Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume IV.djvu/100

 92 CAT This species is 2 ft. 5 in. long, of which the tail measures 9 in. ; the height at the shoulder is 9i in. ; in size it does not differ from the do- mestic cat. The color above is an ochry gray, with a darker line along the back ; beneath, grayish white ; on the forehead are eight slen- der black lines, running forward to the upper part of the neck ; the cheeks, throat, and front of the neck are pura white ; two lines of an ochre-yellow color, one from the outer corner Egyptian Cat (Fells maniculata). of the eye, and the other from the middle of the cheek, meet under the ear, and two rings of the same color encircle the white of the neck ; the limbs have five or six blackish semi- circular bands ; the heels and wrists are black ; the tail is slender, and has two dark rings at the tip. There is no doubt that this species is the original of the domestic cat of the ancient Egyptians, as is shown by the representations of cats on their monuments, by mummies, and by the skeletons foimd in their tombs. It may be a question whether this domesticated spe- cies was transferred by them to the ancient nations of Europe. There certainly is often met with, in modern times, a grayish white cat possessing the most striking resemblance to the Egyptian species; others of our do- mestic cats resemble the wild species of Eu- rope. It is probable therefore that, as with all our domestic animals, different nations have domesticated different small kinds of native cats, which have produced, by the inter- mixture of their closely allied species, the nu- merous varieties now observed. At the same time it should be remembered that the whole genus/eZi* is susceptible of considerable varia- tion ; slight variety of color, therefore, does not necessarily imply diversity of origin. Temminck and Rtippcll are of the ppinion that the F. mani- culata is the species from which our domestic cat has sprung ; before them most naturalists believed that the wild cat of Europe was the original stock ; it is altogether probable that the domesticated species has been crossed in many instances by the wild cat, as shown by the short legs and thick short tails of some va- rieties. All the small species of cats might be easily domesticated, though the common Egyp- tian species seems to be the only one generally employed in household economy. The domes- tic cat readily returns to a wild 'state ; neglect, insecurity of their young, or favoring circum- stances, drive or tempt them to the woods, where they prowl and hunt, and breed, in the manner characteristic of the genus. Cats, though they prefer flesh, will eat bread, fish, insects, and almost anything that is eaten by man. As a general thing, they have a great dislike to water, and will rarely enter it for the purpose of catching fish, of which they are extremely fond. They are capable of very strong attachment to man, and to animals reared with them. Among the most remarka- ble varieties of the domestic cat are the Mal- tese or Chartreuse cat, of a bluish gray color ; the Persian cat, with long white or gray hair ; the Angora cat, with very long and silky hair, generally of a brownish white color ; and the Spanish or tortoise-shell cat, the most beauti- ful of all. In Cornwall and the Isle of Man a breed of cats without a tail is quite common, analogous to a similar and more common breed Manx Cat of dogs. The common wild cat (F. catw, Linn.) is the only animal of the genus that inhabits the British islands, where it is still not uncom- mon in the wild districts of Scotland and Ire- land ; it is found in the wooded tracts of the European continent. The length of the wild cat is 33 in., the tail being 11 in. The fur is long and thick, but not shaggy ; the color va- ries from a yellowish to a blackish gray, dark- est on the back, where it forms a line, diver- ging into four on the neck and head ; the sides are brindled with broad, dark, but indistinct bands; the legs have two or three black bars, Wild Cat (Fells catus). running transversely upward ; the tail is thick, with black rings, indistinct toward the base, and a black tip. The wild cat is an active