60 Anecdotal Natural History. 



So rough is the tongue of the domestic cat that it 

 will cause pain to a delicate skin, while the larger 

 animals of the tribe will draw blood almost im- 

 mediately. 



There is a well-known story of a gentleman who 

 owned a pet lion, of which he was very fond, and with 

 which he often indulged in a game of play. One day, 

 whilst lying asleep upon a couch, the lion came up, 

 and seeing one of his master's hands hanging outside 

 the covering, began to lick it, just as a pet dog would 

 under the circumstances. 



In a short time the rough tongue cut through the 

 skin and drew blood, which was greedily licked up by 

 the animal, the pain at the same time awaking his 

 master. 



No sooner did he attempt to withdraw his hand 

 than the creature uttered an angry growl, whereupon 

 the gentleman, knowing the danger in which he was 

 placed, and that a moment's hesitation might seal his 

 fate, drew with his other hand a loaded pistol from 

 beneath the pillow and shot his favourite through the 

 head, as his only chance of escape. 



All the feet of the cats are provided with soft, fleshy 

 pads, which enable them to move noiselessly from 

 place to place, and also serve to break the fall from 

 the long leaps and bounds of the animals. 



Another point to be noticed, too, is to be found 

 in the whiskers. 



These are provided at their roots with an extremely 

 sensitive nerve, so that the slightest touch is at once 

 felt by the animal. Those springing from the sides 

 of the mouth, too, are of exactly the same width as the 

 body, so that the animal is able to tell, even in the 

 dark, whether it can pass through a narrow orifice or 

 not. 



Having now noticed the chief points of the structure 



