Page:Charles Catton, Animals (1788).pdf/19



our decription of the Angora Goat, we had occaion to remark the influence of climate upon the hair or fur of animals; to which we hall now add Mr. Buffon’s obervations on that phenomenon. "In general we may oberve,” he ays, "that of all the climates of the habitable world, thoe of Spain and Syria conduce the mot favourably to this agreeable change of nature. Sheep, goats, dogs, cats, rabbits, &c. both in Syria and in Spain, have the finet wool, the handomet and longet hair, with colours the mot varied and agreeable; it eems as if Nature here meliorated and embellihed the form of her animals. The wild cat of a harh colour and a rough kin, when dometicated, acquires a oft kin of various colours; but in the favourable climate of Chorazin and Syria, the hair becomes longer, finer, thicker, and the colours uniformly more agreeable; the black and the red mingle to an agreeable brown, and the dark grizzle becomes a pleaant grey. In comparing the wild cat with the dometic, we dicover no difference, but in the variation of colour. This beautiful appearance will not long urvive the change of climate; after the firt generation, they no longer attract the eye with plendour, or invite the touch with, oftnes.”

The Perian, or Angora Cats, here repreented, were brought from the country whence they have their name, and were in fine health and condition when this drawing was made.

The hair was three or four inches long, of a fine milky whitenes; the eyes a lively blue; the hair on the neck longer than on the body, and the tail was buhy; for the ret they reemble our common cats, only appearing rather larger, on account of the greater length of the fur; they poeed the ame habits, and were alike playful and inidious: we have every reaon to believe they were entirely deaf. They are now at Mr. Brook’s Menagerie, London.