IHZ CAT. 



oat tie &st deciduous molai'-tooth has a relatively thicker 

 crown, and is supported by three roots, whilst the .correspond- 

 ing tooth both of the domestic and wild cat of Europe has a 

 thinner crown and only two roots. 



Mr. Bell, ia his " History of Quadrupeds," handles the cat 

 question with the same masterly hand as every other he 

 touches. With regard to the favourite beUef that the common 

 wild cat is the father of the tame, he states his belief that there 

 are many reasons for beheving that this opinion is entirely erro- 

 neous. In the first place, he observes, the general confor- 

 mation of the two animals is considerably different, especially 

 in the length and form of the taU, which in the wild cat is 

 strong, robust, and at least as large towards the extremity as 

 at the base and middle, whilst that of the domestic cat tapers 

 towards the apex. The fur, too, of the former, he remarks, is 

 thicker and longer, and although the colours are somewhat 

 like those which occur in some individuals of the ordinary 

 species, there are, even in this respect, distinctions which can 

 scarcely be considered otherwise than as essentially specific, as, 

 for instance, the termination of the tail in a black tuft which 

 invariably marks the wild cat. 



Referring to Sir William Jardine for his opinion on the 

 origin of FeUs domesUoa, he suggests that since the intro- 

 duction of our house cat to this country there may have been 

 an accidental cross with the wild native species, by which the 

 difference in form between the wild and tame cat may be 

 accounted for. " The domestic cat," says Jardine, " is the 

 only one of this race which has been generally used in the 

 economy of man. Some of the other small species have shown 

 that they might be applied to similar purposes ; and we have 

 seen that the general disposition of this fanuly will not pre- 

 vent their training. Much pains would have been necessary 

 to effect this, and none of the European nations were likely to 

 have attempted it. The scarcity of cats in Europe in its 

 earher ages is also well known, and in the tenth and eleventh 

 centuries a good moaser brought a high price." Although, 

 however, our opinion coincides with that of Riippel, and we 

 think that we are indebted to the superstition of the ancient 

 Egyptians for having domesticated the species mentioned by 

 Riippel, we have no doubt that since its introduction to this 

 country, and more particularly to the north of Scotland, there 

 hd,ve been occasional crossings with our own native species, and 

 that the results of these crosses have been kept in our houses. 



