meat. A common figure of 4 trap is the one 

 generally used in the bush. 



The Domestic Cat sometimes wanders away from a 

 station and turns bushranger ; and certainly the largest 

 cat that I ever saw in my life was a large black and white 

 one which I killed in a honeysuckle scrub here. He 

 must have been the very Nestor of colonial cats. I re- 

 collect when a common cat would fetch a £5 note here. 

 Now, however, they are at a discount. You rarely see a 

 cat about a bush tent. I fancy a tent is hardly comfort- 

 able enough for "pussey." Among the Laplanders, as 

 long as they dwell in houses, the cat lives with them, but 

 it rarely follows the wandering tribes that lead a busli 

 life with their reindeer upon the northern fells. 



