THE PEDIGREE OF THE CAT* 
ALTHOUGH it is a common notion that our ordinary “tabby ” 
is the direct descendant of the European wild cat (Felis 
catus), now nearly exterminated in Britain, the best modern 
authorities are of opinion that the real ancestor is a wild 
species inhabiting North-Eastern Africa, and commonly 
known as the Egyptian cat (Fels kbyca); a reputed 
variety of the same species being stated to inhabit parts of 
Southern Europe. The facility with which several of the 
smaller species of wild cats will breed together, and likewise 
the circumstance that the domesticated cats of Asia appa- 
rently have an origin distinct from that of the European 
breeds, renders the subject one of more difficulty than 
might at first seem to be the case. 
With regard to the differences between the domesticated 
and the wild cat, it has been generally asserted that the 
latter is considerably the larger animal of the two, although 
the comparisons made by Dr. E. Hamilton, who has 
published a book on the subject, indicate that this is not 
really the case. The statement that the tail of the wild 
species is shorter and stouter seems largely due to the 
circumstance that the fur is more abundant and bushy, 
* A portion of the substance of this and the next article appear 
in the one on “the Origin of Domesticated Animals.” In spite, 
however, of a certain amount of repetition, it has been thought 
advisable to let all three stand in their original form. 
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