THE CAT. 



keeping sharp watcli through a tiny chink of his eyelids, and 

 when the rejoicing is at its highest up he jumps, and, before 

 the monkey -revellers can recover from their fright, at least a 

 couple win feel the fatal weight of his paw. 



There are several ocelots — the painted, the grey, and the com- 

 mon, among . others. In captivity few animals are more surly 

 and spiteful until they grow thoroughly well-acquainted with 

 their keepers, or others who court their notice. There is, how- 

 ever, one weapon keener than the sharpest sword, more potent 

 than the Armstrong gun, more powerful than all the gunpow- 

 der and bullets ever made, and yet so simple that the boy yet 

 in pinafores may direct it : to this weapon the suspicious 

 tiger-cat succumbs, and the name of this weapon is kindness. 

 So armed, the Rev. J. G. Wood conquered a body of ocelots 

 exhibited at the menagerie. He says, " Several of these 

 animals, when I first made their acquaintance, were rather 

 crabbed in disposition, snarled at the sound of a strange 

 step, growled angrily at my approach, and behaved altogether 

 in a very unusual manner, in spite of many amicable overtures. 



" After a while, I discovered that these creatures were con- 

 tinually and vainly attempting the capture of certain flies 

 which buzzed about the cage. So I captured a few large 

 bluebottle flies, and poked them through a small aperture in 

 the cage, so that the ocelot's paw might not be able to reach 

 my hand. At first the ocelots declined to make any advances 

 in return for the gift ; but they soon became bolder, and at 

 last freely took the flies as fast as they were caught. The 

 ice was now broken, and in a very short time we were excd- 

 lent friends ; the angry snarl being exchanged for a complacent 

 purr, and the suspicious, lurking movement for a quiet and 

 composed demeanour. The climax to their change of character 

 was reached by giving them a few leaves of grass, for which 

 they were, as I thought they would be, more anxious than 

 for the flies. They tore the green blades out of my hand, and 

 retired to their sleeping-house for the purpose of devouring 

 the unaccustomed dainty undisturbed. After this, they were 

 quite at their ease, and came to the front of the cage when- 

 ever I passed." 



ANTIQUITY 01' THE CAT AS A HOME PET. 



Although cats appear to have been known in all parts of 

 the wv.rf'ld from the most remote age, nowhere do they seem to 

 have held so high a position as in Egypt. Says an ancient 



