The Battles of Cats. 41 
to retreat with honour, but neither dares let the other know it. 
A few cautious sidelong movements, still on the defensive, in- 
dicate this. It is amusing to note sometimes how studiously 
they pretend not to observe these tactics of the opponent, and 
again how they will simulate the desire for retreat or feign 
inattention in order to draw the enemy into an unguarded 
attack. This is a common cause of another tussle. 
On one occasion I saw a fine piece of strategy practised. 
One cat had evidently had the best of it, and stood over the 
vanquished. By and by, he turned slowly and marched leisurely. 
towards a wall, looking round occasionally to see that he was 
not followed, and making for his own premises. Not a hair 
did the other cat move until the retreating victor stooped to 
jump up the wall. Then, like an arrow released from a bow, he 
sprang after it, covering four or five yards in a couple of bounds, 
and struck his claws into his late opponent’s head and his teeth 
into his neck. They both came to the ground, but the advan- 
tage thus gained turned the tables, and in a few moments the 
first victor lay maimed and gasping on the gravel walk. Then 
the conqueror sat down, viewing his work with satisfaction, 
and now and again licking his bloody paws. What the end 
of it may have been I do not know, for the barking of a dog 
startled the combatants, and they separated. I have seen 
hundreds of battles, but never saw one cat kill another right 
out. While sitting one summer evening in a friend’s house, 
I heard a scuffle and jumped up to ascertain the cause. In 
the hall was a strange cat, just come in, no doubt, at the 
open door, in the clutches 0. the two house cats—a tom and a 
female. The affair could nave lasted only a few seconds when 
the stranger ceased to make any show of resistance. In that 
short, time they had killed it. The unfortunate intruder was 
torn all over and covered with blood. One eye was destroyed, 
the lower part of the abdomen was ripped open, and the bowels 
protruding. No dog could have done the work quicker. As I 
stood looking at the quivering body, the other cats walked about 
purring with their tails up in the manner significant of feline 
