RELATIONSHIP WITH FELIS DOMESTICA. 81 



statement ordinarily made to the effect that this 

 animal was first spread throughout Europe at the 

 end of the period of the Crusades " ; and further, 

 he says, " The upshot of this paper, then, is to 

 show that in classical times the word yuXij was 

 used by the Greeks to denote the Mustela martes 

 and the Ferret, but not the Polecat probably, though 

 probably the Genet ; and that in later times, but not 

 till later times, this word was used also for the Felis 

 domesiicus " *. 



Aldrovandus, in his description of the Wild Cat, 

 says : — " Felis appears to have the same meaning as 

 Foiiinus in the works of Columella and Varro. These 

 eminent men make no distinction of species between 

 the Cat and the Weasel ; their mistake has arisen 

 from two causes — that both Cats and Weasels lie in 

 wait for mice, and that the word -yaX)? in the Greek 

 text of Aristotle is sometimes rendered Weasel and 

 sometimes Cat by translators ; but we ought to follow 

 Pliny, who translates the yaAJj of Aristotle 'weasel,' 

 and a'lXovpoc Felis or ' cat.' This remark of Pliny's 

 is found in his Hist. Nat. lib. i. c. 4, § 16 ; he says 

 there are two kinds of Weasels : one living in woods, 

 of different sizes, called by the Greeks I/crJc, its gall 

 is said to be a good remedy for wasp-bites, in other 

 respects a poison ; the other, which roams about 

 our houses and carries its young daily from place to 

 place, changes its abode and attacks serpents." 



From reliable sources, it would appear that the 



* There can be no doubt that animals of the family Mustelldce and 

 of the ViverridcB were used b}' the Greeks and Eomans for the 

 purpose of keeping their houses clear of vermin ; but there also 

 can bo no doubt that the Domestic Cat had been introduced into 

 Europe very much earlier than has been generally supposed. 



