886.] ee Animal Traits. | 761 
the table, peering at the luminous shade, upon which, by the way 
a juggler and his snake were pictured. 
Late one afternoon I answered bob-white’s whistle by slipping 
cartridges of fine shot into the chambers of the gun, and pro- 
ceeded to the clearing. There was found a large wild cat in pos- 
Session, quietly sitting on its haunches on a sweet-potato hill. 
The longitudinal stripessand grim markings behind the ears were 
unmistakable, but no bars on the tail. It seemed a friendly beast, 
devoid of that look of wild ferocity characteristic of its tribe in 
more northern places, nevertheless had I been unarmed a foot- 
race would have been in order, but knowing that the unexpected 
might at any time happen, I never went about without some 
weapon of defense, and had entire confidence in small shot at h 
close quarters. It made no motion of retreat as I advanced, but w 
slowly opened its jaws and crouched as if gathering itself fora 
spring. Not desiring to injure it I backed away, only to be fol 
lowed. This was not endurable, and having no wish to give it a 
= the least advantage, I killed it. e 
The next thing was to see what opinion the domestic cat would 
have of this distant relative, for I could not entertain the notion _ 
that they were cousins germane within the historic period, so 
arranging the carcass to appear as lifelike as possible, I induced 
Puss to follow me to interview her dead congener. Alas! cat- 
: glory resembles human glory, and is liable to vanish at any time. 
Puss got within a few feet of the body before she saw it, and just 
as I was expecting to hear her inquiring “ mew,” there came in- - 
‘Stead a transformation which was indeed surprising. She suddenly ° 
rew to twice her natural size, her tail especially enlarged to the- 
4 dimensions of an Indian war club. Her eyes seemed to be deter- 
_ Mined to leave their sockets, and she bounded into the air witha 
_ Scream which until that moment I never heard i from the thr: 
es Ct Nes-sooner did she touch the ground than she went into” 
the air again with a shriek, until the house was reached, and at the © 
= of a week was hardly herself again. She was badly scared, 
her fear had no paralyzing function, 
