38 
FEATURES OF CATS. 
will carry off a piece of meat nearly as large 
as herself without much difficulty. They 
have very strong, sharp claws, which are 
provided with powerful muscles, so arranged 
that when not in use they may be drawn 
back into a sheath, which serves to keep 
them sharp and fit for use and contributes 
to the noiseless tread which is one of the 
principal characteristics of these animals. 
I think there is only one exception to the 
rule,—the chetah, or hunting leopard. The 
tongue is covered with small horny points 
turning backwards, which gives it the rough 
feeling you notice when the kitten licks 
your hand. 
“ The eyes are large and bright, and are 
usually of a yellowish or greenish tinge: 
sometimes they are gray or brown; and I 
once had a black cat whose eyes were 
bright blue. Some of the white cats have 
the eyes of different colours,—generally a 
blue eye and a yellow one. The pupil of 
the eye is not round like your’s, but elliptical 
or oval, being the largest up and down. 
The size of it varies very much with the 
degree of light. In the dark it seems to 
.cover the whole eye; while in a bright sun- 
