1 68 RECREATIONS OF A NATURALIST 



although so late as March 1883 a cat was shot 

 in BuUington Wood, Lincolnshire, which in point 

 of size, colour, and markings was said to be 

 indistinguishable from the wild Felis catus. 

 BuUington Wood is one of an almost continuous 

 chain of great woodlands, extending from Mid- 

 Lincolnshire to near Peterborough. Much of the 

 district has never been preserved for game, and 

 keepers are few and far between ; hence the 

 wild animals have enjoyed an almost complete 

 immunity from persecution. Cats are known to 

 have bred in these woods in a wild state for 

 generations, and there is no improbability that the 

 cat in question may have descended directly from 

 the old British Wild Cat. Under all the circum- 

 stances, however, it seems more likely to be a case 

 of reversion under favourable conditions from the 

 domestic to the wild type. 



In Ireland, strange to say, notwithstanding 

 reports to the contrary, all endeavours to find a 

 genuine Wild Cat have failed, the so-called "wild 

 cat " of the natives, proving to be the " marten cat," 

 a very different animal. 



We thus come back to the question with which 

 we started, namely, the question of origin of the 

 domestic cat, and the conclusion, I think, at which 

 we must arrive is, that although Felis catus has 

 contributed to the formation of the existing race of 

 domestic cats in Europe, it is not the sole ancestor. 

 Several wild species of Egyptian and Indian origin 

 having been ages ago reclaimed, the interbreed- 

 ing of their offspring and crossing with other 



