C A T 
a,nd a half broad, and three long. It's opening 
made a chink, from the top downwards, two inches 
and a half deep; and it was covered round the. 
edges, and internally, with Ihort hair. When the 
two lips were drawn afunder, the inner capacity 
might be feen, which was large enough tg contain 
a pullet's egg. The bottom was pierced to tlie 
right and left with two holes capable of admitting 
the point of the little finger, each of which pene- 
trated into a bag covered with a white H^in like 
that of a goofe. The eminences formed by this 
inequality were pierced with pores, from which 
might be fqueezed the fcented fluid, called ribet 
by the Arabians, from which the Englifli term 
Civet is derived. 
Buffon defcribes another variety of this animal, 
which he calls the zibet, and which differs from, the 
other in having a more nender body, a thinner- 
fnout, laro-e high ears, a lonc;er tail, and the Iiair 
all over the body of an uniform length. 
Cat, Sea. The Sea-Cat is about .half thefize 
of tlie fea-Iion, but thicker about the bread and 
towards the tail; the fnout is alfo longer than that 
,pf the ^e,a- lion, and the teeth arc larger; the eyes 
are like thofe of the cow ; the ears are fhort ; the 
paws are naked and black;- and the hair is black 
mixed with grey,, very fliort and brittle. The 
young are of a blueifli-black colour. 
■ Sea-Cats are caught in the vicinity of the River 
Shupanova during the fpring and autumn, at vvhich 
feafons they migrate from the Kurilfl^oy ifland to 
the American coaft ; but they are taken in greater 
numbers' about the Cape .of Kronotzkoy. Almoft 
all the females which are caught in the fpring are 
pregnant; and fuch of them as are near bringing 
forth are immediately opened, and the young taken 
out and ficinned. The females fuckle their young 
with two teats, which are placed between their 
hinder pav/s; and they feldom have more than one 
at a time. Their young fee as foon as they are 
whelped; and they have thirty-tv/o teeth, exclufive 
of their tuf!<s, two of which are on each fide, and 
begin to appear the fourth day after their birth. 
Their colour is at firft a dark blue, but in the 
fpace of four or five days grey hairs begin to ap- 
pear between their hinder legs ; and, at the end of 
one month, their bellies are black and grey. The 
male is larger and blacker than the female, who, 
as file grows up, turns almoft of a blue colour, 
having only grey fpots between her fore-legs. The 
male and female differ fo much in the form and 
ftrength of their bodies, that, if not carefully exa- 
mined, they may readily be taken for different fpe- 
cics. One male has generally from eight to fifteen, 
and even fometimes fifty, fcm.ales, over vv'hom. he 
watches with fuch iealoufy,thaL no ilrangers are fuf- 
fered to approach them ; and though many thou- 
fands lie on the fliore, every family keeps apart ; 
that is, the male, with his wives, young ones, and 
diofe of a year old, wlio have not .yet attached them- 
felves to any male; fo that a fuigle family fome- 
times confifts of not lefs than one hundred and 
twenty. They likewife fwim at fea in prodigious 
droves; and the old ones live. apart, and fometimes 
ileep a whole month together v/ithout food. Thefe 
creatiires are amazingly fierce, attacking all who 
pafs them ; and fo obfLinate are they, that they v/ill 
rather die than quit their places. When they per- 
ceive any perfon approaching, fom.e of them ruih 
on him, while others lie ready to aiTuT: their com- 
panions. They bite the ftones which are thrown 
at them; and though theii* teeth, or even their 
eyes, are ftruck out, they vv-ill not quit their 
ftations : nor dare they; for, at every ftep any one 
of them moves off, he is fure to create himfelf a 
new enemy ; fo that, could he efcape the fury of 
human attacks, his own companions would inevi- 
tably deftroy him. If any one of them makes a 
fliew of retiring, the others draw near, in order to 
prevent him ; and, if any one feems to, fufpeft the 
courage of another, he falls on him, and chaftifes 
him. This fufpicion of each other is fometimes 
. carried fo far, that for a furlong's length nothing 
is to be feen but bloody fights; and, on fuch occa- 
fions, the combatants may be pafTed without dan- 
ger. If two attack one, fome of the reft always 
fupport the weakefl, for they do not allow of une- 
qual combat; and, during fuch contefts, thofe Cats 
which are fwimming in the fea raife their heads, in 
order to look at the behaviour of the combatants ; 
till at lengtli, becoming fierce themfelves, they for- 
fake the water, and increafe the numaber of fuch 
chamDions. 
i. 
Mr. Stcllcr made the following experiment. 
With his Coffacks he attacked one of the Sea- 
Cats, put out it's eyes, and irritated four ,pr five 
m.ore by throwing ftones at them. When thefe 
creatures purfued him, he ran towards the blind 
one; which hearing the running of it's companions, 
and not knowiog v;hom they purfued, attacked 
them. Mr. Steller thgn retired to an eminence, 
from which he obferved the battle for fome hours. 
The blind Cat aflaulted it's companions indifcri- 
minately, even fuch as took it's part; fo that at 
length they all fell on the blind animal, and al- 
lowed it no reft either on the land or in the fea; 
out of which lafl they dragged it on fhore, and 
tore it to pieces. 
When only two of thefc; animals engage, the 
batde fi-equently lafts for an hour : during which 
they fometimes reft a little, and lie down near each 
other; and afterwards they both rife at once, and 
renev/ the engagement. They generally fight with 
their heads ere(5t, and turn them afide from the 
ftrokes of each other. So lojig as their ftrength 
remains equal, they contend with their fore-paws ; 
but, when one party becomes weak, the other 
feizes it's antagonift with it's teeth, and throws it 
on the ground : and whenever their companions, 
obfcrve this, they fly to the afuftance of the van- 
quiflied. The wounds infliiled v/ith their teeth are 
generally as deep as thofe of a labre; and, at the 
conclufion of thefe PrLirmiflies, they throw them- 
felves into the water, in order to wafli their bodies. 
The accidental caufes of the contentions of thefe 
creatures are in general the following. The firft 
and mofl bloody is on account of their females, 
when one of them endeavours to carry off the mif- 
trefs of another, or the young ones that are females, 
who always follov/ the conqueror. The feconcl 
refpecfls their places of retreat, when one approaches 
too near another; of which encroachments they ne- 
ver admit, either for want of room, or becaufe they 
are jealous of each other's proximity to their re- 
fpedive rniftreffes. And the tltird relates to their 
endeavouring to do juftice to each other, and to 
the compromafing of their quarrels. 
The male Cat is very fond of his offspring;, but 
both the femiales and the young fear him extremely, 
as he fometimes treats them moft tyrannically. 
When any perfon endeavours to catch one of their 
young, the male ftands on the defenfive, while the 
female attempts to fave lierfelf and her brood bv 
flight; but, if file happens to drop the yo.ung one 
