IV IV/LD CATS 45 



it. I was quite as much startled as the animal herself could 

 be, when I saw the wild-looking beast so unexpectedly rush 

 out from between my feet, with every hair on her body standing 

 on end, making her look twice as large as she really was. I 

 had three small Skye terriers with me, who immediately gave 

 chase, and pursued her till she took refuge in a corner of the 

 rocks, where, perched in a kind of recess out of reach of her 

 enemies, she stood with her hair bristled out, and spitting and 

 growling like a common cat. Having no weapon with me, I 

 laid down my rod, cut a good-sized stick, and proceeded to 

 dislodge her. As soon as I was within six or seven feet of the 

 place, she sprang straight at my face over the dogs' heads. 

 Had I not struck her in mid-air as she leaped at me, I should 

 probably have got some severe wound. As it was, she fell with 

 her back half broken amongst the dogs, who, with my assist- 

 ance, despatched her. I never saw an animal fight so desper- 

 ately, or one which was so difficult to kill. If a tame cat has 

 nine lives, a wild cat must have a dozen. 



Sometimes one of these animals takes up its residence 

 at no great distance from a house, and entering the hen- 

 houses and outbuildings, carries off fowls or even lambs 

 in the most audacious manner. Like other vermin, the wild 

 cat" haunts the shores of the lakes and rivers, and it is there- 

 fore easy to know where to lay a trap for them. Having 

 caught and killed one of the colony, the rest of them are 

 sure to be taken if the body of their slain relative is left in 

 some place not far from their usual hunting-ground, and sur- 

 rounded with traps, as every wild cat who passes within a con- 

 siderable distance of the place will to a certainty come to it. 

 The same plan may be adopted successfully in trapping foxes, 

 who also are sure to visit the dead body of any other fox which 

 they scent during their nightly walk. 



There is no animal more destructive than a common 

 house-cat, when she takes to hunting in the woods. In this 

 case they should always be destroyed, as when once they 

 have learned to prefer hares and rabbits to rats and mice, 

 they are sure to hunt the larger animals only. I believe, 

 however, that by cropping their ears close to the head, cats 

 may be kept from hunting, as they cannot bear the dew or 

 rain to enter these sensitive organs. 



