486 Analyses of Books, [August, 
The introductory chapter is one that will be read with equal 
interest by student or general reader, and contains much to please 
and instruct. 
The domestic cat is shown not to be the wild cat (F elis caius) 
tamed, but is supposed to be a descendant of the sacred cat of 
the Egyptians, possibly with an admixture of other blood, the 
parent of which was the F elis maniculata , a native of Northern 
Africa. The domestic cat was a rare and valuable creature in 
England during the Middle Ages, while the wild cat was ex- 
tremely common. So great a value was set upon the animal 
towards the end of the sixth century that the laws of Wales, 
Switzerland, Saxony, and other European countries, imposed a 
heavy fine on cat-killers. 
“ The domestic cat is an animal so common and familiar that 
its utility is sometimes apt to be lost sight of. To realise its 
usefulness we must imagine ourselves in a land where no such 
animal is known, but where the annoying creatures upon which 
it preys shall have multiplied with the rapidity natural to them. 
The familiar tale of Whittington may serve to illustrate what 
would be the effect of its introduction into such a land. It has 
been calculated that a single cat may devour twenty mice in one 
day ; but this of course is by no means the limit of its powers 
of destruction. Its effeCt in putting to flight the creature it pur- 
sues is again far in excess of its destructive energy. Were every 
cat in England simultaneously destroyed, the loss through the 
entailed increase of vermin would be enormous. 
“ But however much this animal may deserve our esteem, or 
win our admiration, by its shapely form and graceful movements, 
it certainly has very special claims on the attention of lovers of 
biological science. For in the first place its organisation, consi- 
dered absolutely in itself, is one of singular perfection, and the 
adaptation of means to ends which it displays is truly admirable. 
If, however, we compare its organisation with that of other ani- 
mals, we shall by so doing not only gain a better appreciation of 
its structural perfections, but also become acquainted with a 
variety of relations conveying useful lessons in anatomy, psy- 
chology, and zoology, and others referring to the past, the present, 
and even the future history of this planet.” 
So much for the author’s own apology for his selection of the 
cat : the latter part of this very interesting chapter explains very 
fully the objeCt and scope of the work. 
The next eight chapters are devoted to an exhaustive account 
of the anatomy of the cat, occupying about one-half the volume : 
here we have evidence of the author’s patient investigations, and 
his determination to aid to the utmost of his power those 
wishing to study the anatomy and histology of vertebrate ani- 
mals. The writer has evidently seen and carefully examined 
everything that he describes, and this, undoubtedly the most 
valuable portion of the whole book, is unsparingly supplied with 
