214 ^-^^^ Common Cat. [Sess. 



long hind legs. This gives them a rabbit-like appearance. 

 Hairless cats are found in Mexico, but are very rare indeed, 

 and some affirm are even extinct. 



Characteristics of the Cat. — The ordinary habits of the cat 

 are well known. Thus the wisdom which he shows in select- 

 ing a cosy, comfortable seat, so different from the haphazard 

 resting-place of the dog ; the cleanliness of his habits — con- 

 stantly cleaning himself or his companion cats ; and the 

 absence of any odour from their bodies ; the Mosaic method 

 which they adopt in order to get rid of their excretions, — these, 

 and many other attributes, all make them pre-eminently 

 suitable for domestic pets. 



Intelligence. — Judged by the standard of human intelligence, 

 the cat stands very high. On mere anatomical grounds, any 

 animal which possesses such a highly developed nervous system 

 as does the cat must have a high intelligence. I do not care 

 to labour this point, for it is evident to all who have really 

 observed the animal, but take the following examples, — the 

 scraping away of snow so as to lay bare scattered crumbs, and 

 then to lie in wait for the birds which come to pick them ; 

 the holding of a young bird in its paws, so that its cries might 

 act as a decoy for the adult birds. A cat on which paraffin 

 had been poured and set on fire ran fully a hundred yards 

 to a river, and plunged in to extinguish the flames. An- 

 other was in the habit of catching starlings, but ultimately 

 they became too wary for him. He had noticed that the 

 starlings took no heed of cows, so he adopted the plan of 

 crouching down on the cow's back, and when the cow had 

 reached the locality in which the starlings fed, he pounced 

 down upon them. Most of us have noticed at some time the 

 intelligence which cats evince in overcoming mechanical 

 difficulties. Thus we may have seen them opening doors on 

 the latch by jumping up, and, while holding on to the handle, 

 depressing the latch with the other paw. Harrison Weir 

 narrates such a case, where a cat, having been chased by boys, 

 ran to a door, sprang up, opened the latch, and so escaped. 

 He also saw a cat use a door-knocker to gain admission, a 

 thing which it had never been taught, but had learnt by 

 observation. I had a cat which, when shut in a room, pulled 

 the bell- cord when it wished to be released. They have been 



