378 



MAMMALIA. 



the Augora Cat, the Chinese Cat with pendant ears, and the 

 tailless Malay Cat.* 



The Domestic Cat (Fig. 145) is one of those few animals which 

 has rem.ained in a state of independence in its domesticity ; it 

 lives with Man, but still is not reduced to servitude. If it renders 

 service, it is simply for its own interest to do so. That disin- 



Fic;. 145.— Domestic Cat {Felis dmneslica, Briss.). 



terestedness which distinguishes the Dog we do not find in the 

 Cat. Whatever Buffon and others may have said, it is capable of 

 affection ; but this attachment is only manifested by infrequent 

 caresses, not by devotion. Has a Cat ever been known to defend 



* The tails of Wild Cats terminate in an abrupt thick point, while the taUs of 

 Domestic Cats taper to a fine point. — Ei). 



