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diff --git a/43790-0.txt b/43790-0.txt index 365dad4..b085638 100644 --- a/43790-0.txt +++ b/43790-0.txt @@ -1,42 +1,4 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Book of Cats, by Charles H. Ross - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Book of Cats - A Chit-chat Chronicle of Feline Facts and Fancies, - Legendary, Lyrical, Medical, Mirthful and Miscellaneous - -Author: Charles H. Ross - -Illustrator: Charles H. Ross - -Release Date: September 21, 2013 [EBook #43790] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BOOK OF CATS *** - - - - -Produced by The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images -generously made available by The Internet Archive/American -Libraries.) - - - - - - - - +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 43790 *** THE BOOK OF CATS. @@ -5711,361 +5673,4 @@ together my materials. End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Book of Cats, by Charles H. 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Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. -unless a copyright notice is included. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Book of Cats - A Chit-chat Chronicle of Feline Facts and Fancies, - Legendary, Lyrical, Medical, Mirthful and Miscellaneous - -Author: Charles H. Ross - -Illustrator: Charles H. Ross - -Release Date: September 21, 2013 [EBook #43790] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BOOK OF CATS *** - - - - -Produced by The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images -generously made available by The Internet Archive/American -Libraries.) - - - - - - - - - -THE BOOK OF CATS. - - - - -[Illustration: THE DOCTOR'S PET. _Page 48._] - - - - -[Illustration: THE BOOK OF CATS - -BY CHAS. H. ROSS. - -With Illustrations by the Author] - - LONDON: - GRIFFITH & FARRAN, - CORNER OF ST. PAUL'S CHURCHYARD. - MDCCCLXVIII. - - - - - THE BOOK OF CATS. - - _A Chit-Chat Chronicle_ - - OF FELINE FACTS AND FANCIES, LEGENDARY, LYRICAL - MEDICAL, MIRTHFUL AND MISCELLANEOUS. - - - BY CHARLES H. ROSS. - - - WITH - Twenty Illustrations by the Author. - - - LONDON: - GRIFFITH AND FARRAN, - (SUCCESSORS TO NEWBERY AND HARRIS), - CORNER OF ST. PAUL'S CHURCHYARD. - MDCCCLXVIII. - - - - - LONDON: - WERTHEIMER, LEA AND CO., PRINTERS, CIRCUS PLACE, - FINSBURY CIRCUS. - - - - -NOTICE. - - -The Author would thankfully receive any well-authenticated anecdotes -respecting Cats, with the view of incorporating them with the work, in the -event of a fresh Edition being called for. - - SPRING COTTAGE, FULHAM. - _November, 1867._ - - - - -CONTENTS. - - - PAGE - - CHAPTER I. - - Of the reason why this Book was written, and of several - sorts of Cats which are not strictly Zoological 3 - - CHAPTER II. - - Of some Wicked Stories that have been told about Cats 15 - - CHAPTER III. - - Of other Wicked Stories, with a few Words in Defence of - the Accused 35 - - CHAPTER IV. - - Of the Manners and Customs of Cats 59 - - CHAPTER V. - - Of Whittington's Cat, and another Cat that visited Strange - Countries 79 - - CHAPTER VI. - - Of various kinds of Cats, Ancient and Modern 91 - - CHAPTER VII. - - Of some Clever Cats 111 - - CHAPTER VIII. - - Of some amiable Cats, and Cats that have been good Mothers 139 - - CHAPTER IX. - - Of Puss in Proverbs, in the Dark Ages, and in the Company - of Wicked Old Women 159 - - CHAPTER X. - - Of a certain Voracious Cat, some Goblin Cats, Magical Cats, - and Cats of Kilkenny 185 - - CHAPTER XI. - - Of Pussy poorly, and of some Curiosities of the Cat's-meat - Trade 207 - - CHAPTER XII. - - Of Wild Cats, Cat Charming, etc. 229 - - CHAPTER XIII. - - Conclusion 275 - - - - -THE BOOK OF CATS. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - - -[Illustration: CHAPTER I.] - -_Of the reason why this Book was written, and of several sorts of Cats -which are not strictly Zoological._ - - -One day, ever so long ago, it struck me that I should like to try and -write a book about Cats. I mentioned the idea to some of my friends: the -first burst out laughing at the end of my opening sentence, so I refrained -from entering into further details. The second said there were a hundred -books about Cats already. The third said, "Nobody would read it," and -added, "Besides, what do you know of the subject?" and before I had time -to begin to tell him, said he expected it was very little. "Why not Dogs?" -asked one friend of mine, hitting upon the notion as though by -inspiration. "Or Horses," said some one else; "or Pigs; or, look here, -this is the finest notion of all:-- - - 'THE BOOK OF DONKIES, - BY ONE OF THE FAMILY!'" - -Somewhat disheartened by the reception my little project had met with, I -gave up the idea for awhile, and went to work upon other things. I cannot -exactly remember what I did, or how much, but my book about Cats was -postponed _sine die_, and in the meantime I made some inquiries. - -I searched high and low; I consulted Lady Cust's little volume; I bought -Mr. Beeton's book; I read up Buffon and Bell, and Frank Buckland; I -eagerly perused the amusing pages of the Rev. Mr. Wood; I looked through -two or three hundred works of one sort and another, and as many old -newspapers and odd numbers of defunct periodicals, and although I daresay -I have overlooked some of the very best, I have really taken a great deal -of trouble, and sincerely hope that I shall be able to amuse you by my -version of what other people have had to tell, with a good many things -which have not yet appeared in print, that I have to tell myself. - -One thing I found out very early in my researches, and that was, that nine -out of ten among my authorities were prejudiced against the animal about -which they wrote, and furthermore, that they knew very little indeed upon -the subject. Take for instance our old friend Mavor, who thus mis-teaches -the young idea in his celebrated Spelling Book. "Cats," says Mr. Mavor, -"have less sense than dogs, and their attachment is chiefly to the house; -but the dog's is to the persons who inhabit it." Need I tell the reader -who has thought it worth his while to learn anything of the Cat's nature, -that Mr. Mavor's was a vulgar and erroneous belief, and that there are -countless instances on record where Cats have shown the most devoted and -enduring attachment to those who have kindly treated them. Again, nothing -can be more unjust than to call Cats cruel. If such a word as cruel could -be applied to a creature without reason, few animals could be found more -cruel than a Robin Redbreast, which we have all determined to make a pet -of since somebody wrote that pretty fable about the "Babes in the Wood." -And apropos of the Robin, do you remember Canning's verses? - - "Tell me, tell me, gentle Robin, - What is it sets thy heart a-throbbing? - Is it that Grimalkin fell - Hath killed thy father or thy mother, - Thy sister or thy brother, - Or any other? - Tell me but that, - And I'll kill the Cat. - - But stay, little Robin, did you ever spare, - A grub on the ground or a fly in the air? - No, that you never did, I'll swear; - So I won't kill the Cat, - That's flat." - -But all the cruel and unjust things that have been said about poor pussy I -will tell you in another chapter. I mean to try and begin at the -beginning. In the first place, what is the meaning of the word "Cat." Let -us look in the dictionary. A Cat, according to Dr. Johnson, is "a -domestick animal that catches mice." But the word has one or two other -meanings, for instance:-- - -In thieves' slang the word "Cat" signifies a lady's muff, and "to free a -cat" to steal a muff. Among soldiers and sailors a "Cat" means something -very unpleasant indeed, with nine tingling lashes or tails, so called, -from the scratches they leave on the skin, like the claws of a cat. - -A Cat is also the name for a tackle or combination of pulleys, to suspend -the anchor at the cat's-head of a ship. - -Cat-harping is the name for a purchase of ropes employed to brace in the -shrouds of the lower masts behind their yards. - -The Cat-fall is the name of a rope employed upon the Cat-head. Two little -holes astern, above the Gun-room ports, are called Cat-holes. - -A Cat's-paw is a particular turn in the bight of a rope made to hook a -tackle in; and the light air perceived in a calm by a rippling on the -surface of the water, is known by the same name. - -A kind of double tripod with six feet, intended to hold a plate before the -fire and so constructed that, in whatever position it is placed, three of -the legs rest on the ground, is called a Cat, from the belief that however -a Cat may be thrown, she always falls on her feet. - -Cat-salt is a name given by our salt-workers to a very beautifully -granulated kind of common salt. - -Cat's-eye or Sun-stone of the Turks is a kind of gem found chiefly in -Siberia. It is very hard and semi-transparent, and has different points -from whence the light is reflected with a kind of yellowish radiation -somewhat similar to the eyes of cats. - -Catkins are imperfect flowers hanging from trees in the manner of a rope -or cat's-tail. - -Cat's-meat, Cat-thyme, and Cat's-foot are the names of herbs; Cat's-head -of an apple, and also of a kind of fossil. Cat-silver is a fossil. -Cat's-tail is a seed or a long round substance growing on a nut-tree. - -A Cat-fish is a shark in the West Indies. Guanahani, or Cat Island, a -small island of the Bahama group, in the West Indies, is supposed to be so -called because wild Cats of large size used to infest it, but I can find -no particulars upon the subject in the works of writers on the West -Indies. - -In the North of England, a common expression of contempt is to call a -person Cat-faced. Artists call portraits containing two-thirds of the -figure Kit-cat size. With little boys in the street a Cat is a dreadfully -objectionable plaything, roughly cut out of a stick or piece of wood, and -sharpened at each end. Those whose way to business lies through low -neighbourhoods, and who venture upon short cuts, well know from bitter -experience that at a certain period of the year the tip-cat season sets in -with awful severity, and then it is not safe for such as have eyes to -lose, to wander where the epidemic rages. - -[Illustration: TIP-CAT. _Page 8._] - -In the North, however, the same game is called "Piggie." I learn by the -newspaper that a young woman at Leeds nearly lost her eye-sight by a blow -from one of these piggies or cats, and the magistrates sent the boy who -was the cause of it to an industrial school, ordering his father to pay -half-a-crown a week for his maintenance. - -The shrill whistle indulged in upon the first night of a pantomime by -those young gentlemen with the figure six curls in the front row of the -gallery are denominated cat-calls. This is, I am given to understand, a -difficult art to acquire--I know I have tried very hard myself and can't; -and to arrive at perfection you must lose a front tooth. Such a thing has -been known before this, as a young costermonger having one of his front -teeth pulled out to enable him to whistle well. Let us hope that his -talent was properly appreciated in the circles in which he moved. - -With respect to cat-calls or cat-cals, also termed cat-pipes, it would -appear that there was an instrument by that name used by the audiences at -the theatre, the noise of which was very different to that made by -whistling through the fingers, as now practised. In the _Covent Garden -Journal_ for 1810 the O. P. Riots are thus spoken of:--"Mr. Kemble made -his appearance in the costume of 'Macbeth,' and, amid vollies of hissing, -hooting, groans, and cat-calls, seemed as though he meant to speak a -steril and pointless address announced for the occasion." - -In book iii. chap. vi. of _Joseph Andrews_, occurs this passage:--"You -would have seen cities in embroidery transplanted from the boxes to the -pit, whose ancient inhabitants were exalted to the galleries, where they -played upon cat-calls." - -In Lloyd's _Law Student_ we find:-- - - "By law let others strive to gain renown! - Florio's a gentleman, a man o' th' town. - He nor courts clients, or the law regarding, - Hurries from Nando's down to Covent Garden. - Zethe's a scholar--mark him in the pit, - With critic Cat-call sound the stops of wit." - -In _Chetwood's History of the Stage_ (1741), there is a story of a -sea-officer who was much plagued by "a couple of sparks, prepared with -their offensive instruments, vulgarly termed Cat-calls;" and describes how -"the squeak was stopped in the middle by a blow from the officer, which he -gave with so strong a will that his child's trumpet was struck through his -cheek." - -The Cat-call used at theatres in former times was a small circular -whistle, composed of two plates of tin of about the size of a half-penny -perforated by a hole in the centre, and connected by a band or border of -the same metal about one-eighth of an inch thick. The instrument was -readily concealed within the mouth, and the perpetrator of the noise could -not be detected. - -There used to be a public-house of some notoriety at the corner of -Downing-street, next to King-street, called the "_Cat and Bagpipes_." It -was also a chop house used by many persons connected with the public -offices in the neighbourhood. George Rose, so well known in after life as -the friend of Pitt, Clerk of the Parliament, Secretary of the Treasury, -etc., and executor of the Earl of Marchmont, but then "a bashful young -man," was one of the frequenters of this tavern. - -Madame Catalini is thus alluded to with disrespectful abbreviation of her -name in _a new song on Covent Garden Theatre_, printed and sold by J. -Pitts, No. 14, Great St. Andrew-street, Seven Dials. - - "This noble building, to be sure, has beauty without bounds, - It cost upwards of one hundred and fifty thousand pounds; - They've Madame Catalini there to open her white throat, - But to hear your foreign singers I would not give a groat; - So haste away unto the play, whose name has reached the skies, - And when the Cati ope's her mouth, oh how she'll catch the flies!" - -It was once upon a time the trick of a countryman to bring a Cat to market -in a bag, and substitute it for a sucking pig in another bag, which he -sold to the unwary when he got the chance. If the trick was discovered -prematurely, it was called letting the cat out of the bag--if not--he that -made the bad bargain was said to have bought a pig in a poke. To turn the -Cat in the pan, according to Bacon, is when that which a man says to -another he says it as if another had said it to him. - -There is a kind of ship, too, called a Cat, a vessel formed on the -Norwegian model, of about 600 tons burthen. That was the sort of cat that -brought the great Dick Whittington, of "turn again" memory, his fortune. -Do you remember how sorry you were to find out the truth? Do you recollect -what a pang it cost you when first you heard that Robinson Crusoe was not -true? I shall never forget how vexed and disappointed I was at hearing -that Dick Turpin never did ride to York on his famous mare Black Bess, and -that no such person as William Tell ever existed, and that that beautiful -story about the apple was only a beautiful story after all. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - - -[Illustration: CHAPTER II.] - -_Of some Wicked Stories that have been told about Cats._ - - -"I do not love a Cat," says a popular author, often quoted; "his -disposition is mean and suspicious. A friendship of years is cancelled in -a moment by an accidental tread on the tail. He spits, twirls his tail of -malignity, and shuns you, turning back as he goes off a staring vindictive -face full of horrid oaths and unforgiveness, seeming to say, 'Perdition -catch you! I hate you for ever.' But the Dog is my delight. Tread on his -tail, he expresses for a moment the uneasiness of his feelings, but in a -moment the complaint is ended: he runs round you, jumps up against you, -seems to declare his sorrow for complaining, as it was not intentionally -done,--nay, to make himself the aggressor, and begs, by whinings and -lickings, that the master will think of it no more." No sentiments could -be more popular with some gentlemen. In the same way there are those who -would like to beat their wives, and for them to come and kiss the hand -that struck them in all humility. It is not only when hurt by accident -that the dog comes whining round its master. The lashed hound crawls back -and licks the boot that kicked him, and so makes friends again. Pussy will -not do that though. If you want to be friendly with a cat on Tuesday, you -must not kick him on Monday. You must not fondle him one moment and -illtreat him the next, or he will be shy of your advances. This really -human way of behaving makes Pussy unpopular. - -I am afraid that if it were to occur to one of our legislators to tax the -Cats, the feline slaughter would be fearful. Every one is fond of dogs, -and yet Mr. Edmund Yates, travelling by water to Greenwich last June, said -that the journey was pleasingly diversified by practical and nasal -demonstrations of the efficient working of the Dog-tax. "No fewer than 292 -bodies of departed canines, in various stages of decomposition, were -floating off Greenwich during the space of seven days in the previous -month, seventy-eight of which were found jammed in the chains and -landing-stages of the "Dreadnought" hospital ship, thereby enhancing the -salubrity of that celebrated hothouse for sick seamen." And I cannot -venture to repeat the incredible stories of the numbers said to have been -taken from the Regent's Canal. - -There are some persons who profess to have a great repugnance to Cats. -King Henry III. of France, a poor, weak, dissipated creature, was one of -these. According to Conrad Gesner, men have been known to lose their -strength, perspire violently, and even faint at the sight of a cat. Others -are said to have gone even further than this, for some have fainted at a -cat's picture, or when they have been in a room where such a picture was -concealed, or when the picture was as far off as the next room. It was -supposed that this sensitiveness might be cured by medicine. Let us hope -that these gentlemen were all properly physicked. I myself have often -heard men express similar sentiments of aversion to the feline race; and -sometimes young ladies have done so in my hearing. In both cases I have -little doubt but that the weakness is easily overcome. As for a hidden and -unheard Cat's presence affecting a person's nerves, I beg to state my -conviction that such a story is utterly ridiculous; and I was vastly -entertained by the following narrative, written by a lady for a Magazine -for Boys, and given as a truth. Such a valuable fact in natural history -should not be allowed to perish; she calls it, A TALE OF MY GRANDMOTHER. - -My maternal grandmother had so strong an aversion to Cats that it seemed -to endow her with an additional sense. You may, perhaps, have heard people -use the phrase, that they were "frightened out of their seven senses," -without troubling yourselves to wonder how they came to have more than -_five_. But the Druids of old used to include sympathy and antipathy in -the number, a belief which has, no doubt, left its trace in the above -popular and otherwise unmeaning expression; and this extra sense of -antipathy my grandmother certainly exhibited as regarding Cats. - -When she was a young and pretty little bride, dinner parties and routs, as -is usual on such occasions, were given in her honour. In those days, now -about eighty years ago, people usually dined early in the afternoon, and -you may imagine somewhere in Yorkshire, a large company assembled for a -grand dinner by daylight. With all due decorum and old-fashioned stately -politeness, the ladies in rustling silks, stately hoops, and nodding -plumes, are led to their seats by their respective cavaliers, in bright -coloured coats with large gilt buttons. - -With dignified bows and profound curtsies, they take their places, the -bride, of course, at her host's right hand. The bustle subsides, the -servants remove the covers, the carving-knives are brandished by -experienced hands, and the host having made the first incision in a goodly -sirloin or haunch, turns to enquire how his fair guest wishes to be -helped. - -To his surprise, he beholds her pretty face flushed and uneasy, while she -lifts the snowy damask and looks beneath the table. - -"What is the matter, my dear madam? Have you lost something?" - -"No, sir, nothing, thank you;--it is the _Cat_," replied the timid bride, -with a slight shudder, as she pronounced the word. - -"The Cat?" echoed the gentleman, with a puzzled smile; "but, my dear Mrs. -H----, we have no Cat!" - -"Indeed! that is very odd, for there is certainly a Cat in the room." - -"Did you see it then?" - -"No, sir, no: I did not _see_ it, but I _know_ it is in the room." - -"Do you fancy you heard one then?" - -"No, sir." - -"What is the matter, my dear?" now enquires the lady of the house, from -the end of the long table; "the dinner will be quite cold while you are -talking to your fair neighbour so busily." - -"Mrs. H---- says there is a Cat in the room, my love; but we have no Cat, -have we?" - -"No, certainly!" replied the lady tartly. "Do carve the haunch, Mr.----." - -The footman held the plate nearer, a due portion of the savoury meat was -placed upon it. - -"To Mrs. H----," said the host, and turned to look again at his fair -neighbour; but her uneasiness and confusion were greater than ever. Her -brow was crimson--every eye was turned towards her, and she looked ready -to cry. - -"I will leave the room, if you will allow me, sir, for I _know_ that there -is a Cat in the room." - -"But, my dear madam--" - -"I am quite sure there is, sir; I _feel_ it--I would rather go." - -"John, Thomas, Joseph, _can_ there be a Cat in the room?" demanded the -embarrassed host of the servants. - -"Quite impossible, sir;--have not seen such a hanimal about the place -since I comed, any way." - -"Well, look under the table, at any rate; the lady says she _feels_ it; -look in every corner of the room, and let us try to convince her." - -"My dear, my dear!" remonstrated the annoyed bridegroom from a distant -part of the table; "what trouble you are giving." - -"Indeed, I would rather leave the room," said the little bride, slipping -from her chair. But, meanwhile, the servants ostentatiously bustled in -their unwilling search for what they believed to be a phantom fancy of the -young lady's brain; when, lo! one of the footmen took hold of a -half-closed window-shutter, and from the aperture behind out sprang a -large cat into the midst of the astonished circle, eliciting cries and -exclamations from others than the finely organised bride, who clasped her -hands rigidly, and gasped with pallid lips. - -Such facts as this are curious, certainly, and remain a puzzle to -philosophers. - -This habit of hiding itself in secret places is one of the most unpleasant -characteristics of the Cat. I know many instances of it--especially of a -night alarm when we were children, ending in a strange cat being found in -a clothes bag. - -Here, indeed, we have truth several degrees stranger than fiction; but -this is not the only wonderful story the authoress has to tell. I will -give you some others very slightly abridged. - -"A year or two ago, a man in the south of Ireland severely chastised his -cat for some misdemeanour, immediately after which the animal stole away, -and was seen no more. - -"A few days subsequently, as this man was starting to go from home, the -Cat met and stood before him in a narrow path, with rather a wicked -aspect. Its owner slashed his handkerchief at her to frighten her out of -the way, but the Cat, undismayed, sprang at the hand, and held it with so -ferocious a gripe, that it was impossible to make it open its jaws, and -the creature's body had actually to be cut from the head, and the jaws -afterwards to be severed, before the mangled hand could be extricated. The -man died from the injuries." - -The jaws of a Cat are comparatively strong, and worked by powerful -muscles; it has thirty-four teeth, but they are for the most part very -tiny teeth, like pin's points. What, I wonder, were the dimensions of this -ferocious animal with the iron jaws; and how many courageous souls were -engaged in its destruction. If this story is, however, rather hard to -swallow, the next is not less so. Says our authoress:-- - -"I also know an Irish gentleman, who being an only son without any -playmates, was allowed, when he was a child, to have a whole family of -Cats sleeping in the bed with him every night. - -"One day he had beaten the father of the family for some offence, and when -he was asleep at night, the revengeful beast seized him by the throat, and -would probably have killed him had not instant help been at hand. "The Cat -sprang from the window, and was never more seen." (Probably went away in a -flash of blue fire.) - -What do you think of these very strange stories? If they surprise you, -however, what will you say to this one? "Dr. C----, an Italian gentleman -still living in Florence (the initial is just a little unsatisfactory), -who knew at least one of the parties, related to the authoress the -following singular story. A certain country priest in Tuscany, who lived -quite alone with his servants, naturally attached himself, in the want of -better society, to a fine he-cat, which sat by his stove in winter, and -always ate from his plate. - -One day a brother priest was the good man's guest, and, in the rare -enjoyment of genial conversation, the Cat was neglected; resenting this, -he attempted to help himself from his master's plate, instead of waiting -for the special morsels which were usually placed on the margin for his -use, and was requited with a sharp rap on the head for the liberty. This -excited the animal's indignation still more, and springing from the table -with an angry cry, he darted to the other side of the room. The two -priests thought no more of the Cat until the cloth was about to be -removed; when the master of the house prepared a plateful of scraps for -his forward favourite, and called him by name to come and enjoy his share -of the feast. No joyful Cat obeyed the familiar call: his master observed -him looking sulkily from the recess of the window, and rose, holding out -the plate, and calling to him in a caressing voice. As he did not -approach, however, the old gentleman put the platter aside, saying he -might please himself, and sulk instead of dine, if he preferred it; and -then resumed his conversation with his friend. A little later the old -gentleman showed symptoms of drowsiness, so his visitor begged that he -would not be on ceremony with him, but lie down and take the nap which he -knew he was accustomed to indulge in after dinner, and he in the meantime -would stroll in the garden for an hour. This was agreed to. The host -stretched himself on a couch, and threw his handkerchief over his face to -protect him from the summer flies, while the guest stepped through a -French window which opened on a terrace and shrubbery. - -An hour or somewhat more had passed when he returned, and found his friend -still recumbent: he did not at first think of disturbing him, but after a -few minutes, considering that he had slept very long, he looked more -observantly towards the couch, and was struck by the perfect immobility of -the figure, and with something peculiar in the position of the head over -which the handkerchief lay disordered. Approaching nearer he saw that it -was stained with blood, and hastily removing it, saw, to his unutterable -horror, that his poor friend's throat was gashed across, and that life was -already extinct. - -He started back, shocked and dismayed, and for a few moments remained -gazing on the dreadful spectacle almost paralysed. Then came the -speculation who could have done so cruel a deed? An old man murdered -sleeping--a good man, beloved by his parishioners and scarcely known -beyond the narrow circle of his rural home. It was his duty to investigate -the mystery, so he composed his countenance as well as he was able, and -going to the door of the room, called for a servant. - -The man who had waited at table presently appeared, rubbing his eyes, for -he, too, had been asleep. - -"Tell me who has been into this room while I was in the garden." - -"Nobody, your reverence; no one ever disturbs the master during his -siesta." - -He then asked the servant where he had been, and was told in the -ante-room. He next enquired whether any person had been in or out of the -house, or if he had heard any movement or voice in the room, and also how -many fellow-servants the man had. He was told that he had heard no noise -or voices, and that he had two fellow-servants--the cook and a little boy. -His reverence demanded that they should be brought in, that he might -question them. - -They came, and were cross-questioned as closely as possible, but they -declared that they had not been in that part of the house all day long, -and that nobody could possibly get into the house without their knowledge, -unless it was through the garden. The priest had been walking all the time -in view of the house, and he felt convinced that the murderer could not -have passed in or out on that side without his knowledge. - -"Listen to me; some person has been into that room since dinner, and your -master is cruelly murdered." - -"Murdered!" cried the three domestics in tones of terror and amazement; -"did your reverence say 'murdered'?" - -"He lies where I left him, but his throat is gashed from ear to ear--he is -dead. My poor old friend!" - -"Dead! the poor master dead, murdered in his own house." - -They wrung their hands, tore their hair, and wept aloud. - -"Silence! I command you; and consider that every one of us standing here -is liable to the suspicion of complicity in this foul deed; so look to it. -Giuseppe was asleep." - -"But I sleep very lightly, your reverence." - -"Come in and see your master," said the priest solemnly. - -They crept in, white with fear and stepping noiselessly. They gazed on the -shocking spectacle transfixed with horror. Then a cry of "Who can have -done it?" burst from all lips. - -"Who, indeed?" repeated the cook. - -The priest desired Giuseppe to look round the premises, and count the -plate, and ascertain if there had been a robbery, or if any one was -concealed about the house. The man returned without throwing any new light -upon the mystery; but, in his absence, while surveying the room more -carefully than he had previously done, the priest's eye met those of the -Cat glowing like lurid flames, as he sat crouching in the shade near a -curtain. The orbs had a fierce malignant expression, which startled him, -and at once recalled to his recollection the angry and sullen demeanour of -the creature during dinner. - -"Could it possibly be the Cat that killed him?" demanded of the cook the -awe-struck priest. - -"Who knows?" replied he; "the beast was surly to others, but always seemed -to love him fondly; and then the wound seems as though it were made with a -weapon." - -[Illustration: A TALE OF TERROR. _Page 29._] - -"It does, certainly," rejoined the priest; "yet I mistrust that brute, and -we will try to put it to the proof, at any rate." - -After many suggestions, they agreed to pass cords round the neck and under -the shoulders of the deceased, and carried the ends outside the room door, -which was exactly opposite the couch where he lay. They then all quietly -left the apartment, almost closing the door, and remained perfectly still. - -One of the party was directed to keep his eye fixed on the Cat, the others -after a short delay slowly pulled the cords, which had the effect of -partially raising the head of the corpse. - -Instantly, at this apparent sign of life, the savage Cat sprang from its -corner, and, with a low yell and a single bound, fastened upon the mangled -neck of its victim. - -At once the sad mystery was solved, the treacherous, ungrateful, cowardly, -and revengeful murderer discovered! and all that remained to be done was -to summon help to destroy the wild beast, and in due time to bury the good -man in peace. - - * * * * * - -Well, to such stories as these I have no particular objection, under -certain circumstances. They are well enough, for instance, to fill up -the odd corners of a weekly newspaper in the dull season, and are a -pleasant relief to the 'enormous gooseberry'; but I have my doubts whether -they should be given as facts for the instruction of youth, though I am -not much surprised that the editor should have admitted them into his -pages, when he speaks of them in another part of the magazine as -"delightful papers." When children's minds are thus filled with absurd -falsehoods, it is not to be wondered at if, when the child grows up into a -man, the man should express himself somewhat in the words of this -instructor of youth, who says, "I must confess, on my own part, an -aversion to the feline race, which, with the best intentions, I am unable -entirely to conquer. I have occasionally become rather fond of an -individual Cat, but never encounter one, unexpectedly, without a feeling -of repugnance; and, as I like, or feel an interest in, every other animal, -I regard this peculiarity as hereditary." - -I suppose, however, that there are few of my fair readers who have not a -feeling somewhat akin to repugnance towards snakes, black-beetles, -earwigs, spiders, rats, and even poor little, harmless mice; yet ladies -have been known to keep white mice, and make pets of them after a time, -when the first timidity was overcome. There was a captive once, you may -remember, who tamed a spider. A man, about ten years ago, who used to go -about the streets, got his living by pretending to swallow snakes. He -allowed them, while holding tight on their tails, to crawl half-way down -his throat and back again. He said they were nice clean animals, and good -company. Little boys at school often swallow frogs. An earwig probably has -fine social qualities, which only want bringing out: naturalists tell us -they make the best of mothers. The black beetle has always been a maligned -insect: it is a sort of nigger among insects, apparently born only to be -poisoned, drowned, or smashed; but some one ought, decidedly, to take the -race in hand and see of what it is capable. I have, myself, a horror of -most of the creatures I have named, but happen not to have been reared -with an aversion for Cats, and I have a strong belief that if I tried hard -(which I am not going to do) I might get upon friendly relations with the -other animals named above, which, I suppose, most of us are taught, when -children, to dislike; and as our fathers and mothers have entertained the -same feeling, perhaps, as my authoress says, we may "regard this -peculiarity as hereditary." - -Probably a good many ladies reading these lines will endorse my -authoress's opinions. For the most part these will be married ladies with -large families; and it will be found upon enquiry, I feel certain, that -ladies who have many children will have a dislike for the feline race. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - - -[Illustration: CHAPTER III.] - -_Of other Wicked Stories, with a few Words in Defence of the Accused._ - - -I told you awhile ago what good Mr. Mavor says of Cats. "La défiance que -cet animal inspire," says another instructor of youth, M. Pujoulx, in his -_Livre du Second Age_, "est bien propre à corriger de dissimulation et de -l'hypocrisie." I have nothing to say of poor Pujoulx, whose books and -opinions are by this time well nigh forgotten; but what am I to think of -two other authors, whose words should be law, but of the value of which -I leave you to judge for yourself. I need not, I think, remind you that -there is a natural history written by one Monsieur Buffon, "containing a -theory of the earth, a general history of man, of the brute creation, and -of vegetables, minerals, etc.," of which Mr. Barr published an English -translation in ten goodly volumes. Thus, in this work of world-wide -celebrity, is the feline race discussed. I give the author's words as I -find them:-- - -"The Cat is a faithless domestic, and only kept through necessity to -oppose to another domestic which incommodes us still more, and which we -cannot drive away; for we pay no respect to those, who, being fond of all -beasts, keep Cats for amusement. Though these animals are gentle and -frolicksome when young, yet they, even then, possess an innate cunning and -perverse disposition, which age increases, and which education only serves -to conceal. They are, naturally, inclined to theft, and the best education -only converts them into servile and flattering robbers; for they have the -same address, subtlety, and inclination for mischief or rapine. Like all -knaves, they know how to conceal their intentions, to watch, wait, and -choose opportunities for seizing their prey; to fly from punishment, and -to remain away until the danger is over, and they can return with safety. -They readily conform to the habits of society, but never acquire its -manners; for of attachment they have only the appearance, as may be seen -by the obliquity of their motions, and duplicity of their looks. They -never look in the face those who treat them best, and of whom they seem to -be the most fond; but either through fear or falsehood, they approach him -by windings to seek for those caresses they have no pleasure in, but only -to flatter those from whom they receive them. Very different from that -faithful animal the dog, whose sentiments are all directed to the person -of his master, the Cat appears only to feel for himself, only to love -conditionally, only to partake of society that he may abuse it; and by -this disposition he has more affinity to man than the dog, who is all -sincerity." - -So much for M. Buffon: though he is sadly mistaken on the subject of which -he writes, these were probably his honest opinions; but what can be said -for a writer in the Encyclopædia Britannica, who holds forth as follows, -and is not only ignorant of what he talks about, but steals Buffon's -absurd prejudices, and passes them off as his own. In his opinion the -cat "is a useful but deceitful domestic. Although when young it is playful -and gay, it possesses at the same time an innate malice and perverse -disposition, which increases as it grows up, and which education learns it -to conceal, but never to subdue. Constantly bent upon theft and rapine, -though in a domestic state, it is full of cunning and dissimulation: it -conceals all its designs, seizes every opportunity of doing mischief, and -then flies from punishment. It easily takes on the habits of society, but -never its manners; for it has only the appearance of friendship and -attachment. This disingenuity of character is betrayed by the obliquity of -its movements and the ambiguity of its looks. In a word, the Cat is -totally destitute of friendship." - -Here, I think, are some pretty sentiments and some valuable information -about the Cat-kind. Let us hope that the other contributors to the -Encyclopædia knew something more of what they wrote about than the -gentleman above quoted. And these opinions are not uncommon; for instance, -allow me to quote from an article in a popular miscellany:-- - -"No! I cannot abide Cats," says the writer. "Pet Cats, wild Cats, Tom -Cats, gib Cats, Persian Cats, Angora Cats, tortoiseshell Cats, tabby -Cats, black Cats, Manx Cats, brindled Cats, mewing once, twice, or thrice, -as the case may be,--none of these Cats delight me; they are associated in -my mind with none but disagreeable objects and remembrances--old maids, -witchcraft, dreadful sabbaths, with old women flying up the chimney upon -broom-sticks, to drink hell-broth with the evil one, charms, incantations, -sorceries, sucking children's breaths, stopping out late on the tiles, -catterwauling and molrowing in the night season, prowling about the -streets at unseasonable hours, and a variety of other things, too numerous -and too unpleasant to mention." - -Upon the other hand, Puss has had her defenders, and Miss Isabel Hill -writes thus:-- - -"Poor Pinkey, I can scarce dare a word in praise of one belonging to thy -slandered sisterhood; yet a few good examples embolden me to assert that I -have rarely known any harm of Cats who were given a fair chance, though I -own I have seldom met with any that have enjoyed that advantage. Is it -their fault that they are born nearly without brains, though with all -their senses about them, and of a tender turn? That they want strength, -both of body and instinct, are dependant, and ill educated? No! their -errors are thrust upon them; they become selfish per force, cowards from -their tenacious regard for that personal neatness which they so labour to -preserve. Oh! that all females made such good use of their tongues! Cross -from sheer melancholy, reflecting, in their starved and persecuted -maturity, on the fondness lavished over the days in which they were pet -useless toys; as soon as they can deserve and may require kind treatment, -they are as ill-used as if they were constant wives--rather unfair on -ladies of their excessive genius. Could every Cat, like Whittington's, -catch fortunes for her master as well as mice, we should hear no more said -against the species. Suppose they only fawn on us because we house and -feed them, they have no nobler proofs of friendship with which to thank -us; and if their very gratitude for this self-interested hire be adduced -as a crime, alas! poor Pussies! Had Minette been a Thomas, a whiskered -fur-collared Philander, he would most probably have surmounted that -unmanly weakness, and received all favours as but his due. I never see a -Mrs. Mouser rubbing her soft coat against me, with round upturned eyes, -but I translate her purr into words like these:--'I can't swim; I can -neither fetch and carry, nor guard the house; I can only love you, -mistress; pray accept all I have to offer.'" - -An anonymous writer says: "We may learn some useful lessons from Cats, as -indeed, from all animals. Agur, in the book of Proverbs, refers to some; -and all through Scripture we find animals used as types of human -character. Cats may teach us patience, and perseverance, and earnest -concentration of mind on a desired object, as they watch for hours -together by a mouse-hole, or in ambush for a bird. In their nicely -calculated springs, we are taught neither to come short through want of -mercy, or go beyond the mark in its excess. In their delicate walking -amidst the fragile articles on a table or mantel-piece, is illustrated the -tact and discrimination by which we should thread rather than force our -way; and, in pursuit of our own ends, avoid the injuring of others. In -their noiseless tread and stealthy movements, we are reminded of the -frequent importance of secresy and caution prior to action, while their -promptitude at the right moment, warns us, on the other hand, against the -evils of irresolution and delay. The curiosity with which they spy into -all places, and the thorough smelling which any new object invariably -receives from them, commends to us the pursuit of knowledge, even under -difficulties. Cats, however, will never smell the same thing twice over, -thereby showing a retentive as well as an acquiring faculty. Then to speak -of what may be learned from their mere form and ordinary motions, so full -of beauty and gracefulness. What Cat was ever awkward or clumsy? Whether -in play or in earnest, Cats are the very embodiment of elegance. As your -Cat rubs her head against something you offer her, which she either does -not fancy or does not want, she instructs you that there is a gracious -mode of refusing a thing; and as she sits up like a bear, on her hind -legs, to ask for something (which Cats will often do for a long time -together), you may see the advantage of a winning and engaging way, as -well when you are seeking a favour as when you think fit to decline one. -If true courtesy and considerateness should prevent you not merely from -positively hurting another, but also from purposely clashing, say, with -another's fancies, peculiarities, or predilections, this too, may be -learned from the Cat, who does not like to be rubbed the wrong way (who -does like to be rubbed the wrong way?), and who objects to your treading -on her tail. Nor is the soft foot, with its skilfully sheathed and ever -sharp claws, without a moral too; for whilst there is nothing -commendable in anything approaching to spite, passion, or revenge, a -character that is all softness is certainly defective. The velvety paw is -very well, but it will be the better appreciated when it is known that it -carries within it something that is not soft, and which can make itself -felt, and sharply felt, on occasion. A cat rolled up into a ball, or -crouched with its paws folded underneath it, seems an emblem of repose and -contentment. There is something soothing in the mere sight of it. It may -remind one of the placid countenance and calm repose with which the sphynx -seems to look forth from the shadow of the Pyramids, on the changes and -troubles of the world. This leads to the remark, that Cats, after all, are -very enigmatical creatures. You never get to the bottom of Cats. You will -never find any two, well known to you, that do not offer marked -diversities in ways and dispositions; and, in general, the combination -they exhibit of activity and repose, and the rapidity with which they pass -from the one to the other, their gentle aspects and fragile form, united -with strength and pliancy, their sudden appearances and disappearances, -their tenacity of life, and many escapes from dangers ("as many lives as a -Cat"), their silent and rapid movements, their sometimes unaccountable -gatherings, and strange noises at night--all contribute to invest them -with a mysterious fascination, which reaches its culminating point in the -(not very frequent) case of a completely black cat." - -Instances are frequent, I am happy to tell Cat-haters, of illustrious -persons who have been attached to the feline race, and of Cats who have -merited such attachment. - -Mahomet would seem to have been very fond of Cats, for it is said that he -once cut off the sleeve of his robe rather than disturb his favourite -while sleeping on it. Petrarch was so fond of his Cat that when it died he -had it embalmed, and placed in a niche in his apartment; and you ought to -read what Rousseau has to say in favour of the feline race. M. Baumgarten -tells us that he saw a hospital for Cats at Damascus: it was a large -house, walled round very carefully, and said to be full of patients. It -was at Damascus that the incident above related occurred to Mahomet. His -followers in this place ever afterwards paid a great respect to Cats, and -supported the hospital in question by public subscriptions with much -liberality. - -When the Duke of Norfolk was committed to the Tower, in the reign of Queen -Elizabeth, a favourite Cat made her way into the prison room by getting -down the chimney. - -"The first day," says Lady Morgan, in her delightful book, "we had the -honour of dining at the palace of the Archbishop of Toronto, at Naples, he -said to me, 'You must pardon my passion for Cats, but I never exclude them -from my dining-room, and you will find they make excellent company.' -Between the first and second course, the door opened, and several -enormously large and beautiful Angora Cats were introduced by the names of -Pantalone, Desdemona, Otello, etc.: they took their places on chairs near -the table, and were as silent, as quiet, as motionless, and as well -behaved as the most _bon ton_ table in London could require. On the bishop -requesting one of the chaplains to help the Signora Desdemona, the butler -stepped up to his lordship, and observed, 'My lord, La Signora Desdemona -will prefer waiting for the roasts.'" - -Gottfried Mind, the celebrated Swiss painter, was called the "Cat -Raphael," from the excellence with which he painted that animal. This -peculiar talent was discovered and awakened by chance. At the time when -Frendenberger painted his picture of the "Peasant Clearing Wood," before -his cottage, with his wife sitting by, and feeding her child out of a -basin, round which a Cat is prowling, Mind, his new pupil, stared very -hard at the sketch of this last figure, and Frendenberger asked with a -smile whether he thought he could draw a better. Mind offered to show what -he could do, and did draw a Cat, which Frendenberger liked so much that he -asked his pupil to elaborate the sketch, and the master copied the -scholar's work, for it is Mind's Cat that is engraved in Frendenberger's -plate. Prints of Mind's Cats are now common. - -Mind did not look upon Cats merely as subjects for art; his liking for -them was very great. Once when hydrophobia was raging in Berne, and eight -hundred were destroyed in consequence of an order issued by the civic -authorities, Mind was in great distress on account of their death. He had, -however, successfully hidden his own favourite, and she escaped the -slaughter. This Cat was always with him when he worked, and he used to -carry on a sort of conversation with her by gesture and signs. It is said -that Minette sometimes occupied his lap, while two or three kittens -perched on his shoulders; and he was often known to remain for an hour -together in almost the same attitude for fear of disturbing them; yet he -was generally thought to be a passionate, sour-tempered man. It is said -that Cardinal Wolsey used to accommodate his favourite Cat with part of -his regal seat when he gave an audience or received princely company. - -There is a funny story told of Barrett, the painter, another lover of -Cats. He had for pets a Cat and a kitten, its progeny. A friend seeing two -holes in the bottom of his door, asked him for what purpose he made them -there. Barrett said it was for the Cats to go in and out. - -"Why," replied his friend, "would not one do for both?" - -"You silly man," answered the painter, "how could the big Cat get into the -little hole?" - -"But," said his friend, "could not the little one go through the big -hole?" - -"Dear me," cried Barrett, "so she could; well, I never thought of that." - -M. Sonnini had an Angora Cat, of which he writes: "This animal was my -principal amusement for several years. How many times have her tender -caresses made me forget my troubles, and consoled me in my misfortunes. My -beautiful companion at length perished. After several days of suffering, -during which I never forsook her, her eyes constantly fixed on me, were at -length extinguished; and her loss rent my heart with sorrow." - -You have heard, of course, of Doctor Johnson's feline favourite, and how -it fell ill, and how he, thinking the servants might neglect it, himself -turned Cat-nurse, and having found out that the invalid had a fancy for -oysters, daily administered them to poor Pussy until she had quite -recovered. I like to picture to myself that good old grumpy doctor nursing -Pussy on his knee, and wasting who shall say how many precious moments -which otherwise might have been devoted to his literary avocations. I dare -say now, in that tavern parlour where the lexicographer held forth so ably -after sun-set, he made but scant allusion to his nursing feats, lest some -mad wit might have twitted him upon the subject, for you may be sure that -the wits of those days, as of ours, could have been mighty satirical on -such a theme. - -Madame Helvetius had a Cat that used to lie at its mistress's feet, -scarcely ever leaving her for five minutes together. It would never take -food from any other hand, and it would allow no one but its mistress to -caress it; but it would obey her commands in everything, fetching objects -she wanted in its mouth, like a dog. During Madame Helvetius's last -illness, the poor animal never quitted her chamber, and though it was -removed after her death, it returned again next morning, and slowly and -mournfully paced to and fro in the room, crying piteously all the time. -Some days after its mistress's funeral, it was found stretched dead upon -her grave, having, it would seem, died of grief. - -There is a well-authenticated story of a Cat which having had a thorn -taken out of her foot by a man servant, remembered him, and welcomed him -with delight when she saw him again after an absence of two years. - -As a strong instance of attachment, I can quote the case of a she Cat of -my own, which always waited for me in the passage when I returned home of -an evening, and mounted upon my shoulder to ride upstairs. Returning home -once after an absence of six weeks, this Cat sat on the corner of the -mantel-piece, close by the bed, all night, and as it would appear wide -awake, keeping a sort of guard over me, for being very restless I lay -awake a long while, and then awoke again, several times, after dozing off, -to find upon each occasion Miss Puss, with wide open eyes, purring loudly. -I may add, that although, when we have gone away from home, the Cats -have taken their meals and spent most of their time with the servants, yet -upon our return they have immediately resumed their old ways, and cut the -kitchen dead. - -By the report of a police case at Marlborough Street, on the 28th of June -last, it appeared that a husband, brutally ill-using his wife, flung her -on the ground, and seizing her by the throat, endeavoured to strangle her. -While, however, she lay thus, a favourite Cat, named "Topsy," suddenly -sprang upon the man, and fastened her claws and teeth in his face. He -could not tear the Cat away, and was obliged to implore the woman he had -been ill-using to take the Cat from him to save his life. - -The Cat is reproached with treachery and cruelty, but Bigland argues that -the artifices which it uses are the particular instincts which the -all-wise Creator has given it, in conformity with the purposes for which -it was designed. Being destined to prey upon a lively and active animal -like the mouse, which possesses so many means of escape, it is requisite -that it should be artful; and, indeed, the Cat, when well observed, -exhibits the most evident proofs of a particular adaptation to a -particular purpose, and the most striking example of a peculiar instinct -suited to its destiny. - -Every animal has its own way of killing and eating its prey. The fox -leaves the legs and hinder parts of a hare or rabbit; the weasel and stoat -eat the brains, and nibble about the head, and suck the blood; crows and -magpies peck at the eyes; the dog tears his prey to pieces -indiscriminately; the Cat always turns the skin inside out like a glove. - -Mr. Buckland relates the case of a gamekeeper who bought up all the Cats -in the neighbouring town, cut off their heads, and nailed them up as -trophies of veritable captures in the woods. In a gamekeeper's museum, -visited by the same writer, were no less than fifty-three Cats' heads -staring hideously down from the shelves. There was a story attached to -each head. One Cat was killed in such a wood; another in such a hedge-row; -some in traps, some shot, some knocked on the head with a stick; but what -was most remarkable was the different expression of countenance observable -in each individual head. One had died fighting desperately to the last, -and giving up its nine lives inch by inch. Caught in a trap, it had -lingered the night through in dreadful agony, the pain of its entrapped -limb causing it to make furious efforts to free itself, each effort but -lending another torment to the wound. In the morning the gamekeeper had -released the poor exhausted creature for the dogs to worry out what little -life was left in its body. The head dried by the heat of two summers, the -wrinkled forehead, the expanded eyelids, the glary eyeballs, the whiskers -stretched to their full extent, the spiteful lips, exposing the double row -of tiger-like teeth, envenomed by agony, told all this. The hand of death -had not been powerful enough to relax the muscles racked for so many hours -of pain and terror. - -Another Cat's head wore a very different expression; she had neither been -worried nor tortured. Creeping, stealthily, on the tips of her beautifully -padded feet, behind some overhanging hedge, the hidden gamekeeper had -suddenly shot her dead. In death her face was calm; no expression of fear -ruffled her features; she had been shot down and died instantly at the -moment of anticipated triumph. - -A third head belonged to a poor little Puss that had died before it had -attained the age of cathood; her young life had been knocked out of her -with a stick: her head still retained the kitten's playful look, and there -was an appealing expression about it as though it had died quickly, -wondering in what it had done wrong. - -I find a writer upon Cats who speaks thus in their praise:-- - -"It has been said that the Cat is one of those animals which has made the -least return to man for his trouble by its services; but it is certain -that it renders very essential service to man." - -And another says:-- - -"Authors seem to delight in exaggerating the good qualities of the Dog, -while they depreciate those of the Cat; the latter, however, is not less -useful, and certainly less mischievous, than the former." - -Indeed, it would be unfair not to state that Pussy has had many able -defenders, who have argued her case in verse as well as prose; for -example, in Edmond Moore's fable of "_The Farmer, the Spaniel and the -Cat_" the Spaniel, when Puss drew near to eat some of the fragments of a -feast, repelled her, saying she does nothing to merit being fed, etc.:-- - - "'I own' (with meekness Puss replied) - 'Superior merit on your side; - Nor does my breast with envy swell - To find it recompens'd so well. - Yet I, in what my nature can, - Contribute to the good of man. - Whose claws destroy the pilf'ring mouse? - Who drives the vermin from the house? - Or, watchful for the lab'ring swain, - From lurking rats secures the grain? - For this, if he rewards bestow, - Why should your heart with gall o'erflow? - Why pine my happiness to see, - Since there's enough for you and me?' - 'Thy words are just,' the Farmer cried, - And spurned the Spaniel from his side." - -And, again, the same idea occurs in Gay's fable of the "_Man, the Cat, the -Dog, and the Fly_." The Cat solicits aid from the Man in the social state. - - "'Well, Puss,' says Man, 'and what can you - To benefit the public do?' - The Cat replies, 'These teeth, these claws, - With vigilance shall serve the cause. - The Mouse, destroy'd by my pursuit, - No longer shall your feasts pollute; - Nor Rats, from nightly ambuscade, - With wasteful teeth your stores invade.' - 'I grant,' says Man, 'to general use - Your parts and talents may conduce; - For rats and mice purloin our grain, - And threshers whirl the flail in vain; - Thus shall the Cat, a foe to spoil, - Protect the farmers' honest toil.'" - -Mr. Ruskin says, "There is in every animal's eye a dim image and gleam of -humanity, a flash of strange life through which their life looks at and up -to our great mystery of command over them, and claims the fellowship of -the creature, if not of the soul!" - -Poor Pussy! on the whole she has had but few champions in comparison to -the number of her foes. Let us see what anecdotes we can find which will -show her in a favourable light; but my chapter is long enough, and I will -conclude it with the epitaph placed over a favourite French Puss:-- - - "Ci repose pauvre Mouton, - Qui jamais ne fût glouton; - J'espère bien que le roi Pluton, - Lui donnera bon gîte et crouton." - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - - -[Illustration: CHAPTER IV.] - -_Of the Manners and Customs of Cats._ - - -Let us see though, before we try our anecdotes, what is known of the Cat's -peculiarities. I rather like this quaint description of the domestic -Pussy, which occurs in an old heraldic book, John Bossewell's "_Workes of -Armorie_," published in 1597:-- - -"The field is of the Saphire, on a chief Pearle, a Masion Cruieves. This -beaste is called a 'Masion,' for that he is enimie to Myse and Rattes. He -is slye and wittie, and seeth so sharpely that he overcommeth darkness of -the nighte by the shyninge lyghte of his eyne. In shape of body he is like -unto a Leoparde, and hathe a greate mouthe. He doth delighte that he -enjoyeth his libertie; and in his youth he is swifte, plyante, and merye. -He maketh a rufull noyse and a gastefulle when he profereth to fighte with -another. He is a cruell beaste when he is wilde, and falleth on his owne -feete from moste highe places: and never is hurt therewith. When he hathe -a fayre skinne, he is, as it were, proude thereof, and then he goethe -muche aboute to be seene." - -It is commonly supposed that a Cat's scratch is venomous, because a -lacerated wound oftener festers than a smooth cut from a sharp knife. - -It is erroneously said that Cats feel a cutaneous irritation at the -approach of rain, and offer sensible evidence of uneasiness: allusion may -be found to this in "Thomson's Seasons." Virgil has also made the subject -a theme for poetic allusion. - -The Chinese look into their Cat's eyes to know what o'clock it is; and the -playfulness of Cats is said to indicate the coming of a storm. I have -noticed this often myself, and have seen them rush about in a half wild -state just before windy weather. I think it is when the wind is _rising_ -that they are most affected. - -It is stated in a Japanese book that the tip of a Cat's nose is always -cold, except on the day corresponding with our Midsummer-day. This is a -question I cannot say I have gone into deeply. I know, however, that Cats -always have a warm nose when they first awaken from sleep. All Cats are -fond of warmth. I knew one which used to open an oven door after the -kitchen fire was out, and creep into the oven. One day the servant shut -the door, not noticing the Cat was inside, and lighted the fire. For a -long while she could not make out whence came the sounds of its crying and -scratching, but fortunately made the discovery in time to save its life. A -Cat's love of the sunshine is well known, and perhaps this story may not -be unfamiliar to the reader:-- - -One broiling hot summer's day Charles James Fox and the Prince of Wales -were lounging up St. James's street, and Fox laid the Prince a wager that -he would see more Cats than his Royal Highness during their promenade, -although the Prince might choose which side of the street he thought fit. -On reaching Piccadilly, it turned out that Fox had seen thirteen Cats and -the Prince none. The Prince asked for an explanation of this apparent -miracle. - -"Your Royal Highness," said Fox, "chose, of course, the shady side of the -way as most agreeable. I knew that the sunny side would be left for me, -and that Cats prefer the sunshine." - -Cats usually, but not always, fall on their feet, because of the facility -with which they balance themselves when springing from a height, which -power of balancing is in some degree produced by the flexibility of the -heel, the bones of which have no fewer than four joints. Cats alight -softly on their feet, because in the middle of the foot is a large ball or -pad in five parts, formed of an elastic substance, and at the base of each -toe is a similar pad. No mechanism better calculated to break the force of -a fall could be imagined. - -A Cat, when falling with its head downwards, curls its body, so that the -back forms an arch, while the legs remain extended. This so changes the -position of the centre of gravity, that the body makes a half turn in the -air, and the feet become lowest. - -In the inside of a Cat's head there is a sort of partition wall projecting -from the sides, a good way inwards, towards the centre, so as to prevent -the brain from suffering from concussion. - -There is a breed of tail-less white Cats in the Isle of Man, and also in -Devonshire. These are not the sort of animals with which, on shipboard, -the "stow-aways" are made acquainted. - -A great many Cats in the Isle of Man are said to be deaf. Thus, "As deaf -as a Manx Cat." There is an idea that white Cats with blue eyes are always -deaf, but a correspondent of _Notes and Queries_ says, "I am myself -possessed of a white Cat which, at the advanced age of upwards of -seventeen years, still retains its hearing to great perfection, and is -remarkably intelligent and devoted, more so than Cats are usually given -credit for. Its affection for persons is, indeed, more like that of a dog -than of a Cat. It is a half-bred Persian Cat, and its eyes are perfectly -blue, with round pupils, not elongated, as those of Cats usually are. It -occasionally suffers from irritation in the ears, but this has not at all -resulted in deafness." - -Do you know why Cats always wash themselves after a meal? A Cat caught a -sparrow, and was about to devour it, but the sparrow said, - -"No gentleman eats till he has first washed his face." - -The Cat, struck with this remark, set the sparrow down, and began to wash -his face with his paw, but the sparrow flew away. This vexed Pussy -extremely, and he said, - -"As long as I live I will eat first and wash my face afterwards." - -Which all Cats do, even to this day. - -A French writer says, the three animals that waste most time over their -toilet are cats, flies, and women. - -The attitudes and motions of a Cat are very graceful, because she is -furnished with collar-bones. She can, therefore, carry food to her mouth -like a monkey, can clasp, can climb, and can strike sideways, and seat -herself at a height upon a very narrow space. - -The lateral movements of the head in Cats are not so extensive as in the -owl, but are, nevertheless, considerable. A cat can look round pretty far -behind it without moving its body, which might be apt to startle its prey. -The spine of the Cat is very full and loose, in order that all its -movements in all possible directions and circumstances may be free and -unrestrained. For this purpose, too, all the joints which connect its -bones together are extremely loose and free. Thus, the Cat is enabled to -get through small apertures, to leap from great heights, and even to fall -in an unfavourable posture with little or no injury to itself. Its ears -are not so moveable as those of some other animals, but are more so than -in very many animals. The shape of the external ear, or rather -cartilaginous portion, is admirably adapted to intercept sounds. The -natural posture is forward and outward, so as to catch sounds proceeding -from the front and sides. The upper half, however, is moveable, and by -means of a thin layer of muscular fibres, it is made to curve backwards -and receive sounds from the rear. Although a Cat cannot lick its face and -head, it nevertheless cleans these parts thoroughly; in fact, as we often -observe, a Cat licks its right paw for a long time, and then brushes down -the corresponding side of the head and face; and when this is -accomplished, it does the same with the other paw and corresponding side. - -"'A May kitten makes a dirty Cat,' is a piece of Huntingdonshire -folk-lore," says Mr. Cuthbert Bede, "quoted to me in order to deter me -from keeping a kitten that had been born in May." - -Dr. Turton says, "The Cat has a more voluminous and expressive vocabulary -than any other brute; the short twitter of complacency and affection, the -purr of tranquility and pleasure, the mew of distress, the growl of anger, -and the horrible wailing of pain." For myself, I seldom hear a -catawauling without thinking of that droll picture in _Punch_ of the old -lady sitting up in bed and pricking up her ears to the music of a mewing -Cat. - -"Oh, ah! yes, it's the waits," says she, with a delighted chuckle; "I love -to listen to 'em. It may be fancy, but somehow they don't seem to play so -sweetly as they did when I was a girl. Perhaps it is that I am getting -old, and don't hear quite so well as I used to do." - -Few, even amongst Pussy's most ardent admirers, who possess the faculty of -hearing, and have heard the music of Cats, would desire the continuance of -their "sweet voices"; yet a concert was exhibited at Paris, wherein Cats -were the performers. They were placed in rows, and a monkey beat time to -them, as the Cats mewed; and the historian of the facts relates that the -diversity of the tones which they emitted produced a very ludicrous -effect. This exhibition was announced to the Parisian public by the title -of "Concert Miaulant." - -This would seem to prove that Cats may be taught tricks, which is not -generally believed, but is nevertheless the case. - -In Pool's _Twists and Turns about the Streets of London_, mention is -made of "a poor half-naked boy, strumming a violin, while another urchin -with a whip makes two half-starved Cats go through numerous feats of -agility." - -De Roget says, that in animals that graze and keep their heads for a long -time in a dependent position, the danger from an excessive impetus in the -blood flowing towards the head is much greater than in other animals; and -we find that an extraordinary provision is made to obviate this danger. -The arteries which supply the brain on their entrance into the basis of -the skull suddenly divide into a great number of minute branches, forming -a complicated network of vessels, an arrangement which, on the well known -principle of hydraulics, must greatly check the velocity of the blood -conducted through them. That such is the real purpose of this structure, -which has been called the _rete mirabile_, is evident from the branches -afterwards uniting into larger trunks when they have entered the brain, -through the substance of which they are then distributed exactly as in -other animals, where no such previous subdivision takes place. The rete -mirabile is much developed in the sheep, but scarcely perceptible in the -Cat. - -Being an animal which hunts both by day and night, the structure of its -visual organs is adjusted for both. The retina, or expansion of the optic -nerve, is most sensitive to the stimulus of light; hence, a well-marked -ciliary muscle contracts the pupil to a mere vertical fissure during the -day, while in the dark, the pupil dilates enormously, and lets in as much -light as possible. But even this would be insufficient, for Cats have to -look for their prey in holes, cellars, and other places where little or no -light can penetrate. Hence, the Cat is furnished with a bright metal-like, -lustrous, membrane, called the _Tapetum_, which lines part of the hollow -globe of the eye, and sheds considerable light on the image of an object -thrown on the retina. This membrane is, we are told, common to all -vertebrated animals, but is especially beautiful and lustrous in nocturnal -animals. The herbivora, such as the ox and sheep, have the _tapetum_ of -the finest enamelled green colour, provided probably to suit the nature of -their food, which is green. The subject, however, of the various colours -of the _tapetum_ in different animals is not yet understood. The -sensibility of the retina in Cats is so great that neither the -contractions of the pupil nor the closing of the eye-lids would alone -afford them sufficient protection from the action of the light. Hence, -in common with most animals, the Cat is furnished with a nictitating -membrane, which is, in fact, a third eyelid, sliding over the transparent -cornea beneath the common eyelids. This membrane is not altogether opaque, -but translucent, allowing light to fall on the retina, and acting, as it -were, like a shade. The nictitating membrane is often seen in the Cat when -she slowly opens her eyes from a calm and prolonged sleep: it is well -developed in the eagle, and enables him to gaze steadfastly on the sun's -unclouded disk. - -The illumination of a Cat's eye in the dark arises from the external light -collected on the eye and reflected from it. Although apparently dark, a -room is penetrated by imperceptible rays of external light from lamps or -other luminiferous bodies. When these rays reach the observer direct, he -sees the lamps or luminiferous bodies themselves, but when he is out of -their direct sight, the brightness of their illumination only becomes -apparent, through the rays being collected and reflected by some -appropriate substance. - -The cornea of the eye of the Cat, and of many other animals, has a great -power of concentrating the rays and reflecting them through the pupil. -Professor Bohn, at Leipsic, made experiments proving that when the -external light is wholly excluded, none can be seen in the Cat's eye. For -the same reason, the animal, by a change of posture or other means, -intercepting the rays, immediately deprives the observer of all light -otherwise existing in, or permeating, the room. In this action, when the -iris of the eye is completely open, the degree of brilliancy is the -greatest; but when the iris is partly contracted, which it always is when -the external light, or the light in the room, is increased, then the -illumination is more obscure. The internal motions of the animals have -also great influence over this luminous appearance, by the contraction and -relaxation of the iris dependent upon them. When the animal is alarmed, or -first disturbed, it naturally dilates the pupil, and the eye glares; when -it is appeased or composed, the pupil contracts, and the light in the eye -is no longer seen. - -A German savant says, that at the end of each hair of a Cat's whiskers is -a sort of bulb of nervous substance, which converts it into a most -sensitive feeler. The whiskers are of the greatest use to her when hunting -in the dark. The nervous bulbs at the ends of a lion's whiskers are as -large as a small pea. - -But an English writer differs from him; thus:-- - -"Every one must have observed what are usually called the "whiskers" on a -Cat's upper lip. The use of these, in a state of nature, is very -important. They are organs of touch; they are attached to a bed of close -glands under the skin; and each of these long and stiff hairs is connected -with the nerves of the lip. The slightest contact of these whiskers with -any surrounding object is thus felt most distinctly by the animal, -although the hairs are of themselves insensible. They stand out on each -side in the lion, as well as in the common Cat; so that, from point to -point, they are equal in width to the animal's body. If we imagine, -therefore, a lion stealing through a covert of wood in an imperfect light, -we shall at once see the use of these long hairs. They indicate to him, -through the nicest feeling, any obstacle which may present itself to the -passage of the body: they prevent the rustle of boughs and leaves, which -would give warning to his prey if he were to attempt to pass through too -dense a bush, and this, in conjunction with the soft cushions of his feet, -and the fur upon which he treads (the retractable claws never coming in -contact with the ground), enable him to move towards his victim with a -stillness even greater than that of the snake, who creeps along the -grass, and is not perceived till he is coiled round his prey." - -Black Cats especially are said to be highly charged with electricity, -which, when the animal is irritated, is easily visible in the dark. Here -are directions I have for producing the effect:--Lay one hand upon the -Cat's throat, and slightly press its shoulder bones. If the other hand be -drawn gently along its back, electric shocks will be felt in the hand upon -the Cat's throat. If the tips of the ears be touched after the back has -been rubbed, shocks of electricity may also be felt, or they may be -obtained from the foot. Lay the animal upon your knees, and apply the -right hand to the back, the left fore paw resting on the palm of your left -hand, apply the thumb to the upper side of the paw, so as to extend the -claws, and by this means bring your fore finger in contact with one of the -bones of the leg, where it joins the paw; when from the knob or end of -this bone, the finger slightly pressing on it, you may feel distinctly -successive shocks similar to those obtained from the ears. The Reverend -Mr. Wood expresses an opinion, that on account of the superabundance of -electricity which is developed in the Cat, the animal is found very -useful to paralysed persons, who instinctively encourage its approach, and -from the touch derive some benefit. Those who suffer from rheumatism often -find the presence of a Cat alleviate their sufferings. The same gentleman, -writing of a favourite Cat, says, that if a hair of her mistress's head -were laid upon the animal's back it would writhe as though in agony, and -rolling on the floor, would strive to free herself from the object of her -fears. The pointing of a finger at her side, at a distance of half a foot, -would cause her fur to bristle up and throw her into a violent tremour. - -It is difficult to account for the fondness of Cats for fish, as nature -seems to have given them an appetite, which, with their great antipathy to -water, they can rarely gratify unassisted. Many instances have, however, -been recorded of Cats catching fish. A Mr. Moody, of Sesmond, near -Newcastle-upon-Tyne, had a Cat in 1829 which had been in his possession -for some years, and caught fish with great assiduity, and frequently -brought them home alive. Besides minnows and eels, she occasionally -carried home pilchards, one of which, about six inches long, was once -found in her possession; she also contrived to teach a neighbour's Cat to -fish, and the two were sometimes seen together watching by a river side -for their prey. At other times they were seen at opposite sides of the -river, not far from each other, on the look out for game. - -A writer in the _Plymouth Journal_, June 1828, says:--"There is now at the -battery, on the Devil's Point, a Cat which is an expert catcher of the -finny tribe, being in the constant habit of diving into the sea and -bringing up the fish alive in her mouth, and depositing them in the guard -room for the use of the sailors. She is now seven years old, and has long -been a useful caterer. It is supposed that her pursuit of the water-rats -first taught her to venture into the water, to which it is well known Puss -has a natural aversion. She is now as fond of the water as a Newfoundland -dog, and takes her regular peregrinations along the rocks at its edge, -looking out for her game ready to dive for it at a moment's notice." - -Talking of the Cat's fondness for fish, I should, however, mention, that -if a plate of meat and a plate of fish, either raw or cooked, be placed -before the generality of Cats, they will be found almost always to choose -the meat. - -It is usually supposed that a tortoiseshell Tom is an impossibility. The -animal is certainly rare, as is also a Queen Anne's farthing; but it is -not such a rarity as we are led to believe. On the contrary, specimens -are frequently offered for sale at the Zoological Gardens. - -It is another great mistake to think that Cats have fleas: the insect -infesting a half-grown Cat does not leap like a flea. - -The she Cat goes with young from fifty-five to fifty-eight days, and -generally has four or five kittens at a litter. When born, they are blind -and deaf, like puppies. They get their sight in about nine days, and are -about eighteen months before reaching full growth. - -Those who wish their Cats to catch mice, I should advise not to neglect -the Cat's food. A starved Cat makes a very bad mouser; being too eager and -hungry for the work, it tries to pounce upon its prey before the proper -time comes. A good mouser does not eat the mouse. I have a black Cat, -which is very fat, but a wonderful huntsman, and surprisingly nimble at -the chase. He is also as proud of his achievements as a human sportsman, -and brings me every head of game he catches. Sometimes, if I have been out -when he has caught his mouse, he has gone all over the house in search of -me, and at last has taken his seat by the fireside, or out in the garden, -and nursed the trophy of his prowess until I returned, mewing piteously -if anyone attempted to take it away; but once having laid it at my feet, -and had his head scratched in return, his interest in the matter seemed to -cease, and he went away without again attempting to touch it. It was clear -that he had made me a present of the game; and, as we sometimes think, -when we make anyone a present of something to eat, it would be more -delicate for us to go away immediately, lest it might be supposed we -desired to be asked to stop and partake of it, Tom thus departed, no doubt -with a similar idea. - -"No experiment," says an intelligent writer, "can be more beautiful than -that of setting a kitten for the first time before a looking-glass. The -animal appears surprised and pleased with the reflection, and makes -several attempts to touch its new acquaintance; and at length, finding its -efforts fruitless, it looks behind the glass, and appears highly -astonished at the absence of the figure. It again views itself, and tries -to touch the image with its foot, suddenly looking at intervals behind the -glass. It then becomes more accurate in its observations, and begins, as -it were, to make experiments by stretching out its paw in different -directions; and when it finds that these motions are answered in every -respect by the figure in the glass, it seems at length to be convinced of -the real nature of the image." - - - - -CHAPTER V. - - -[Illustration: CHAPTER V.] - -_Of Whittington's Cat, and another Cat that visited Strange Countries._ - - -As no work about Cats could be complete without the story of Dick -Whittington, from the first moment I had made up my mind to write this -book, I had also made up my mind to look up the best authorities upon the -subject--to write Whittington's Cat's life, and to give her a chapter all -to herself. Having come to this conclusion, the question naturally arose -where were the authorities. I made search, I read deeply, but I gathered -small matter on which I could place reliance, and I was half inclined to -abandon my resolve, when happening to have ten minutes to spend, waiting -for an omnibus at a street corner in the east-end of London, I made a -discovery in a shop window, by the result of which I intend that you shall -benefit almost as much as I have myself; for this discovery was nothing -less than the very identical tale-book that I bought when I was a child, -only it was a penny now, instead of twopence, as in the days of my extreme -youth,--yes, the very identical tale of Whittington and his Cat, with a -splendid illustrated pink wrapper and seven magnificent engravings, -hand-coloured blue, red, yellow and pink on each plate, with here and -there a dash of green laid boldly on, irrespective of outline, and now and -again reaching as far as the type. Here, in the well-remembered verses, -was Richard's history related:-- - - "Dick Whittington had often heard - The curious story told - That far fam'd London's brilliant streets - Were paved with sheets of gold; - Sometimes by waggon, erst on foot, - Poor Dick he came to town, - But found the streets, instead of gold, - Were muddy, thick, and brown." - -(You will observe that the poet sacrifices everything for the rhyme, and I -do not blame him, when I contemplate the noble result):-- - - "In search of work he wandered round, - Till his heart was sick and sore; - Then cold and hungry laid him down - Besides a Merchant's door. - The Merchant kindly took him in, - And gave him food to eat, - But the plainest of plain cooks"-- - -(Do you notice the poet's wit and humour?) - - "Him cruelly did treat." - -(There is a picture here of the Cook beating Whittington with two ladles.) - - "No longer could he stay, - So towards the famous Highgate Hill - Poor Dick he ran away. - Four miles he ran, then wearied much, - He sat him on a stone, - And heard the merry bells of Bow - Speak to him in this tone-- - 'Turn again, Whittington, - Thrice Lord Mayor of London.'" - -The poet's lines at this point have been beautifully illustrated by a -picture of Whittington, sitting on the stone aforesaid, labelled "four -miles to London," in an attitude of attention, whilst the merry church of -Bow is to be seen on the other side of a wooden fence, apparently fifty -yards off. - - "Then taking heart, he wandered home, - But meeting on the road - A boy, who had a Cat to sell, - He took't to his abode." - -(I think, now, that "took't" shows real genius! How else could you have -got over the difficulty?) - - "She drove away the rats and mice-- - She was his only friend,"-- - -(This is true pathos.) - - "But when the Merchant went abroad, - He Puss did with him send." - -(This part wants thinking over. It means Whittington sent the Cat with his -master; please, however, read on):-- - - "It was the only thing he had-- - Each servant something sent; - The cook became more cruel still - After her master went. - Meanwhile Puss sail'd across the seas, - Unto the Moorish Court, - And to the palace of the King - The merchant Pussy brought; - For that poor King no rest enjoy'd - All through the rats and mice, - They swept the food from off his board-- - Puss killed them in a trice." - -(And I should rather think she did, too, if the artist may be believed who -depicts her simultaneously seizing one rat with her teeth, and two others -with each of her fore paws.) - - "The King then gave him heaps of gold - For an animal so rare; - The merchant brought it all to Dick, - Oh, how the boy did stare!" - -(And he is represented staring tremendously at a box, apparently four feet -by two-and-a-half, and two-and-a-quarter high, marked "R. W.," and chock -full of guineas.) - - "The kindly bells had told him true - In saying, 'Turn again,' - For Whittington was thrice Lord Mayor - In great King Henry's reign." - -The poem here concludes with a beautiful picture of a gentleman and a lady -sitting on chairs of state. I am not quite certain whether this is -intended to represent King Henry and his Queen, or Lord and Lady -Whittington; as far as the portrait goes, I should say that the gentleman -was Charles the First. - -In 1857 an advertisement appeared in several newspapers of a person who -was willing to buy any number of live Cats for exportation. They were -probably wanted for New Zealand; but it is not every emigrating Puss that -is as lucky as Dick Whittington's (which, of course, by the way, never -existed at all.) As a contrast to the successful career of the Cat -described above, let me tell you, in almost the same words in which it is -amusingly told in a magazine article, the story of a Cat who went "some -strange countries for to see." - -During the bold campaign of Mr. Williams the Missionary in Polynesia, a -favourite Cat was taken on shore by one of the teacher's wives at their -first visit to the island of Rarotonga. But Tom, not liking the aspect of -his new acquaintance, fled to the mountains. Under the influence of the -apostles of the new religion, a priest named Tiaki had destroyed his idol. -His house was situated at a distance from the settlement, and at midnight, -while he was lying asleep on his mat, his wife, who was sitting awake by -his side, musing upon the strange events of the day, beheld, with -consternation, two fires glittering in the doorway, and heard with -surprise a mysterious and plaintive voice. Petrified with fear, she awoke -her husband, and began to upbraid him with his folly for burning his god, -who, she declared, was now come to be avenged of them. "Get up and pray!" -she cried. The husband arose, and, on opening his eyes, beheld the same -glaring lights, and heard the same ominous sound. He commenced with all -possible vehemence to vociferate the alphabet, as a prayer to the powers -above to deliver them from the vengeance of Satan. The Cat, on hearing the -incantation, was as much alarmed as the priest and his wife; so he escaped -once more into the wilderness, leaving the repentant priestly pair in -ecstacies at the efficacy of their exorcism. The nocturnal apparition of a -Cat in the flesh had nearly reinstated an overthrown idol. Subsequently, -Puss, in his perambulations, perhaps in hopes of finding a native fur-clad -helpmate, went to another distant district; and as a maral or temple stood -in a retired spot, and was shaded by the rich foliage of ancient trees, -Tommy, pleased with the situation, and wishing to frequent good society, -took up his abode with the wooden gods. A few days after, the priest came, -accompanied by a number of worshippers, to present some offering to the -pretended deities; and, on opening the door, Tom greeted them with a -respectful mew. Unaccustomed to such salutations, the priest, instead of -returning the welcome with a reciprocal politeness, rushed out of the -sanctuary, shouting to his companions, "Here's a monster from the deep! a -monster from the deep!" - -The whole party of devotees hastened home, collected several hundreds of -their brethren, put on their war-caps, brought their spears, clubs, and -slings, blackened themselves with charcoal, and, thus equipped, came -shouting on to attack the enemy. Tom, affrighted at the formidable array, -sprang towards the open door, and, darting through the terror-stricken -warriors, sent them scampering in all directions. In the evening, while -the brave conspirators were entertaining themselves and a numerous company -with a war-dance, to recruit their spirits, poor Tom, wishing to see the -sport, and bearing no malice in his heart, stole in amongst them to take a -peep. Again the dusky heroes seized their weapons and gave chase to the -unfortunate Cat; but "the monster of the deep" was too nimble for them. -Some hours afterwards, when all was quiet, Tom unwisely endeavoured to -renew his domiciliary relations with man. In the dead of the night he -entered a house, crept beneath a coverlet, under which a whole native -family were lying, and fell asleep. His purring awoke the man, in the -hospitality of whose night-cloth he had taken refuge, and who, supposing -that some other monster had come to disturb his household, closed the -doorways, awoke the inmates, and procured lights to search for the -intruder. Poor Tom, fatigued with the two previous engagements of the day, -lay quietly asleep, when the warriors, attacking him with their clubs and -spears, thought themselves models of bravery in putting an end to him. - -But Cats, though thus misunderstood at first, seem in the end to have -proved a welcome and valuable introduction to the country. One of Mr. -Williams's means of proselytism was, the exercise of a useful -handicraft--he turned blacksmith; but he found unusual difficulties in the -way of his working a forge. Rarotonga was devastated by a plague of rats, -which congregated at night in his blacksmith's shop, and devoured every -particle of leather, so that, in the morning, nothing remained of his -bellows but the bare boards. The rats, however, were not permitted to have -everything their own way. The missionaries imported a singular cargo, -consisting of pigs, cocoa-nuts, and Cats. The Cats proved a real blessing -to the island, but even they did not destroy so many rats as the pigs, -which were exceedingly voracious, and took greedily to the rodent diet. - -By the way, I must not close the chapter without one little scrap. - -Mr. Spectator, in No. 5, March 6, 1711, says:--"I am credibly informed -that there was once a design of casting into an opera the story of -Whittington and his Cat, and that in order to do it there had been got -together a great quantity of mice, but Mr. Rich, the proprietor of the -playhouse, very prudently considered that it would be impossible for the -Cat to kill them all." - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - - -[Illustration: CHAPTER VI.] - -_Of various kinds of Cats, Ancient and Modern._ - - -Now, although this is the _Book of Cats_, do you know I am more than half -afraid that if I give you too much about Cats in it, you will go away -dissatisfied. Some years ago there was a great rage for mechanics' -institutions and instructive lectures on things generally, and one half -the world was for jumping on to the platform and improving the mind of the -other half in gases and ologies; and, in those days, there was one -particular sort of lecture, which might be roughly described as hard words -and an explosion, with which the frequenter of all institutes was -perfectly familiar; and you may remember, too, how we did not so much care -about the words, but thought that the stuff out of the bottle, that went -off with a bang, was the best fun out. Carried away by the popularity of -these oratorical and chemical displays, the heads of schools were wont to -encourage lecturing on a small scale among their pupils, only suppressing -the explosive part of the entertainment as too dangerous; and young -gentlemen told other young gentlemen what they knew rather better than the -young gentlemen telling them respecting the ology of which they treated. - -In like fashion, I am afraid I may be only telling you what you know -already, or what you might have known, but have not cared about learning. -The fact is, all that this chapter contains is to be elsewhere found at -greater length. I have no new theories of my own upon the subject, and, -indeed, would not presume to argue the question of the domestic Cat's -origin with those who have so ably treated the subject in books long since -written. To tell the truth, I was not myself very much interested about -the matter when I began to read the arguments on either side. Will you be? -I am inclined to think not. However, here is a brief statement of the -case, which is easily skipped if not approved of. - -M. Rüppel, who discovered in the wild regions west of the Nile a Cat about -one-third smaller than the European Cat, and having a longer tail, is of -opinion that the animal was descended from the domestic Cat of the ancient -Egyptians, and that the Egyptian and our domestic Cat are identical. -Temminck is of the same opinion; but Professor Owen objects to this -theory, because the first deciduous molar-tooth of the Egyptian Cat has a -relatively thicker crown, and is supported by three roots, whilst the -corresponding tooth of the domestic and wild Cat of Europe has a thinner -crown, and only two roots. A writer on the subject, in 1836, says, there -is no doubt but that the wild Cat of the European forests is the tame Cat -of European houses; that the wild Cat at some period has been -domesticated, and that the tame Cat would become wild if turned into the -woods. Mr. Bell, however, with regard to the belief that the common wild -Cat is the father of the tame, says, that the general conformation of the -two animals is considerably different, especially in the length and form -of the tail. The fur, too, of the wild Cat is thicker and longer. - -Sir William Jardine thinks that, since the introduction of our house Cat -to this country, there may have been an accidental cross with the wild -native species, by which the difference in form between the wild and tame -Cat may be accounted for. "The domestic Cat," says he, "is the only one of -this race which has been generally used in the economy of man. Some of the -other small species have shown that they might be applied to similar -purposes; and we have seen that the general disposition of this family -will not prevent their training. Much pains would have been necessary to -effect this, and none of the European nations were likely to have -attempted it. The scarcity of Cats in Europe, in its earliest ages, is -also well known, and in the tenth and eleventh centuries a good mouser -brought a high price." - -Another author, quoting the above, says:-- - -"Although our opinion coincides with that of Rüppel, and we think that we -are indebted to the superstition of the ancient Egyptians for having -domesticated the species mentioned by Rüppel, we have no doubt that since -its introduction to this country, and more particularly to the north of -Scotland, there have been occasional crosses with our native species, and -that the result of these crosses have been kept in our houses. We have -seen many Cats very closely resembling the wild Cat, and one or two which -could scarcely be distinguished from it. There is, perhaps, no other -animal that so soon loses its cultivation and returns apparently to a -state completely wild: the tasting of some wild and living food may tempt -them to seek it again and to leave their civilized homes. They then prowl -about in the same manner as their prey, couching in the long grass and -brush-wood, and hiding themselves from all publicity." - -No game destroyer, however, is more easily caught than the Cat. In summer, -when rabbit-paunches will not keep on account of the weather, a little -valerian root is used as a bait. The Cats come to rub themselves on it, -finding some unaccountable pleasure in so doing. The valerian root is of a -whitish colour, and it has a very strong and disagreeable smell: it is -used by us as a medicine in nervous disorders, and its good effects -against headaches, low-spirits, and trembling of the limbs are well known. -A story is told of a little boy home for the holidays who played an old -lady this trick:--He put some valerian root under the hearth-rug, which -set the Cat scratching, rubbing her back on it, and performing a hundred -antics, till the old lady, getting frightened, thought Puss had gone mad. -The boy then quietly took away the valerian. The Cat grew calm again, and -the old lady was much astonished. - -It is a cruel custom in some parts of the country to cut off the ears of -Cats and remove the hairs all round the exposed aperture of the ear, to -prevent the animal from poaching in the woods. It is thought that by so -doing, the wet off the bushes and grass may get into the internal cavity -of the ear, and by the pain cause the Cat to desist from the chase. Cats -so mutilated, however, often choose fine days for their poaching -expeditions. - -A Cat caught in a trap is a dangerous customer to let loose again. If the -door be opened incautiously, the Cat will probably fly at the catcher's -face the moment she sees the light. The only safe way of getting the Cat -out of the trap is to place a sack over the door end of the trap, and then -rattle the other end with a stick. The animal runs at once into the sack. - -Wild Cats not only eat birds, but seek eagerly after their eggs, of which -they are passionately fond. - -Regarding the wild Cat, Pennant says, "It may be called the 'British -Tiger': it is the fiercest and most destructive beast we have; making -dreadful havoc amongst our poultry, lambs and birds. It inhabits the most -mountainous and wooded parts of these islands, living mostly in trees and -feeding only at night. It multiplies as fast as our common Cats." - -A wild Cat is said to have been killed in Cumberland (my authority gives -no date) which measured above five feet in length from the nose to the end -of the tail. - -Mr. Timbs relates how, in 1850, he saw, at No. 175, Oxford Street, a -beautifully-marked tabby Cat weighing 25-3/4 lbs., and measuring 27 inches -round the body, and 37 inches from the tip of the tail to the end of the -nose; height to top of shoulders 11-1/2 inches: he was then seven years -old. - -The tame Cat's tail ends in a point; the wild Cat's in a tuft. The head of -the wild Cat is triangular and strongly marked, the ears triangular, -large, long and pointed. - -At the village of Barnborough, in Yorkshire, there is a tradition extant -of a serious conflict that once took place between a man and a wild Cat. -The inhabitants say that the fight began in an adjacent wood, and that the -man and Cat fought from thence to the porch of the church, where each died -of the wounds received. A rude painting in the church commemorates the -sanguinary event, and the red colour of some of the stones are, of course, -said to be blood-stains, which all the soap and water in the world could -not remove. - -In the reign of Richard II. wild Cats were reckoned among the beasts of -the chase, and there was an edict that no man should use more costly -apparel than that made of lambs' or Cats'-skins. - -In Egypt Cats were considered sacred to the Goddess Bubastis, the Egyptian -Diana. Her priestesses were vowed to celibacy: they passed a great portion -of their time attending on the Cats of the temple. Mrs. Loudon suggests -that hence, perhaps, may have arisen the idea that a fondness for Cats is -a sign of old maidism. - -Apollo created the lion to terrify his sister Diana, and she turned his -fearful beast into ridicule by mimicking it in the form of a Cat. Cats -were dedicated to Diana, not only when she bore her proper name, but when -she was called "Hecate." Witches who worshipped Hecate had always a -favourite Cat. - -A very great number of Cats' mummies, discovered in Egypt, afford ample -proof of the esteem in which Pussy was held in "Thebes' Streets Three -Thousand Years Ago." If one died a natural death, it was mourned for with -many ceremonies; among others the entire household, where the death took -place, shaved off their eyebrows. If killed, the murderer was given up to -the mob to buffet him to death. Cats were held sacred when alive, and when -they died were embalmed and deposited in the niches of the catacombs. An -insult offered by a Roman to a Cat caused an insurrection among the -Egyptians when nothing else could excite them. Cambyses gained Pelusis, -which had previously successfully resisted all attacks, by the following -stratagem:--He gave to each of his soldiers employed in the attack a live -Cat, instead of a buckler, and the Egyptians, rather than hurt the objects -of their veneration, suffered themselves to be vanquished without striking -a blow. - -Herodotus tells us that "on every occasion of a fire in Egypt, the -strangest prodigy occurs with the Cats. The inhabitants allow the fire to -rage as long as it pleases, while they stand about, at intervals, and -watch these animals, which, slipping by the men, or else leaping over -them, rush headlong into the flames." - -In some of the curious Egyptian pictures at the British Museum, you may -see the representation of Cats being trained to catch birds. - -Cats are frequently trained in California to catch a species of burrowing -pouched rat, called a gopher, a destructive animal infesting fields and -gardens. Cats, so trained, are very valuable. - -We are told that there was once a Cape in the Island of Cyprus, which was -called Cat Cape. A monastery stood here, the monks of which were compelled -by their vows to keep a great number of Cats, to wage war against the -snakes, with which the Island was swarming. At the sound of a certain bell -the Cats came trooping home to their meals, and then rushed out again to -the chase. When, however, the Turks conquered the Island, they destroyed -both the Cats and their home. - -In the middle ages, animals formed as prominent a part in the worship of -the time as in the old religion of Egypt. The Cat was a very important -personage in religious festivals. At Aix, in Provence, on the festival of -Corpus Christi, the finest Tom-cat of the country, wrapt in swaddling -clothes like a child, was exhibited in a magnificent shrine to public -admiration. Every knee was bent, every hand strewed flowers, or poured -incense, and Grimalkin was treated in all respects as the god of the day. -But on the festival of St. John, poor Tom's fate was reversed. A number of -the tabby tribe were put into a wicker basket, and thrown alive into the -midst of an immense fire, kindled in the public square by the bishop and -his clergy. Hymns and anthems were sung, and processions were made by the -priest and people in honour of the sacrifice. - -In the reign of Howel the Good, who died in 948, a law was made in Wales, -fixing the price of the Cat, which was then of great scarcity. A kitten -before it got its sight was to cost one penny; until a warranty was given -of its having caught a mouse, twopence; after this important event, -fourpence, and a very high price, too, the times considered. The Cat, -however, was required to be perfect in its senses of seeing and hearing, -should be a good mouser, have its claws uninjured, and, if a lady pussy, -be a good mamma. If after it was sold, it was found wanting in any of -these particulars, the seller was to forfeit a third of the -purchase-money. If any one stole or killed the Cat that was guarding the -prince's granary, the criminal forfeited a milch ewe with her fleece and -lamb, or as much wheat as when poured upon a Cat suspended by its tail, -would bury the animal up to the top of its tail. - -In Abyssinia, Cats are so valuable, that a marriageable girl who is likely -to come in for a Cat, is looked upon as quite an heiress. - -The resemblance between the Tiger and the Cat is so striking, that little -children first taken to the Zoological Gardens almost always call the -Tigers great Cats; and, in their native woods, Tigers purr. - -The domestic species require no description, but one or two of the -varieties may be mentioned: - -The Cat of Angora, is a very beautiful variety, with silvery hair of fine -silken texture, generally longest on the neck, but also long on the tail. -Some are yellowish, and others olive, approaching to the colour of the -Lion; but they are all delicate creatures, and of gentle dispositions. Mr. -Wood, while staying in Paris, made the acquaintance of an Angora, which -ate two plates of almond biscuits at a sitting. This breed of Cats has -singular tastes; I knew one that took very kindly to gin and water, and -was rather partial to curry. He also ate peas, greens, and broad beans -(in moderation). Most Cats are fond of asparagus. - -The Persian Cat is a variety with hair very long, and very silky, perhaps -more so than the Cat of Angora; it is however differently coloured, being -of a fine uniform grey on the upper part, with the texture of the fur as -soft as silk, and the lustre glossy; the colour fades off on the lower -parts of the sides, and passes into white, or nearly so, on the belly. -This is, probably, one of the most beautiful varieties, and it is said to -be exceedingly gentle in its manners. - -The Chinese Cat has the fur beautifully glossed, but it is very different -from either of those which have been mentioned. It is variegated with -black and yellow, and, unlike most of the race, has the ears pendulous. -Bosman, writing about the ears, says: "It is worthy of observation, that -there is in animals evident signs of ancestry of their slavery. Long ears -are produced by time and civilization, and all wild animals have straight -round ears." - -The Tortoise-shell or Spanish Cat is one of the prettiest varieties of -those which have the fur of moderate length, and without any particular -silvery gloss. The colours are very pure, black, white, and reddish -orange; and, in this country, at least, males thus marked are said to be -rare, though they are quite common in Egypt and the south of Europe. This -variety has other qualities to recommend it, besides the beauty of its -colours. Tortoise-shell Cats are very elegant, though delicate in their -form, and are, at the same time, very active, and among the most attached -and grateful of the whole race. - -Bluish grey is not a common colour; this species are styled "Chartreux -Cats," and are esteemed rarities. - -The Manx Cat is perhaps the most singular; its limbs are gaunt, its fur -close set, its eyes staring and restless, and it has no tail; that is to -say, there is only a sort of knob as though its tail had been amputated. -"A black Manx Cat," says a modern writer, "with its staring eyes and its -stump of a tail, is a most measly looking beast, which would find a more -appropriate resting place at Kirk Alloway or the Black Bay, than at the -fireside of a respectable household. So it might fitly be the quadrupedal -form in which the ancient sorcerers were wont to clothe themselves on -their nocturnal excursions." - -I read in an article by Mr. Lord that there is a variety of tailless Cats -found in various parts of the world, and he suggests that this -deficiency may be due to an accident originally, but perpetuated by -interbreeding. I am not quite of the same opinion. It reminds one of the -old saying, "It runs in the blood, like wooden legs." - -I recollect the case of a young gentleman who devoted his leisure evenings -to cutting off Cats' tails in the neighbourhood in which he lived. He hung -them up in bunches to dry, and had rare sport, while it lasted, in making -the collection, only some one, who was a Cat-owner, did not see the fun of -it, and put an end to the joke. Some young men think it a manly sport to -kill or hunt down Cats; and, by the way, do you remember Sir Robert Peel's -memorable speech about the Volunteers, thus reported in _Hansard_?:-- - -"At Hythe the first prize was carried off by a genuine Cockney. Upon being -asked how he had acquired his extraordinary skill and precision-- - -"'Oh,' said he, as reported in the columns of the _Court Journal_, 'I live -in London, and have had considerable practice in shooting at the Cats of -my Brompton neighbours.' - -"It was not, perhaps, of much consequence in the depth of winter -(continued Sir R. Peel), but no man could tell what a scene London would -present in the height of the season. Everybody would be shooting at his -neighbour's Cat. There would be the stoker of the Railway Rifles potting -at the funnels of the North Western, and we should have the Finsbury -Filibusters fluking over Cripplegate. He trusted, however, that before -that time a stop would be put to the Volunteer movement," etc., etc. - -Cats do certainly seem to enjoy themselves on moonlight nights, anyhow -they make noise enough. The Cat was believed by the ancients to stand in -some relation to the moon, for Plutarch says that the Cat was the symbol -of the moon on account of her different colours, her busy ways at night, -and her giving birth to twenty-eight young ones during the course of her -life, which is exactly the number of the phases of the moon. - -The ancients identified Bubastis with the Greek Artemis (or Diana), and -each was regarded as the Goddess of the moon. Bubastis was generally -represented as a woman with a Cat's head. - -It might occur to some, that "Puss" is derived from the Egyptian name, -_Pasht_; but perhaps it is better to acquiesce in the derivation from the -Latin, _Pusus_ (a little boy), or _Pusa_ (a little girl). By others this -term is thought to be a corruption of _Pers_. The French of Cat is -_Chat_; the German, _Katze_; the Italian, _Gatto_; the Spanish, _Gato_; -the Dutch and Danish, _Kat_; the Welsh, _Cath_; the Latin, _Catus_: the -French of Puss is _Minette_. You have heard the story, I suppose, of the -person who being told to decline the noun Cat, when he came to the -vocative, said "O Cat!" on which he was reminded that if he spoke to a Cat -he would say "Puss." - -Mr. Buchton says, that "the only language in which the name of the Cat is -significant, is the Zend, where the word _Gatu_, almost identical with the -Spanish _Gato_, means a place--a word peculiarly significant in reference -to this animal, whose attachment is peculiar to place, and not to the -person, so strikingly indicated by the dog." - -In some parts of Lancashire, a Tom is still called a "Gib" or "Gibbe" Cat, -the _g_ being pronounced _hard_, not _jibbe_, as found in most -dictionaries. According to Nares, Gib, the contraction of Gilbert, was the -name formerly applied to a Cat, as Tom is now, and that Tibert, as given -in _Reynard the Fox_, was the old French for Gilbert. Chaucer in his -_Romance of the Rose_ translates _Thibert le Cas_ by "Gibbe our Cat." -Shakespeare applies the word Gibbe to an old worn-out animal. The term -Gib-face means the lower lip of a horse. In mechanics, the pieces of -iron employed to clasp together the pieces of wood or metal of a frame -which is to be keyed previous to inserting the keys, are called Gibs. -Anyone curious upon the subject of Gib Cats, may find the subject treated -at length in the _Etymologicon_. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - - -[Illustration: CHAPTER VII.] - -_Of some Clever Cats._ - - -This domestic animal, as Dr. Johnson puts it, "that catches mice," can do -many other things when it has a fair opportunity of distinguishing itself. -It is difficult, but by no means impossible, to teach a Cat tricks. I -myself had a favourite Cat, lately dead, which performed a variety of -amusing feats, though I must own that it was extremely coquettish, and -nine times out of ten refused to exhibit before a visitor, invited -specially to witness the little comedy. Many Cats, without teaching, learn -droll tricks. - -Doctor Smellie tells of a Cat that had learned to lift the latch of a -door; and other tales have been related of Cats that have been taught to -ring a bell by hanging to the bell rope; and this anecdote is related by -the illustrious Sam Slick, of Slickville. It occurred, several times, that -his servant entered the library without having been summoned by his -master, and in all cases the domestic was quite sure he had heard the -bell. Great wonderment was caused by this, and the servant began to -suspect that the house was haunted. It was, at length, noticed that on all -these mysterious occasions the Cat entered with the servant. She was, -therefore, watched, and it was soon perceived that whenever she found the -library door closed against her, she jumped on to the window-sill, and -thence sprang at the bell. This feat was exhibited to several of the -clockmaker's friends, for the Cat when shut out of the room, would at once -resort to this mode of obtaining admission. - -[Illustration: THE CUNNING CAT. _Page 113._] - -My third story is a time-honoured one that almost every person who has -written about Cats has related. There was once upon a time, a -monastery, a Cat, and a dinner-bell. Every day at a certain hour the -bell was rung, and the monks and the Cat had their meal together. There -however came a time when, during the bell ringing, the Cat happened to be -locked in a room at the other end of the building. Some hours afterwards -she was released, and ran straight to the refectory, to find, alas! -nothing but bare tables to welcome her. Presently the monks were -astonished by a loud summons from the dinner-bell. Had the cook, in his -absence of mind, prepared another dinner? Some of them hurried to the -spot, where they found the Cat swinging on the bell-rope. She had learnt -from experience that there never was any dinner without a bell ringing; -and by force of reasoning, no doubt, had come to the conclusion that the -dinner would be sure to come if she only rang loud enough. - -But that story is not half so wonderful as another, about an Angora Cat -belonging to a Carthusian monastery at Paris. This ingenious animal -discovered that, when a certain bell rang, the cook left the kitchen to -answer it, leaving the monks' dinners, portioned out in plates, -unprotected. The plan the Cat adopted was to ring the bell, the handle of -which hung outside the kitchen by the side of a window, to leap through -the window, and back again when she had secured one of the portions. -This little manoeuvre she carried on for some weeks before the perpetrator -of the robbery was discovered; and there is no saying, during this lapse -of time, how many innocent persons were unjustly suspected. Who shall say, -indeed, but that the head of the establishment did not, as in the great -Jackdaw case, call for his candle, his bell, and his book, and in holy -anger, in pious grief, solemnly curse that rascally thief, as, you -remember, the Cardinal cursed the Jackdaw:-- - - "He cursed him at board, he cursed him in bed, - From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head; - He cursed him in eating, he cursed him in drinking, - He cursed him in coughing, in sneezing, in winking; - He cursed him in sitting, in standing, in lying; - He cursed him in walking, in riding, in flying; - He cursed him in living, he cursed him in dying;-- - Never was heard such a terrible curse! - But what gave rise - To no little surprise, - Nobody seemed one penny the worse!" - -When, however, they found out that Pussy was the wrong-doer, and, unlike -the Jackdaw, had grown fat upon her misdeeds, they did not hang her, as -you might suppose, though I have no doubt that course was suggested; on -the contrary, they allowed her to pursue her nefarious career, and -charged visitors a small fee to be allowed to see her do it. Out of evil -sometimes may come good; but one would hardly think that the best way of -making a person's fortune was to rob him. - -Cats have been frequently known to do their best to protect the property -of their masters, as well as dogs. A man who was imprisoned for a -burglary, in America, stated after his conviction, that he and two others -broke into the house of a gentleman, near Harlem. While they were in the -act of plundering it, a large black Cat flew at one of the robbers, and -fixed her claws on each side of his face. He added, that he never saw a -man so frightened in his life; and that in his alarm, he made such an -outcry, that they had to beat a precipitate retreat, to avoid detection. - -A lady in Liverpool had a favourite Cat. She never returned home, after a -short absence, without being joyfully received by it. One Sunday, however, -on returning from church, she was surprised to find that Pussy did not -receive her as usual, and its continued absence made her a little uneasy. -The servants were all appealed to, but none could account for the -circumstance. The lady, therefore, made a strict search for her feline -friend, and descending to the lower storey, was surprised to hear her -cries of "Puss" answered by the mewing of a Cat, the sounds proceeding -from the wine cellar, which had been properly locked and the key placed in -safe custody. As the Cat was in the parlour when the lady left for church, -it was unnecessary to consult a "wise man" to ascertain that the servants -had clandestine means of getting into the wine cellar, and that they had -forgotten, when they themselves returned, to request pussy, also, to -withdraw. The contents of the cellar, from that time forward, did not -disappear as quickly as they had been doing for some time previously. - -A woman was murdered at Lyons, and when the body was found weltering in -blood, a large white Cat was seen mounted on the cornice of a cupboard. He -sat motionless, his eyes fixed on the corpse, and his attitude and looks -expressing horror and affright. Next morning he was still found there; and -when the room was filled by the officers of justice, neither the -clattering of the soldiers' arms nor the loud conversation frightened him -away. As soon, however, as the suspected persons were brought in, his eyes -glared with fury, and his hair bristled. He darted into the middle of the -room, where he stopped for a moment to gaze on them, and then fled -precipitately. The faces of the assassins showed, for the first time, -signs of guilt: they were afterwards brought to trial, condemned, and, -before execution, confessed. - -In September, 1850, the mistress of a public house in the Commercial Road, -London, going late at night into the tap-room, found her Cat in a state of -great excitement. It would not suffer itself to be stroked, but ran -wildly, to and fro, between its mistress and the chimney-piece, mewing -loudly. The landlady alarmed, summoned assistance, and presently a robber -was discovered up the chimney. Upon his trial it was proved that he had -robbed several public-houses, by remaining last in the tap-room, and -concealing himself in a similar manner. - -An old maiden lady, rich and miserly, had, in the latter years of her -life, placed all her affections upon a Cat she called "Minny," for which -she had made a fine bed-place in the wainscot, over a closet in the -parlour, where she kept the animal's provisions. The food in question was -stowed away in a drawer, and under the drawer which served as Minny's -safe, was another, very artfully concealed, and closing with a spring. To -the latter the Cat had often seen its mistress pay lengthened visits. When -the old lady died, her heirs came to live in the house, and Minny being -no longer fed with the same regularity, was often hungry, and would then -go and scratch at the drawer where its food had been kept. The drawer -being at length opened, some pieces of meat were found within in a -mummified state. These having been given to the Cat, failed to console -her, and she scratched harder than ever at the secret drawer underneath; -and Minny's new masters, in course of time understanding what she meant, -broke it open, and found twenty small canvas bags of guineas snugly packed -up within. My authority does not say how Minny fared after this little -discovery. Let us hope she was allowed her old sleeping-place, and got her -food with tolerable regularity. But there is no knowing. - -Cats are very fond of creeping into out-of-the-way holes and corners, and, -sometimes, pay dearly for so doing. - -Once when repairing the organ in Westminster Abbey, a dried Cat was found -in one of the large recumbent wooden pipes, which had been out of tune for -some time. In one of the rooms at the Foreign Office, some years ago, -there was, for a long time, a very disagreeable smell, which was supposed -to arise from the drains. At length some heavy volumes being taken down -from a shelf, the body of a dried Cat was found behind them. The -unfortunate animal had been shut up by accident, and starved to death, a -prisoner, like the heroine of the "Oak Chest." - -Mrs. Loudon, in her book of _Domestic Pets_, tells several amusing -stories. Her mother, the writer says, had a servant who disliked Cats very -much, and in particular a large black Cat, which she was in the habit of -beating, whenever she could do so unobserved. The Cat disliked and feared -the girl exceedingly; however, one day, when her enemy was carrying some -dishes down-stairs into the kitchen, and had both her hands full, the Cat -flew at her and scratched her hands and face severely. - -A strange Cat had two kittens in a stable belonging to the house, and one -day, pitying its wretched condition, Mrs. Loudon ordered her some milk. A -large Tom Cat, attached to the establishment, watched the proceeding very -attentively, and while the Cat was lapping, went to the stable, brought -out one of the kittens in his mouth, and placed it beside the saucer, and -then fetched the other, looking up into the lady's face, and mewing when -he had done so, as much as to say, "You have fed the mother, so you may as -well feed the children," which was done; and it should be added, for the -credit of Tom's character, that he never attempted to touch the milk -himself. - -But the best story is this:--Mrs. Loudon had a Cat which had unfortunately -hurt its leg. During the whole time the leg was bad, that lady constantly -gave it milk; but, at last, she found out that, though the Cat had become -quite well, yet whenever it saw her, it used to walk lame and hold up its -paw, as though it were painful to put it to the ground. - -A favourite Cat, much petted by her mistress, was one day struck by a -servant. She resented the injury so much that she refused to eat anything -which he gave her. Day after day he handed her dinner to her, but she sat -in sulky indignation, though she eagerly ate the food as soon as it was -offered to her by any other person. Her resentment continued, -undiminished, for upwards of six weeks. - -The same Cat, having been offended by the housemaid, watched three days -before she found a favourable opportunity for retaliation. The housemaid -was on her knees, washing the passage, when the Cat went up to her and -scratched her arm, to show her that no one should illuse her with -impunity. It is, however, but fair to record her good qualities as well as -her bad ones. If her resentment was strong, her attachment was equally -so, and she took a singular mode of showing it. All the tit-bits she could -steal from the pantry, and all the dainty mice she could catch, she -invariably brought and laid at her mistress's feet. She has been known to -bring a mouse to her door in the middle of the night, and mew till it was -opened, when she would present it to her mistress. After doing this she -was quiet and contented. - -Just before the earthquake at Messina, a merchant of that town noticed -that his Cats were scratching at the door of his room, in a state of great -excitement. He opened the door for them, and they flew down-stairs and -began to scratch more violently still at the street-door. Filled with -wonder, the master let them out and followed them through the town out of -the gates, and into the fields beyond, but, even then, they seemed half -mad with fright, and scratched and tore at the grass. Very shortly the -first shock of the earthquake was felt, and many houses (the merchant's -among them) came thundering in ruins to the ground. - -A family in Callander had in their possession a favourite Tom Cat, which -had, upon several occasions, exhibited more than ordinary sagacity. One -day, Tom made off with a piece of beef, and the servant followed him -cautiously, with the intention of catching, and administering to him a -little wholesome correction. To her amazement, she saw the Cat go to a -corner of the yard where she knew a rat-hole existed, and lay the beef -down by the side of it. Leaving the beef there, he hid himself a short -distance off, and watched until a rat made its appearance. Tom's tail then -began to wag, and just as the rat was moving away with the bait, he sprang -upon, and killed it. - -It one day occurred to M. de la Croix that he ought to try an experiment -upon a Cat with an air pump. The necessity for her torture was not, -however, so apparent to the intended victim of science as to the -scientific experimenter. Therefore, when she found the air growing scarce, -and discovered how it was being exhausted, she stopped up the valve with -her paw. Then M. de la Croix let the air run back, and Pussy took away her -paw, but as soon as he began to pump, she again stopped up the hole. This -baffled the man of science, and there is no knowing what valuable -discovery might have been made, had not his feline friend been so very -unaccommodating. - -Dr. Careri, in his _Voyage round the World_ in 1695, says, that a person, -in order to punish a mischievous monkey, placed upon the fire a cocoa -nut, and then hid himself, to see how the monkey would take it from the -fire without burning his paws. The cunning creature looked about, and -seeing a Cat by the fireside, held her head in his mouth, and with her -paws took off the nut, which he then threw into water to cool, and ate it. - -Cats have always been famous for the wonderful manner in which they have -found their way back to their old home, when they have been taken from it, -and for this reason alone, have often been accused of loving only the -house and not its inmates. It is more probable though, I should think, -that the animal returns to the place because its associations there have -been happy, and, in the confusion and strangeness of the new house, it -cannot comprehend that its old friends have come with it. For instance, I -have known a Cat when taken away from a house, return to it, and going -from room to room, mew pitifully, in search of the former inmates. When -taken away a second time, the new place having in the meantime been set -straight, it found nothing to frighten it there, and returned no more to -its old house. - -I knew a person who was in the habit of moving about a great deal, and -hiring furnished houses, who had a Cat called Sandy, on account of his -colour, which he found in the first instance, in a sort of half-wild -state, on Hampstead Heath, mostly living up a tree. It had been left -behind by the people who had last occupied the house, and locked out by -the landlady. It was about nine or ten years old, and goodness knows how -many dwelling places it may have had; with its new friends, I know of five -or six changes, and am told that it always made itself perfectly at home -in half an hour after entering a new house. It was taken from place to -place in a hamper, and the lid being raised would put out its head and -sniff the air in the drollest manner. Getting out very cautiously, it -would then make a tour of the premises, and inspect the furniture; at the -end of about half an hour it washed its face and seemed settled. - -A lady residing in Glasgow had a handsome Cat sent to her from Edinburgh: -it was conveyed to her in a close basket in a carriage. The animal was -carefully watched for two months; but having produced a pair of young ones -at the end of that time, she was left to her own discretion, which she -very soon employed in disappearing with both her kittens. The lady at -Glasgow wrote to her friend at Edinburgh, deploring her loss, and the Cat -was supposed to have formed some new attachment. About a fortnight, -however, after her disappearance from Glasgow, her well-known mew was -heard at the street-door of her Edinburgh mistress; and there she was with -both her kittens, they in the best state, but she, herself, very thin. It -is clear that she could carry only one kitten at a time. The distance from -Glasgow to Edinburgh is forty-four miles, so that if she brought one -kitten part of the way, and then went back for the other, and thus -conveyed them alternately, she must have travelled 120 miles at least. -She, also, must have journeyed only during the night, and must have -resorted to many other precautions for the safety of her young. - -Mr. Lord relates a story of a Cat living with some friends of his in a -house on an island. The family changed residence, and the Cat was sewn up -in a hamper and taken round to the other side of the island in a boat. The -island was sparsely inhabited, timbered, and there were but few paths cut -to traverse it by, and yet the Cat found its way during the night back -again to its old residence. There could have been no scent of foot-prints, -neither was there any road or path to guide it. - -Another Cat was conveyed from its home in Jamaica to a place five miles -distant, and during the time of its transport was sown up closely in a -bag. Between the two places were two rivers, one of them about eighty feet -broad, deep, and running strong; the other wider and more rapid. The Cat -must have swum these rivers, as there were no bridges; but in spite of all -obstacles, she made her way back to the house from which she had been -taken. - -In 1819 a favourite Tabby belonging to a shipmaster was left on shore, by -accident, while his vessel sailed from the harbour of Aberdour, Fifeshire, -which is about half a mile from the village. The vessel was a month -absent, and on her return, to the astonishment of the shipmaster, Puss -came on board with a fine stout kitten in her mouth, apparently about -three weeks old, and went directly down into the cabin. Two others of her -young ones were afterwards caught, quite wild, in a neighbouring wood, -where she must have remained with them until the return of the ship. The -shipmaster did not allow her, again, to go on shore, otherwise it is -probable she would have brought all her family on board. It was very -remarkable, because vessels were daily going in and out of the harbour, -none of which she ever thought of visiting till the one she had left -returned. - -In a parish in Norfolk, not six miles from the town of Bungay, lived a -clergyman, who, having a Cat, sentenced it to transportation for life -because it had committed certain depredations on his larder. But the -worthy gentleman found it far easier to pronounce the sentence than to -carry it into execution. Poor Puss was first taken to Bungay, but had -hardly got there when she escaped, and was soon at home again. Her morals, -however, had in no way improved, and a felonious abstraction of butcher's -meat immediately occurred. This time the master determined to send the -hardened culprit away to a distance, which, as he expressed it, "she would -not walk in a hurry." He accordingly gave her (generous man) to a person -living at Fakenham, distant at least forty miles. The man called for her -in the morning, and carried her off in a bag, that she might not know by -what road he went. Vain hope! She knew well enough the way home, as he -found to his cost, for directly the house-door was opened the next -morning, she rushed out and he saw no more of her. The night after a faint -mewing was heard outside the minister's dwelling, but not being so rare an -occurrence no attention was paid to it. However, on opening the door -next morning, there lay the very Cat which he thought was forty miles -away, her feet all cut and blistered, from the hardness of the road, and -her silky fur all clotted and matted together with dust and dirt. She had -her reward; however her thievish propensities might annoy him, the worthy -vicar resolved never again to send her away from the house she loved so -well, and exerted herself so nobly to regain. - -The Rev. Mr. Wood furnishes some curious particulars of two commercial -Cats of his acquaintance, which he very comically describes:-- - -"I will tell you," says he, "something about our Mincing Lane Cats. Their -home was in the cellar, and their habits and surroundings, as you may -imagine, from the locality, were decidedly commercial. We had one cunning -old black fellow, whose wisdom was acquired by sad experience. In early -youth, he must have been very careless; he then was always getting in the -way of the men and the wine cases, and frequent were the disasters he -suffered through coming into collision with moving bodies. His ribs had -often been fractured, and when nature repaired them, she must have handed -them over to the care of her 'prentice hand,' for the work was done in -rather a rough and knotty manner. This battered and suffering Pussy was at -last assisted by a younger hero, which, profiting by the teachings of his -senior, managed to avoid the scrapes which had tortured the one who was -self-educated. These two Cats, Junior and Senior, appeared to swear (Cats -will swear) eternal friendship at first sight. An interchange of good -offices was at once established. Senior taught Junior to avoid men's feet -and wine cases in motion, and pointed out the favourite hunting grounds, -while Junior offered to his Mentor the aid of his activity and physical -prowess. - -Senior had a cultivated and epicurean taste for mice, though he was too -old to catch them; he therefore entered into a solemn league and covenant -with the junior to this effect:--It was agreed between the two contracting -powers, that Junior should devote his energies to catching mice for the -benefit of Senior, who, in consideration of such service, was to -relinquish his claim to a certain daily allowance of Cat's meat in favour -of Junior. This courteous compact was actually and seriously carried out. -It was an amusing and touching spectacle, to behold young Pussy gravely -laying at the feet of his elder the contents of his game bag; on the other -hand, Senior, true to his bargain, licking his jaws and watching Junior -steadily consuming a double allowance of Cat's meat. - -Senior had the rare talent of being able to carry a bottle of champagne -from one end of the cellar to the other, perhaps a distance of a hundred -and fifty feet. The performance was managed in this wise. You gently and -lovingly approached the Cat as if you did not mean to perpetrate anything -wicked; having gained his confidence by fondly stroking his back, you -suddenly seized his tail, and by that member raised the animal bodily from -the ground--his fore feet sprawling in the air ready to catch hold of any -object within reach. You then quickly brought the bottle of wine to the -seizing point; Pussy clutched the object with a kind of despairing grip. -By means of the aforesaid tail, you carefully carried pussy, bottle and -all, from one part of the cellar to the other. Pussy, however, soon became -disgusted with this manoeuvre, and whenever he saw a friend with a bottle -of champagne looming, he used to beat a precipitate retreat. - -The reverend gentleman before quoted, had at one time in his possession a -marvellously clever little Cat, which he called "Pret," and concerning -which he relates a host of anecdotes; from them are culled the -following:-- - -Pret knew but one fear, and had but few hates. The booming sound of -thunder smote her with terror, and she most cordially hated grinding -organs and singular costumes. At the sound of a thunderclap poor Pret -would fly to her mistress for succour, trembling in every limb. If the -dreaded sound occurred in the night or early morning, Pret would leap on -the bed and crawl under the clothes as far as the very foot. If the -thunder came on by day, Pret would climb on her mistress's knees, put her -paws round her neck and hide her face between them with deliberation. - -She disliked music of all kinds, but bore a special antipathy to barrel -organs; probably because the costume of the organ-grinder was as -unpleasing to her eyes, as his doleful sounds were to her ears. But her -indignation reached the highest bounds at the sight of a Greenwich -pensioner accoutred in those grotesque habiliments with which the crippled -defenders of their country are forced to invest their battered frames. It -was the first time that so uncouth an apparition had presented itself to -her eyes, and her anger seemed only equalled by her astonishment. She got -on the window sill, and there chafed and growled with a sound resembling -the miniature roar of a lion. When thus excited she used to present a -strange appearance, owing to a crest or ridge of hair which then erected -itself on her back, and extended from the top of her head to the root of -her tail, which latter member was marvellously expanded. Gentle as she was -in her ordinary demeanour, Pret was a terrible Cat when she saw cause, and -was undaunted by size or numbers. - -She had a curious habit of catching mice by the very tips of their tails, -and of carrying the poor little animals about the house, dangling -miserably from her jaws. Apparently her object in so doing was to present -her prey uninjured to her mistress, who she evidently supposed would enjoy -a game with a mouse as well as herself, for like human beings she judged -the characters of others by her own. This strange custom of tail-bearing -was carried into the privacy of her own family, and caused rather -ludicrous results. When Pret became a mother, and desired to transport her -kittens from one place to another, she followed her acquired habit of -porterage, and tried to carry her kittens about by the tips of their -tails. As might be supposed, they objected to this mode of conveyance, and -sticking their claws in the carpet, held firmly to the ground, mewing -piteously, while their mother was tugging at their tails. It was -absolutely necessary to release the kittens from their painful position, -and to teach Pret how a kitten ought to be carried. After a while, she -seemed to comprehend the state of things, and ever afterwards carried her -offspring by the nape of the neck. At one time, when she was yet in her -kittenhood, another kitten lived in the same house, and very much annoyed -Pret, by coming into the room and eating the meat that had been laid out -for herself. However, Pret soon got over the difficulty, by going to the -plate as soon as it was placed at her accustomed spot, picking out all the -large pieces of meat and hiding them under the table. She then sat down -quietly, placing herself sentry over her hidden treasure, while the -intruding Cat entered the room, walked up to the plate, and finished the -little scraps of meat that Pret had thought fit to leave. After the -obnoxious individual had left the room, Pret brought her concealed -treasures from their hiding-place and consumed them with deliberation. - -Clever as Pret was, she sometimes displayed a most unexpected simplicity -of character. After the fashion of the Cat tribe, she delighted in -covering up the remainder of her food with any substance that seemed most -convenient. She was accustomed, after taking her meals, to fetch a piece -of paper and lay it over the saucer, or to put her paw in her mistress's -pocket and extract her handkerchief for the same purpose. This little -performance showed some depth of reasoning in the creature, but she would -sometimes act in a manner totally opposed to rational actions. Paper or -handkerchief failing, she has been often seen, after partly finishing her -meal, to fetch one of her kittens and to lay it over the plate for the -purpose of covering up the remaining food. When kitten, paper, and -handkerchief were all wanting, she did her best to scratch up the carpet -and lay the fragments over the plate. She has been known, in her anxiety -to find a covering for the superabundant food, to drag a tablecloth from -its proper locality, and to cause a sad demolition of the superincumbent -fragile ware. Please to remember that I have the above upon Mr. Wood's -authority, not my own. - -Regarding the attachment of Cats to places, the following remarks of the -late Rev. Cæsar Otway, in his lecture on the Intellectuality of Domestic -Animals before the Royal Zoological Society of Ireland, some years ago, -deserve attention. "Of Cats," he says, "time does not allow me to say -much, but this I must affirm, that they are misrepresented, and often the -victims of prejudice. It is strictly maintained that they have little or -no affection for _persons_, and that their partialities are confined to -_places_. I have known many instances of the reverse. When leaving, about -fifteen years ago, a glebe-house to remove into Dublin, the Cat that was a -favourite with me, and with my children, was left behind, in our hurry. On -seeing strange faces come into the house, she instantly left it, and took -up her abode in the top of a large cabbage stalk, whose head had been cut -off, but which retained a sufficient number of leaves to protect poor Puss -from the weather. In this position she remained, and nothing could induce -her to leave it, until I sent a special messenger to bring her to my house -in town. At present I have a Cat that follows my housekeeper up and down -like a Dog; every morning she comes up at daybreak in winter to the door -of the room in which the maid servants sleep, and there she mews until -they get up." - - * * * * * - -I think I ought to conclude my chapter of Clever Cats with this story, -which, though old, is funny:--There was a lady of Potsdam, living with her -little children, one of whom, while at play, ran a splinter into her -foot, causing her to scream violently. The elder sister was asleep at the -time, but awakened by the child's cries, and while just in the act of -getting up to quiet it, observed a favourite Cat, with whom the children -were wont to play, and which was of a remarkably gentle disposition, leave -its seat by the fire, go to the crying baby, and give her a smart blow on -the cheek with one of her paws; after which, Puss walked back with the -greatest composure and gravity to her place, as if satisfied with her own -conduct, and with the hope of being able to go on with her nap -undisturbed. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - - -[Illustration: CHAPTER VIII.] - -_Of some amiable Cats, and Cats that have been good Mothers._ - - -To lead a "Cat and Dog life" means a good deal of scratching and biting; -but Dogs and Cats have been known to get on very amiably before now. - -[Illustration: CAT AND DOG LIFE. _Page 139._] - -There was a Cat which had formed a very warm friendship with a large -Newfoundland dog: she continually caressed him--advanced in all haste when -he came home, with her tail erect, and rubbed her head against him, -purring with delight. When he lay before the kitchen fire, she used him as -a bed, pulling up and settling his hair with her claws to make it -comfortable. As soon as she had arranged it to her liking, she lay down -upon him, and fell asleep. The dog bore this combing of his locks with -patient placidity, turning his head towards her during the operation, and -sometimes gently licked her. - -Pincher and Puss were sworn friends. Puss had a young family, with whom -Pincher was on visiting terms. The nursery was at the top of the house. -One day there was a storm; Puss was upstairs with the babies, and Pincher -was in the parlour. Pincher evidently was disturbed by the thunder. -Presently Puss came down-stairs mewing, went straight to Pincher, rubbed -her cheek against his, and touched him gently with her paw, and then -walked to the door, and, looking back, mewed, as though asking him go with -her. But Pincher was himself sorely afraid, and could render no -assistance. Puss grew desperate, and having renewed her application with -increased energy, but without success, at last left the room, mewing -piteously, while Pincher sat, with a guilty face, evidently knowing his -conduct was selfish. A lady, who had watched this scene, went out to -look after the Cat, when the animal, mewing, led the way to a bed-room on -the first floor, from under a wardrobe in which a small voice was heard -crying. Puss had brought one of her babies down-stairs, and was racked -with anxiety respecting its welfare while she fetched the others. It was -as clear as possible she wanted Pincher to lend a paw--that is to say, -look after this isolated infant while she brought down the rest. The lady -took up the kitten in her arms, and accompanied Puss up-stairs, then moved -the little bed from the window, through which the lightning had been -flashing so vividly as to alarm Puss for the safety of her family. She -remained with the Cat until the storm had subsided, and all was calm. On -the following morning, the lady was much surprised to find Puss waiting -for her outside her bed-room door, and she went with her down-stairs to -breakfast, sat by her side, and caressed her in every possible way. Puss -had always been in the habit of going down with the lady of the house, but -on this occasion she had resisted all her mistress's coaxing to leave the -other lady's door, and would not go away until she made her appearance. -She remained till breakfast was over, then went up-stairs to her family. -She had never done this before, and never did it again. She had shown -her gratitude for the lady's care of her little ones, and her duty was -done. - -A gentleman, residing in Sussex, had a Cat which showed the greatest -attachment for a young blackbird, which was given to her by a stable-boy -for food a day or two after she had been deprived of her kittens. She -tended it with the greatest care; they became inseparable companions, and -no mother could show a greater fondness for her offspring than she did for -the bird. - -This incongruity of attachment in animals will generally be found to arise -either from the feelings of natural affection which the mother is -possessed of, or else from that love of sociability, and dislike of being -alone, which is possessed, more or less, by every created being. - -A Horse and Cat were great friends, and the latter generally slept in the -manger. When the horse was about to be fed, he always took up the Cat -gently by the skin of the neck, and dropped her into the next stall, that -she might not be in his way while he was feeding. At other times, he was -pleased to have her near him. - -Mr. Bingley tells of a friend of his who had a Cat and Dog that were -always fighting. At last the dog conquered, and the Cat was driven away; -but the servant, whose sweetheart the dog disturbed, poisoned him, and his -body was carried lifeless into the courtyard. The Cat, from a neighbouring -roof, was observed to watch the motions of several persons who went up to -look at him, and when all had retired, he descended and crept cautiously -towards the body, then patted it with his paw. Apparently satisfied that -the dog's day was over, Puss re-entered the house and washed his face -before the fire. - -The Reverend Gilbert White, in his amusing book, tells of a boy, who -having taken three little young squirrels in their nest or "dray," put -these small creatures under the care of a Cat that had lately lost her -kittens, and found that she nursed and suckled them with the same -assiduity and affection as if they were her own offspring. This -circumstance, to some extent, corroborates the stories told of deserted -children being nurtured by female beasts of prey who had lost their young, -of the truth of which some authors have seriously vouched. Many people -went to see the little squirrels suckled by the Cat, and the foster mother -became jealous of her charge, and fearing for their safety, hid them over -the ceiling, where one died. This circumstance proves her affection for -the fondlings, and that she supposed them to be her young. In like fashion -hens, when they have hatched ducklings, are as attached to them as though -they were their own chickens. - -The first public exhibition of a "happy family" in England, was one -started at Coventry, about thirty-two years ago, and began with Cats, -Rats, and Pigeons in one cage. The proprietor of a happy family gave Mr. -Henry Mayhew some amusing particulars on the subject. Among other things, -he said that Mr. Monkey was very fond of the Cat, probably for warmth. He -would cuddle her for an hour at a time, but if Miss Pussy would not lie -still to suit his comfort, he would hug her round the neck and try to pull -her down. If then she became vexed, he would be afraid to face her, but -stealing slily behind, would give her tail end a nip with his teeth. The -Cat and Monkey were the best of friends as long as Miss Pussy would lie -still to be cuddled, and suit his convenience. The Monkey would be Mr. -Master in a happy family. For that reason the proprietor would not allow -either of his Cats to kitten in the cage, because Mr. Monkey would be sure -to want to know all about it, and then it would be open war, for if he -went to touch Miss Pussy or her babies, there would be a fight. Now a -Monkey is always very fond of anything young, such as a kitten, and he and -Miss Pussy would want to nurse the children. The Monkey liked very much to -get hold of a kitten and he would nurse it in his arms like a baby. The -Cats and the Birds were good friends indeed: they would perch on her back, -and even on her head, and peck at her fur. A strange Cat was introduced -into the cage, and the moment she made her entry, she looked round in a -scared way, and made a dart upon the animal nearest her, namely the owl; -the Monkey immediately ran behind and bit her tail, and the other Cats' -hair swelled up, and they seemed on the point of flying at the stranger. -The Rats fled in terror, and the little Birds fluttered on their perches -with fear. - -A priest of Lucerne, I don't know how many hundred years ago, taught a -Dog, Cat, Mouse and Sparrow, to eat out of the same plate. There is also a -somewhat unsatisfactory legend of a maiden lady who induced twenty-two -different animals to live together upon friendly terms. - -Lemmery shut up a Cat and several Mice together in a cage. The Mice in -time got to be very friendly, and plucked and nibbled at their feline -friend. When any of them grew troublesome, she would gently box their -ears. A German magazine tells us of a M. Hecart, who tamed a wild Cat and -placed a tame sparrow under its protection. Another Cat attacked the -Sparrow, which was at the most critical moment rescued by its protector. -During the Sparrows subsequent illness, the Cat watched over it with great -tenderness. The same authority gives an instance of a Cat trained like a -watch dog, to keep guard over a yard containing a Hare, and some Sparrows, -Blackbirds and Partridges. - -Captain Marryat, in his amusing way, relates this anecdote. A little black -spaniel had five puppies, which were considered too many for her to bring -up. As, however, the breed was much in request, her mistress was unwilling -that any of them should be destroyed, and asked the cook whether she -thought it would be possible to bring a portion of them up by hand before -the kitchen fire. In reply, the cook observed that the Cat had that day -littered, and that, perhaps, two puppies might be substituted. The Cat -made no objection, took to them kindly, and gradually all the kittens were -taken away, and the Cat nursed the two puppies only. Now the first -curiosity was, that the two puppies nursed by the Cat were, in a -fortnight, as active, forward, and playful as kittens would have been; -they had the use of their legs, basked and gambolled about; while the -other three, nursed by the mother, were whining and rolling about like fat -slugs. The Cat gave them her tail to play with, and they were always in -motion; they soon ate meat, and long before the others they were fit to be -removed. This was done, and the Cat became very inconsolable. She prowled -about the house, and on the second day of tribulation, fell in with the -little spaniel who was nursing the other puppies. - -"Oh!" says Puss, putting up her back, "it is you who have stolen my -children." - -"No!" replied the Spaniel, with a snarl; "they are my own flesh and -blood." - -"That won't do," said the Cat; "I'll take my oath, before any Justice of -the Peace, that you have my two babies." - -Thereupon issue was joined--that is to say, there was a desperate combat, -which ended in the defeat of the Spaniel, and in the Cat walking off -proudly with one of the puppies, which she took to her own bed. Having -deposited this one, she returned, fought again, gained another victory, -and bore off another puppy. Now, it is very singular that she should have -only taken two, the exact number she had been deprived of. - -A lady had a tortoiseshell Cat and a black and white one. A few years ago, -the latter was observed to carry her kitten, when two or three days old, -to her companion, who brought it up with her own kitten, though of a -different age, with all the tenderness of a mother. This was done time -after time, for several years; but last year it was reversed, the black -and white Cat taking her turn to discharge the duties of wet-nurse to the -kitten of the other. It is probable that a deficiency of milk was the -cause of the Cats not suckling their young. - -I find in the _Leisure Hour_ this story:-- - -"A lady of the writer's acquaintance was once walking amid the scenery of -the Isle of Wight, when she observed a little kitten curled up on a mossy -bank, in all the security of a mid-day nap. It was a beautiful little -creature, and the lady gently approached, in order to stroke it, when -suddenly down swooped a hawk, pounced upon the sleeping kitten, and -completely hid it from her sight. It was a kestrel: our friend was greatly -shocked, and tried to rescue the little victim; but the kestrel stood at -bay and refused to move. There he stood on the bank, firmly facing her, -and all her efforts to drive him from his prey failed. The lady hurried -on to a fisherman's cottage, which was near at hand, and told of the -little tragedy with the eloquence of real feeling. - -"But the fisher-folk were not so disconcerted, and, laughing, said-- - -"'It is always so; that hawk always comes down if anybody goes near the -kitten. He has taken to the kitten, and he stays near at hand to watch -whenever it goes to sleep.' - -"The case was so remarkable that the lady enquired further into its -history, and learned that the kitten's mother had died, and that the -fisherman's family had missed the little nurseling. After some time, they -observed a kestrel hawk loitering about the cottage: they used to throw -him scraps of meat, and they noticed that he always carried off a portion -of every meal, dragging even heavy bones away out of sight. His movements -were watched, and they saw that he carried the stores to the roof of a -cottage. A ladder was placed, some one ascended, and there, nestling in a -hole in the thatch, lay the lost kitten, thriving prosperously under the -tender care of its strange foster-father. The foundling was brought down, -and restored to civilized life, but the bandit-protector was not -disposed to resign his charge, and ever kept at hand to fly to the rescue -whenever dangerous ladies threatened it with a caress." - -The following instance of maternal courage and affection is recorded in -the _Naturalists' Cabinet_:-- - -"A Cat that had a numerous brood of kittens, encouraged her little ones to -frolic one summer day in the sunshine, at a stable-door. A hawk sailing -by, saw them: swift as lightning it darted down on one of the kittens, and -would have carried it off, but the mother, seeing its danger, sprang upon -the common enemy, which, to defend itself, let fall the prize. The battle -that followed was terrible, for the hawk, by the power of his wings, the -sharpness of his talons, and the keenness of his beak, had for awhile the -advantage, cruelly lacerating the poor Cat, and had actually deprived her -of one eye in the conflict; but Puss, no way daunted by this accident, -strove with all her cunning and agility for her little ones, till she had -broken the wing of her adversary. In this state she got him more within -the power of her claws, the hawk still defending himself apparently with -additional vigour; and the fight continued with equal fury on the side of -Grimalkin, to the great entertainment of many spectators. At length, -victory seemed to favour the nearly exhausted mother, and she availed -herself of the advantage; for, by an instantaneous exertion, she laid the -hawk motionless beneath her feet, and, as if exulting in the victory, tore -off the head of the vanquished tyrant. Disregarding the loss of her eye, -she immediately ran to the bleeding kitten, licked the wounds inflicted by -the hawk's talons on its tender sides, purring while she caressed her -liberated offspring, with the same maternal affection as if no danger had -assailed them or their affectionate parent." - -A lady writer says:-- - -"Soon after I came to Middlehill, a small tortoise-shell Cat met my -children on the road, and followed them home. They, of course, when they -saw her, petted and stroked her, and showed their inclination to become -friends. She is one of the smallest and most active of full grown Cats I -ever saw. From the first she gave evidences of being of a wild and -predatory disposition, and made sad havoc among the rabbits, squirrels, -and birds. I have several times seen her carrying along a rabbit half as -big as herself. Many would exclaim, that, for so nefarious a deed, she -ought to have been shot; but I confess to having the feelings of the -unsophisticated Arab, the descendant of Ishmael, and as she had tasted -of my salt, and taken refuge under my roof, besides being the pet of my -children, I could not bring myself to order her destruction. Before this -we had discovered her lawful owner, a poor cottager, and had sent her -back; but each time that she was sent away, she returned to our porch; so -we made her by purchase legitimately ours. She seemed to be aware of the -transaction, and from that time became perfectly at home, and adopted -civilised habits, though she still continued very frequently to indulge in -a rabbit-hunt. I had added a fine dog to my establishment, to act as a -watchman over the wood yard and stables. She and he were at first on fair -terms,--a sort of armed neutrality. In process of time, however, she -became the mother of a litter of kittens. With the exception of one, they -shared the fate of other kittens. When she discovered the loss of her -hopeful family, she wandered about looking for them, in a very melancholy -way, till, encountering the dog Carlo, it seemed suddenly to strike her -that he had been guilty of that act of barbarous spoliation. With back up, -she approached, and flew at him with the greatest fury, till blood dropped -from his nose, and though ten times her size, he fairly turned tail and -fled. Her surviving kitten was the very picture of herself, and inheriting -also all her predatory habits; when it grew up, I was obliged to give it -away. It left the house in the neighbouring town to which I sent it, -however, and was afterwards seen domesticated in a stable yard. Pussy and -Carlo now became friends again; at least, they never interfered with each -other. Pussy, however, to her cost, still continued her hunting -expeditions. The rabbits had committed great depredations in the garden, -and the gardener had procured two rabbit-traps; one had been set a -considerable distance from the house, and fixed securely in the ground. -One morning, the nurse heard a plaintive mewing at the nursery window. She -opened it, and in crawled poor Pussy, dragging the heavy iron rabbit-trap, -in the teeth of which her fore foot was caught. I was called in, and -assisted to release her; her paw swelled, and for some days she could not -move out of the basket in which she was placed before the fire. Though -suffering intense pain, she must have perceived that the only way to -release herself, was to dig up the trap, and then she must have dragged -her heavy clog up many steep paths to the room where she knew her kindest -friends, nurse and the children, for whom she had the greatest -affection, were to be found. Carlo was caught before in the same trap, and -he bit at it and at everything around, and severely injured the gardener -who went to release him, biting his arm and legs, and tearing his trousers -to shreds. Thus, Pussy, under precisely the same circumstances, showed by -far the greatest amount of sagacity and cool courage. She, however, not -many weeks afterwards, came in one day with her foot sadly lacerated, -having again got caught in a trap. So although she could reason, she did -not appear to have learned wisdom from experience. She was for long a -cripple; perhaps this last misfortune may have taught her prudence. Poor -thing! she went limping about the garden, in vain endeavouring, even in -the frosty weather, to catch birds." - -I know of a young man who was accustomed to leave home on a Monday morning -and return on the Saturday, and who had a Cat that used to come home a few -moments after him, and watch him wash and dress himself, and then sleep on -his clothes until the following Monday, when soon after the young man went -away, the Cat would go too, and not return all the week. - -I also know of a Cat that once rushed into a house, and took her seat -between the master and mistress while they were at tea; from that time she -took up her abode with them, and every afternoon a hamper in which she -slept, was heard to creak in a cellar below, and she would come up and -partake of their afternoon meal. - -You have all heard of dog-stealers selling a dog and afterwards stealing -it from the purchaser, so as to sell it again to some other person; but I -have had a story told me, upon good authority, of a certain dishonest -owner of a very curiously marked French Cat, who made quite a nice little -income by selling his feline property to the ladies in his neighbourhood. - -You see Pussy had no notion of what an un-principled ruffian he was, nor -what was the nature of the contract between him and her other owners. She -loved him very much, and fretted in her new home, waited impatiently for -an opportunity, and at last, finding the door open, returned to her robber -master rejoicing. - -He, worthy creature, also rejoiced at sight of her, and hugged her to his -manly breast. Then he gave her some nice warm milk, and a large slice of -meat. Next day he sold her again, if he got a chance. - -This little game went on very comfortably for some months, and might have -gone on longer, had it not been for an awkward mistake. An old lady, who -had been one of the purchasers of the Cat, changed her residence, and our -ingenious friend, unaware of the circumstance, called upon her again, and -tried to re-sell her the animal; thereupon, some unpleasantness occurred, -and I believe the Cat-merchant got into trouble. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - - -[Illustration: CHAPTER IX.] - -_Of Puss in Proverbs, in the Dark Ages, and in the Company of Wicked Old -Women._ - - -These are some of the best known Proverbs about Cats:-- - -"Care will kill a Cat," one says, and yet Cats are said to have nine -lives. Let us hope that poor Pussy will never be put to a worse death. - -"A muffled Cat is no good mouser." - -"That Cat is out of kind that sweet milk will not lap." - -"You can have no more of a Cat than her skin." This proverb seems to refer -to the unfitness of her flesh for food. Formerly the fur of the Cat was -used in trimming coats and cloaks. The Cat-gut used for rackets, and for -the fine strings of violins, is made from the dried intestines of the Cat, -the larger strings being from the intestines of sheep and lambs. - -"Fain would the Cat fish eat, but she is loth to wet her feet." - -"The Cat sees not the mouse ever." - -"When the Cat winketh, little wots the mouse what the Cat thinketh." - -"Though the Cat winks a while, yet sure she is not blind." - -"Well might the Cat wink when both her eyes were out?" - -"How can the Cat help it, if the maid be a fool?" Which means how can it -help breaking or stealing that which is left in its way? - -"That that comes of a Cat will catch mice." - -"A Cat may look at a king." - -"An old Cat laps as much as a young kitten." - -"When the Cat is away, the mice will play." - -"When candles are out, all Cats are grey." Otherwise, "Joan is as good as -my Lady in the dark." - -"The Cat knows whose lips she licks." - -"Cry you mercy, killed my Cat." This is spoken to those who play one a -trick, and then try to escape punishment by begging pardon. - -"By biting and scratching, Cats and Dogs come together." - -"I'll keep no more Cats than will catch mice;" or no more in family than -will earn their living. - -"Who shall hang the bell about the Cat's neck." The mice at a -consultation, how to secure themselves from the Cat, resolved upon hanging -a bell about her neck, to give warning when she approached; but when this -was resolved on, they were as far off as ever, for who was to do it? John -Skelton says:-- - - "But they are lothe to mel, - And lothe to hang the bel - About the Catte's neck, - Fro dred to have a checke" - -"A Cat has nine lives, and a woman has nine Cats' lives." - -"Cats eat what hussies spare." - -"Cats hide their claws." - -"The wandering Cat gets many a rap." - -"The Cat is hungry when a crust contents her." - -"He lives under the sign of the _Cat's foot_;" that is to say, he is -hen-pecked--his wife scratches him. - -Here are some French proverbs:-- - -"Chat échaudé craint l'eau froide." (A burnt child dreads the fire.) - -"Ne réveillons pas les Chats qui dort." (Let sleeping dogs alone.) - -"La nuit tous Chats sont gris." - -Molière says:-- - -"Vous êtes-vous mis dans la tête que Léonard de Pourceaugnac soit un homme -à acheter Chat en poche." (To buy a pig in a poke.) - -"Ce n'est pas à moi que l'on vendra un Chat pour un lièvre." (Don't think -you can catch an old bird with chaff.) - -"Elle est friande comme une chatte." (She's as dainty as a Cat.) - -"Payer en Chats et en rats." (To pay in driblets.) - -"Appeler un Chat un Chat." (Call a spade a spade.) - -"Avoir un Chat dans la gorge." (Something sticking in the throat.) - -Shakespeare says:-- - - "Letting 'I dare not' wait upon 'I would,' - Like the poor Cat i'the adage." - -Again:-- - - "Let Hercules himself do what he may, - The Cat will mew, and Dog will have his day." - -The wisdom of our forefathers teaches us, that if a Cat be carried in a -bag from its old home to a new house, let the distance be several miles, -it will be certain to return again; but if it be carried backward into the -new house this will not be the case. - -A Cat's eyes wax and wane as the moon waxes and wanes, and the course of -the sun is followed by the apples of its eyes. - -The brain of a Cat may be used as a love spell if taken in small doses. - -If a man swallow two or three Cat's hairs, it will cause him to faint. As -a cure for epilepsy, take three drops of blood from under a Cat's tail in -water. - -The horse ridden by a man who has got any Cat's hair on his clothing will -perspire violently, and soon become exhausted. If the wind blows over a -Cat riding in a vehicle, upon the horse drawing it, it will weary the -horse very much. - -To preserve your eyesight, burn the head of a black Cat to ashes, and -have a little of the dust blown into your eyes three times a day. - -To cure a whitlow, put the finger affected a quarter of an hour every day -into a Cat's ear. - -The fat of the wild Cat (Axungia Cati Sylvestris) is good for curing -epilepsy and lameness. The skin of the wild Cat worn as coverings, will -give strength to the limbs. - -Now about dreams:-- - -If any one dreams that he hath encountered a Cat, or killed one, he will -commit a thief to prison and prosecute him to the death, for the Cat -signifies a common thief. If he dreams that he eats Cat's flesh, he will -have the goods of the thief that robbed him; if he dreams that he hath the -skin, then he will have all the thief's goods. If any one dreams he fought -with a Cat that scratched him sorely, that denotes some sickness or -affliction. If any shall dream that a woman became the mother of a Cat -instead of a well shaped baby, it is a bad hieroglyphic, and betokens no -good to the dreamer. - -Stevens states, that in some counties of England, it used to be thought a -good bit of fun to close up a Cat in a cask with a quantity of soot, and -suspend the cask on a line; then he who could knock out the bottom of the -cask as he ran under it, and was nimble enough to escape its falling -contents, was thought to be very clever. After the first part had been -performed, the Cat was hunted to death, which finished this diverting -pastime. They were full of their fun, once upon a time, in merrie England. - -In an old-fashioned treatise upon Rat-catching, I find mentioned a means -of alluring "of very material efficacy, which is, the use of oil of -Rhodium, which, like the marumlyriacum, in the case of Cats, has a very -extraordinary fascinating power on these animals." - -Among the sympathetic secrets in occult philosophy, published in the -_Conjurors' Magazine_, in 1791, I find a recipe "to draw Cats together, -and fascinate them," which is as follows:-- - -"In the new moon, gather the herb Nepe, and dry it in the heat of the sun, -when it is temperately hot: gather vervain in the hour [Symbol: Mercury], -and only expose it to the air while [Symbol: Sun] is under the earth. Hang -these together in a net, in a convenient place, and when one of them has -scented it, her cry will soon call those about her that are within -hearing; and they will rant and run about, leaping and capering to get at -the net, which must be hung or placed so that they cannot easily -accomplish it, for they will certainly tear it to pieces. Near Bristol -there is a field that goes by the appellation of the 'Field of Cats,' from -a large number of these animals being drawn together there by this -contrivance." - -One of the frauds of witchcraft was the witch pretending to transform -herself into a Cat, and this led to the Cat being tormented by the -ignorant vulgar. - -In 1618, Margaret and Philip Flower were executed at Lincoln; their mother -was also accused, dying in goal before (probably of fright, added to old -age and infirmity). It was asserted that they had procured the death of -the Lord Henry Mosse, eldest son of the Earl of Rutland, by procuring his -right-hand glove, which, after being rubbed on the back of their imp, -named "Rutterkin," and which lived with them in the form of a Cat, was -plunged into boiling water, pricked with a knife, and buried in a -dung-hill, so that, as that rotted, the liver of the young man might rot -also, which was affirmed to have come to pass. - -Those were dreadful times for the ill-looking old ladies, and the more so -if they were unfortunate enough to have an affection for the feline -race. - - "A wrinkled hag, of wicked fame, - Beside a little smoky flame, - Sat hovering, pinched with age and frost, - Her shrivelled hands with veins embossed. - Upon her knees her weight sustains, - While palsy shook her crazy brains; - She mumbles forth her backward prayer-- - An untamed scold of fourscore year. - About her swarmed a numerous brood - Of Cats, who, lank with hunger, mewed; - Teased with their cries, her choler grew, - And thus she sputtered--'Hence, ye crew! - Fool that I was to entertain - Such imps, such fiends--a hellish train; - Had ye been never housed and nursed, - I for a witch had n'er been cursed; - To you I owe that crowd of boys - Worry me with eternal noise;-- - Straws laid across, my pace retard; - The horse-shoes nailed (each threshold's guard); - The stunted broom the wenches hide, - For fear that I should up and ride.'" - -The belief in witchcraft is a very ancient and deep-rooted one. From the -earliest times, we can trace records of supposed acts of witchcraft, and -their punishment. Pope Innocent VIII., in 1484, issued a bull, empowering -the Inquisition to search for witches and burn them. From the time of this -superstitious act, the executions for witchcraft increased. The pope had -given sanction to the belief in this demoniacal power, and had asserted -their possession of it. In 1485, forty-one poor women were burnt as -witches in Germany; an inquisitor in Piedmont burnt a hundred more, and -was proceeding so fast with others daily, that the people rose _en masse_, -and chased him out of the country. About the same time, five hundred -witches were executed at Geneva, in the course of three months. - -Among the many who counterfeited possession by the devil, for the purpose -of attracting pity or obtaining money, were Agnes Bridges and Rachel -Pinder, who had counterfeited to be possessed by the devil, and vomited -pins and rags; but were detected, and stood before the preacher at St. -Paul's Cross, and acknowledged their hypocritical counterfeiting: this -happened in 1574. - -In fifteen years, from 1580 to 1595, Remigius burnt nine hundred reputed -witches in Lorraine. In Germany, they tortured and burnt them daily, until -many unfortunates destroyed themselves for fear of a death by torment, and -others fled the country. - -Ludovicus Paramo states, that the Inquisition, within the space of 150 -years, had burnt thirty thousand of these reputed witches. - -The superstition continued on the increase, and reached its culmination in -the Puritanic time of the Commonwealth, when persons more cunning and -wicked than the rest, gained a subsistence by discovering witches (by -pretended marks and trials they used), and denouncing them to death. The -chief of these persons was MATHEW HOPKINS, _Witch Finder General_, as he -termed himself. He was a native of Manningtree, in Essex, and he devoted -his pretended powers so zealously in the service of his country, that in -1644, sixteen witches, discovered by him, were burnt at Yarmouth; fifteen -were condemned at Chelmsford, and hanged in that town and at Manningtree. -Many more at Bury St. Edmunds, in 1645 and 1646, amounting to nearly forty -in all at the several places of execution, and as many more in the country -as made up threescore. - -In this work he was aided by one John Stern, and a woman, who with the -rest, pretended to have secret means of testing witchcraft; nor was their -zeal unrewarded by the weak and superstitious parliament. Mr. Hopkins, in -a book published in 1647, owns that he had twenty shillings for each town -he visited to discover witches, and owns that he punished many: testing -them by a water ordeal, to see if they would sink or swim. He says that -he swam many, and watched them for four nights together, keeping them -standing or walking till their feet were blistered; "the reason" as he -says, "was to prevent their couching down; for indeed, when they be -suffered to couch, immediately come their familiars in the room, and -scareth the watchers, and heartneth (encourageth) the witch." - -This swimming experiment, which was deemed a full proof of guilt if any -one subjected to it did not sink, but floated on the surface of the water, -was one of the ordeals especially recommended by our king, James I., who, -in a work upon the subject, among other things, assigned this somewhat -ridiculous reason for its pretended infallibility:--"That as such persons -had renounced their baptism by water, so the water refuses to receive -them." Consequently, those who were accused of diabolical practices, were -tied neck and heels together, and tossed into a pond; if they floated or -swam they were guilty, and therefore taken out and hanged or burnt; if -they were innocent, they were drowned. Of this method of trial by water -ordeal, Scot observes: "that a woman above the age of fifty years, and -being bound both hand and foot, her clothes being upon her, and being -laid softly upon the water, sinketh not a long time, some say not at all." -And Dr. Hutchinson confirms this, by saying, not one in ten even sink in -that position of their bodies. Its utter fallacy was shown when the witch -finders themselves were thus tested; and the last quoted writer says, that -if the books written against witchcraft were tested by the same ordeal, -they would in no degree come off more safely. - -One of the most cruel cases was that of Mr. Lowes, a clergyman, who had -reached the patriarchal age of eighty. He was one of those unfortunate -ministers of the Gospel whose livings were sequestered by the parliament, -and who was suspected as malignant because he preserved his loyalty and -the homilies of the Church. It would have been well for him had this been -the only suspicion; but he was accused of witchcraft; and it was asserted -that he had sunk ships at sea by the power he possessed, and witnesses -were found who swore to seeing him do it. He was seized and _tested_. They -watched him, and kept him awake at night, and ran him backwards and -forwards about the room until he was out of breath; then they rested him a -little, and then ran him again. And thus they did for several days and -nights together, until he was weary of his life, and was scarce sensible -of what he said or did. They swam him twice or thrice, although that was -no true rule to try him by, for they sent in unsuspected people at the -same time, and they swam as well as he; yet was the unfortunate old -clergyman condemned to death and executed. - -In the book written some years after this, by Mr. Gaul, he mentions their -mode of discovering witches, which was principally by marks or signs upon -their bodies, which were in reality but moles, scorbutic spots, or warts, -which frequently grow large and pendulous in old age, and were absurdly -declared to be teats to suckle imps. Thus of one, Joane Willimot, in 1619, -it was sworn that she had two imps, one in the form of a kitten, and -another in that of a mole, "and they leapt on her shoulder, and the kitten -sucked under her right ear, on her neck, and the mole on the left side, in -the like place;" and at another time a spirit was seen "sucking her under -the left ear, in the likeness of a little white dogge." (See _The -Wonderful Discovery of the Witchcrafts of Margare and Philip Flower_, -1619). - -Another test was to place the suspected witch in the middle of a room, -upon a stool or table, cross-legged, or in some other uneasy posture, and -if she were refractory, she was tied too by cords, and kept without meat -or sleep for a space of four-and-twenty hours; all this time she was -strictly watched, because it was believed that in the course of that time -her imp would come to suck her, for whom some hole or ingress was -provided. The watchers swept the room frequently, so that nothing might -escape them; and should a fly or spider be found that had the activity to -elude them, they were assured these were the imps. In 1645 one was hanged -at Cambridge, who kept a tame frog which was sworn to be her imp; and one -at Gloucester, in 1649, who was convicted for having suckled a sow in the -form of a little black creature. In "a Tryal of Witches, at Bury St. -Edmunds, 1664," a witness deposed to having caught one of these imps in a -blanket, waiting for her child, who slept in it and was bewitched; that it -was in the form of a toad, and was caught and thrown into the fire, where -"it made a great and horrible noise, and after a space there was a -flashing in the fire like gunpowder, making a noise like the discharge of -a pistol, and thereupon the toad was no more seen nor heard." All of which -was the simple natural result of this cruel proceeding, but which was -received by judge and jury, at that time, of the poor toad being an imp! - -Hutchinson, in his essay on witchcraft, says:--"It was very requisite that -these witch-finders should take care to go to no towns but where they -might do what they would without being controlled by sticklers; but if the -times had not been as they were, they would have found but few towns where -they might be suffered to use the trial of the stool, which was as bad as -most tortures. Do but imagine a poor old creature, under all the weakness -and infirmities of old age, set like a fool in the middle of a room, with -a rabble of ten towns about her home; then her legs tied across, that all -the weight of her body might rest upon her seat. By that means, after some -hours, the circulation of the blood would be stopped, and her sitting -would be as painful as the wooden horse. Then must she continue in pain -four-and-twenty hours, without either sleep or meat; and since this was -their ungodly way of trial, what wonder was it if, when they were weary of -their lives, they confessed many tales that would please them, and many -times they knew not what." - -Hopkins' favourite and ultimate method of proof was by swimming, as -before narrated. They tied together the thumbs and toes of the suspected -person, about whose waist was fastened a cord, the ends of which were held -on the banks of the river by two men, whose power it was to strain or -slacken it. If they floated, they were witches. After a considerable -course of wicked accusation on the part of Hopkins and his accomplices, -testing all by these modes of trial, and ending in the cruel deaths of -many wretched old persons, a reaction against him took place, probably at -the instigation of some whose friends had been condemned innocently, or of -those who were too wise to believe in his tests, and disgusted with his -cold wickedness. His own famous and conclusive evidence--the experiment of -swimming--was tried _upon himself_; and this wretch, who had sacrificed so -many, by the same test, was found to be _guilty_, too. He was deservedly -condemned, and suffered death himself as a wizard. - -Dr. Harsenet, Archbishop of York, in his _Declaration of Popish -Impostures_, says, "Out of those is shap'd us the true idea of a witch, an -old weather-beaten crone, having her chin and knees meeting for age, -walking like a bow leaning on a staff, hollow ey'd, untooth'd, furrow'd on -her face, having her lips trembling with the palsy, going mumbling in -the streets--one that hath forgotten her pater-noster, and yet hath a -shrewd tongue to call a drab a drab!--if she hath learned of an old wife -in a chimney end, pax, max, fax, for a spell, or can say Sir John -Grantham's curse for a nuller's eels--'All ye that have stolen the -miller's eels, Laudate Dominum de Coelis, and they that have consented -thereto, Benedicamus Domino,' why then, beware, look about you, my -neighbours. If any of you have a sheep sick of the giddies, or a hog of -the mumps, or a horse of the staggers, or a knavish boy of the school, or -an idle girl of the wheel, or a young drab of the sullens, and hath not -fat enough for her porridge, or butter enough for her bread, and she hath -a little help of the epilepsy or cramp to teach her to roll her eyes, wry -her mouth, gnash her teeth, startle with her body, hold her arms and hands -stiff, etc. And then, when an old Mother Nobs hath by chance called her -'idle young housewife,' or bid the devil scratch her, then no doubt but -Mother Nobs is the witch, and the young girl is owl-blasted, etc. They -that have their brains baited, and their fancies distempered, with the -imaginations and apprehensions of witches, conjurors, and fairies, and all -that lymphatical chimera, I find to be marshalled in one of these five -ranks:--Children, fools, women, cowards, sick or black melancholic -discomposed wits." - -Many hundreds of poor old women, and many a Cat, were sacrificed to the -zealous Master Hopkins, for Cats and Kittens were frequently said to be -imps, who had taken that form. However, he was not the only scoundrel who -made witch-finding a trade. - -In Syke's _Local Recorder_, mention is made of a Scotchman, who pretended -great powers of discovering witchcraft, and was engaged by the townsmen of -Newcastle to practise there; and one man and fifteen women were hanged by -him. But he ultimately shared, as Hopkins did, the cruel fate he had -awarded to so many others. "When the witch-finder had done in Newcastle, -and received his wages, he went into Northumberland to try women there, -and got three pounds a-piece; but Henry Doyle, Esq., laid hold on him, and -required bond of him to answer at the Sessions. He escaped into Scotland, -where he was made prisoner, indicted, arraigned, and condemned for -such-like villany exercised in Scotland, and confessed at the gallows that -he had been the death of above two hundred and twenty women in England and -Scotland." - -Here is an account of the death of a famous witch's famous Cat:-- - - "Ye rats, in triumph elevate your ears! - Exult, ye mice! for Fate's abhorred shears - Of Dick's nine lives have slit the Cat-guts nine; - Henceforth he mews 'midst choirs of Cats divine!" - -So sings Mr. Huddesford, in a "Monody on the death of Dick, an Academical -Cat," with this motto:-- - - "Mi-Cat inter omnes." - _Hor. Carm._, Lib. i., Ode 12. - -He brings his Cat, Dick, from the Flood, and consequently through -Rutterkin, a Cat who was "cater-cousin to the -great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandmother of -Grimalkin, and first Cat in the Caterie of an old woman, who was tried for -bewitching a daughter of the Countess of Rutland, in the beginning of the -sixteenth century." The monodist connects him with Cats of great renown in -the annals of witchcraft; a science whereto they have been allied as -closely as poor old women, one of whom, it appears, on the authority of an -old pamphlet, entitled "_Mewes from Scotland_," etc., printed in the year -1591, "confessed that she took a Cat and christened it, etc., and that -in the night following, the said Cat was conveyed into the middest of the -sea by all these witches sayling in their riddles, or cives, so left the -said Cat right before the towne of Leith, in Scotland. This done, there -did arise such a tempest at sea, as a greater hath not been seen since. -Againe it is confessed that the said christened Cat was the cause of the -Kinge's majestie's shippe, at his coming forthe of Denmark, had a -contrarie winde to the rest of the shippes then being in his companie, -which thing was most straunge and true, as the Kinge's Majestie -acknowledgeth, for when the rest of the shippes had a fair and good winde, -then was the winde contrarie, and altogether against his Majestie," etc. - -All sorts of Cats, according to Huddesford, lamented the death of his -favourite, whom he calls "premier Cat upon the catalogue," and who, -preferring sprats to all other fish:-- - - "Had swallow'd down a score, without remorse, - And three fat mice slew for a second course; - But, while the third his grinders dyed with gore, - Sudden those grinders clos'd--to grind no more! - And, dire to tell! commission'd by old Nick, - A catalepsy made an end of Dick. - Calumnious Cats, who circulate _faux pas_, - And reputations maul with murderous claws; - Shrill Cats, whom fierce domestic brawls delight, - Cross Cats, who nothing want but teeth to bite; - Starch Cats of puritanic aspect sad, - And learned Cats, who talk their husbands mad; - Confounded Cats, who cough, and croak, and cry, - And maudlin Cats who drink eternally; - Fastidious Cats, who pine for costly cates, - And jealous Cats who catechise their mates; - Cat prudes who, when they're ask'd the question, squall, - And ne'er give answer categorical; - Uncleanly Cats, who never pare their nails, - Cat-gossips, full of Canterbury tales; - Cat-grandams, vex'd with asthmas and catarrhs, - And superstitious Cats, who curse their stars; - Cats of each class, craft, calling, and degree, - Mourn Dick's calamitous catastrophe! - Yet while I chant the cause of Richard's end, - Ye sympathising Cats, your tears suspend! - Then shed enough to float a dozen whales, - And use for pocket handkerchiefs your tails! - Ah! though thy bust adorn no sculptur'd shrine, - No vase thy relics rare to fame consign; - No rev'rend characters thy rank express, - Nor hail thee, Dick, 'D.D. nor F.R.S.' - Though no funereal cypress shade thy tomb, - For thee the wreaths of Paradise shall bloom; - There, while Grimalkin's mew her Richard greets, - A thousand Cats shall purr on purple seats. - E'en now I see, descending from his throne, - Thy venerable Cat, O Whittington! - The kindred excellence of Richard hail, - And wave with joy his gratulating tail! - There shall the worthies of the whiskered race - Elysian mice o'er floors of sapphire chase, - Midst beds of aromatic marum stray, - Or raptur'd rove beside the milky way. - Kittens, than eastern houris fairer seen, - Whose bright eyes glisten with immortal green, - Shall smooth for tabby swains their yielding fur, - And, to their amorous mews, assenting purr;-- - There, like Alcmena's, shall Grimalkin's son - In bliss repose,--his mousing labours done, - Fate, envy, curs, time, tide, and traps defy, - And caterwaul to all eternity." - -To conclude this Chapter, an incident which took place only a few days -ago, in Essex, at a village within forty miles of London, and which came -under the personal knowledge of the writer, may be adduced, to show that, -however witchcraft may have been laughed away--and laughter has been more -effectual to rid the world of it than rope or stake--there are still to be -found individuals who believe in the evil powers of hook-nosed crones, -black Cats, and broom-sticks. - -In a squalid hut lived a miserable dame, whose only claims to a demoniacal -connection were her excessive age and her sombre Cat. Whether the -neighbours thought the Cat was more of a witch than the woman, or whether -they had a wholesome dread of the punishment inflicted upon murderers, -it was upon the _animal_ the bewitched ones determined to wreak their -vengeance, and then it was that the true satanic nature of poor Puss -appeared. Traps were set to catch her, but she would not be caught; ropes -were purchased to hang her, but she would not bow her head to the noose; -and, finally, a blunderbuss was loaded to shoot her--loaded to the very -muzzle. By conjurations and enchantments, when that gun was fired, it -knocked the holder backwards, and never injured the black Cat. Another man -tried, with the same result, and yet another. It was evident the gun was -bewitched, so Pussy's murder was given up for the time, and, with the -exception of the tip of her tail, lost in one of the traps, passed the -remainder of her life happy and unmutilated. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - - -[Illustration: CHAPTER X.] - -_Of a certain Voracious Cat, some Goblin Cats, Magical Cats, and Cats of -Kilkenny._ - - -Of all the great big stories that have been told of Cats, that which -describes the origin of Cat's-head apples is surely the greatest biggest -one. The legend runs thus:-- - - "The Widow Tomkins had a back room, on the second floor; - Her name was on a neat brass plate on one side of the door: - Companion she had only one--a beautiful Tom Cat, - Who was a famous mouser, the dickens for a rat: - His colour was a tabby, and his skin as soft as silk, - And she would lap him every day while he lapped the milk. - One day she was disturbed from sleep with double rat-tat-tat, - And she went in such a hurry that she quite forgot her Cat. - - * * * * * - - Poor Thomas, soon as day-light came, walked up and down the floor, - And heard the dogs'-meat woman cry "Cats'-meat" at the door; - With hunger he got fairly wild, though formerly so tame-- - Another day passed slowly, another just the same. - With hunger he so hungry was--it did so strong assail, - That, although very loath, he was obliged to eat his tail. - This whetted quite his appetite, and though his stump was sore, - The next day he was tempted (sad) to eat a little more. - To make his life the longer then, he made his body shorter, - And one after the other attacked each hinder quarter. - He walked about on two fore legs, alas! without beholders, - 'Till more and more by hunger pressed, he dined on both his shoulders. - Next day he found (the cannibal!) to eating more a check, - Although he tried, and did reach all he could reach of his neck. - But as he could not bite his ear, all mournfully he cried,-- - Towards the door he turned his eyes, cocked up his nose, and died. - The widow did at last return, and oh! how she did stare, - She guessed the tale as soon as she saw Tom's head lying there. - Quite grief sincerely heart-felt as she owned his fate a hard'un, - She buried it beneath an apple-tree just down her garden. - So mark what strange effects from little causes will appear, - The fruit of this said tree was changed, and strangely, too, next year. - The neighbours say ('tis truth, for they're folks who go to chapels), - This Cat's head was the sole first cause of all the Cat's-head apples!" - -[Illustration: THE CAT AND THE CONJUROR. _Page 187._] - -Gottfried Heller, in _Die Leute von Seldwyla_, tells a droll story. This -is an abridgement of a popular author's version of it, published some -years ago:-- - -"One day, once upon a time, or thereabouts, the witch-finder of a certain -Swiss town--himself secretly a wizard--was taking his afternoon's walk, -when he came across a Tom Cat, looking very thin and miserable. This Cat -had once been the chief favourite of a rich old lady, who had trained him -up in luxurious living. Now she was dead, and Tom's happy days were over: -he was as shaggy and meagre, as he had formerly been sleek and plump. Now, -you must know that Cats' grease was, in those days, an invaluable -ingredient for certain magical preparations, provided the Cat to whom it -belonged willingly made a donation of it. This proviso rendered good -efficient Cats' grease an exceedingly rare commodity; for though there -might be no great difficulty in finding a fat Cat, to find one willing to -part with its fat was, of course, difficult enough. - -"Here, however, was an animal in desperate circumstances, who might be -accessible to reason; therefore, says the magician-- - -"'How much will you take for your fat?' - -"'Why, I haven't got any,' replied Tom, who, to tell the truth, was as -thin as a hurdle. - -"'You may have, though, if you say the word,' said the magician; 'and I'll -tell you how.' - -"You see, he knew from experience that Tom was a Cat who was capable of -making flesh, for he had known him as round as a dumpling; so he made this -bargain:--He offered Tom a whole month's luxurious living on condition -that at the expiration of that time he should voluntarily lay down his -life and yield up all the fat he had acquired during the four weeks. Of -course Tom agreed, and the contract was signed on the spot. The apartment -provided for Tom's lodging was 'fitted up as an artificial landscape. A -little wood was perched on the top of a little mountain, which rose from -the banks of a little lake. On the branches of the trees were perched -dainty birds, all roasted, and emitting a most savoury odour. From the -cavities of the mountain peered forth sundry baked mice, all seasoned with -delicious stuffing and exquisitely larded with bacon. The lake consisted -of the newest milk, with a small fish or two at the bottom. Thus, to the -enjoyment of the epicure, was added the excitement of imaginary -sportsmanship. Tom ate his fill, and more, and soon became as fat as the -magician could wish, but before long he became thoughtful. The month had -nearly expired; at the end he was to die if fat enough. Ah! a bright -thought, he would get thin again. With a wondrous strength of mind he -refrained from eating the luxuries provided, took plenty of exercise on -the house-tops, and kept himself in excellent health, but much thinner -than suited the wizard's fancy. - -"Before long, this gentleman remonstrated with Tom, pointing out to him -very plainly, that he was bound by all the laws of honour to get fat by -the month's end. To this, Tom had little to urge of any moment, and the -magician informed him that he would kill him at the appointed period, let -him be in what condition he might. Tom, therefore, would gain nothing by -being thin, and it was hoped that his good taste, unchecked by other -considerations, would induce him to make up for lost time. Time rolled on, -Tom behaved worse than ever, and when the fatal day arrived 'he looked in -worse condition than ever--a dissipated, abandoned, shaggy scamp, without -an ounce on his bones.' The wizard could not stand this, so he thrust Tom -into an empty coop and fed him by violence. In course of time, the wizard -was satisfied, and began to sharpen his knife; but no sooner did Tom -perceive this act, than he began to utter such singular expressions of -contrition, that his proprietor paused to ask him to explain them. The Cat -in wild terms alluded to a certain sum of ten thousand florins lying at -the bottom of a well, and the wizard wanted to know more about them. It -appeared then, that Tom's late mistress had thrown the sum he named to the -bottom of a well, and informed her Cat that 'should he find a perfectly -beautiful and a penniless maiden, whom a perfectly honest man was inclined -to wed in spite of her poverty, then he should empty the contents of the -well as a marriage portion.' - -"Of course this tale was false. The money existed where Tom had described, -but it had been ill-gotten gold, with a curse upon it. But the wizard -nibbled at the bait, put a chain round Tom's neck, and went to have a look -at the treasure. There it was, sure enough, shining under the water. - -"'Are you quite sure that there are exactly ten thousand florins?' asked -the magician. - -"'I've never been down to see,' replied Tom; 'I was obliged to take the -old lady's word for it.' - -"'But where shall I find a wife?' asked the wizard. - -"'I'll find you one,' said Tom. - -"'Will you?' - -"'To be sure. Tear up that contract, though, to begin with.' - -"The wizard, not without grumbling, drew from his pocket the fatal paper, -which Tom no sooner perceived than he pounced on it and swallowed it -whole, making at the same time the reflection that he had never before -tasted so delicious a morsel in his life. - -"In the neighbourhood dwelt an old woman, who was a witch--one of the -ugliest old women you ever saw, who every night flew up the chimney on a -broom-stick, and played Meg's diversions by the light of the moon. This -lady had an owl, who was a bird of loose principles, and had been an -associate of Tom's in his gay days. This bright couple consulted together -how they should persuade the ancient maiden to marry the old man. - -"'She never will,' said the owl. - -"'Then we must make her; but how?' - -"'We must catch her first, and take her prisoner, and that is to be done -easily enough, with a net, spun by a man of sixty years old, who has never -set eyes on the face of woman.' - -"'Where are we to find him?' - -"'Just round the corner: he has been blind from his birth.' - -"When the net had been procured, they set it in the chimney, and presently -caught the old lady, and after much trouble they starved her into -compliance. Then, by magical art, she put on an appearance of youth and -beauty, and the wizard married her in an ecstacy of delight; but was he -not in a fury when, evening approaching, she resumed her pristine -ugliness. And was he not disgusted at his bride, in spite of the treasure -she had brought him. As for Tom, like many bad people, he lived happy ever -afterwards." - -Here is an abridgement of the famous tale of _Puss in Boots_:-- - -"A miller died, leaving his youngest son nothing but a Cat: the poor young -fellow complained bitterly of his fate; the Cat bade him be of good cheer, -and procure a pair of boots and a bag: the youth contrived to do so. The -first attempt Puss made was to go into a warren, in which there was a -great number of rabbits. He put some bran and parsley into his bag; and -then, stretching himself out at full length, as if he were dead, he waited -for some young rabbits, who as yet knew nothing of the cunning tricks of -the world, to come and get into the bag. Scarcely had he laid down, before -he succeeded as well as could be wished. A giddy young rabbit crept into -the bag, and the Cat immediately drew the strings, and killed it without -mercy. Puss, proud of his prey, hastened directly to the palace, where he -asked to speak to the King. On being shown into the apartment of his -Majesty, he made a low bow, and said:--"I have brought you, Sire, this -rabbit from the warren of my Lord the Marquis of Carabas, who commanded me -to present it to your Majesty, with the assurance of his respects." One -day, the Cat having heard that the King intended to take a ride that -morning by the river's side with his daughter, who was the most beautiful -Princess in the world, he said to his master:--"Take off your clothes, and -bathe yourself in the river, just in the place I shall show you, and leave -the rest to me." The Marquis did exactly as he was desired, without being -able to guess at what the Cat intended. While he was bathing, the King -passed by, and Puss directly called out, as loudly as he could -bawl:--"Help! help! My Lord Marquis of Carabas is in danger of being -drowned!" The King hearing the cries, and recognising the Cat, ordered his -attendants to go directly to the assistance of my Lord Marquis of Carabas; -and the cunning Cat having hid his master's clothes under a large stone, -the King commanded the officers of his wardrobe to fetch him the -handsomest suit it contained. The King's daughter was mightily taken with -his appearance, and the Marquis of Carabas had no sooner cast upon her two -or three respectful glances, than she became violently in love with him. -The Cat, enchanted to see how well his scheme was likely to succeed, ran -before to a meadow that was reaping, and said to the reapers:--"Good -people, if you do not tell the King, who will soon pass this way, that the -meadow you are reaping belongs to my Lord Marquis of Carabas, you shall be -chopped as small as mince-meat." The King did not fail to ask the reapers -to whom the meadow belonged? "To my Lord Marquis of Carabas," said they -all at once; for the threats of the Cat had terribly frightened them. Puss -at length arrived at a stately castle that belonged to an Ogre, whom he -first persuaded to assume the form of a mouse, and then cleverly gobbled -him up before he could get back to his proper shape again. The King's -party soon after arrived. The Cat said the castle was his master's; and -the King was so much charmed with the amiable qualities and noble fortune -of the Marquis of Carabas, and the young Princess too had fallen so -violently in love with him, that when the King had partaken of a -collation, he said to the Marquis:--"It will be your own fault, my Lord -Marquis of Carabas, if you do not soon become my son-in-law." The Marquis -received the intelligence with a thousand respectful acknowledgments, -accepted the honour conferred upon him, and married the Princess that very -day. The Cat became a great lord, and never after pursued rats, except for -his own amusement. - -I think, too, that the famous story of the _White Cat_ should also find a -place in this little volume:-- - -There once was a King, the legend says, who was growing old, and it was -told to him that his three sons wished to govern the kingdom. The old -King, who did not wish to give up his power just yet, thought the best way -to prevent his sons from taking his throne was to send them out to seek -for adventures; so he called them all around him, and said:-- - -"My sons, go away and travel for a year; and he of you who brings me the -most beautiful little dog, shall have the kingdom, and be King after me." - -Then the three Princes started on the journey; but it is of the youngest -of the three that I have now to tell. He travelled for many days, and at -last found himself, one evening, at the door of a splendid castle, but -not a man or woman was to be seen. A number of hands, with no bodies to -them, appeared: two hands took off the Prince's cloak, two others seated -him in a chair, another pair brought a brush to brush his hair, and -several pairs waited on him at supper. Then some more hands came and put -him to bed in a fine chamber, where he slept all night, but still no one -appeared. The next morning, the hands brought him into a splendid hall, -where there sat on a throne a large White Cat, who made him sit beside -her, and expressed herself glad to see him. Next day, the Prince and the -White Cat went out hunting together: the Cat was mounted on a fine -spirited monkey, and seemed very fond of the Prince, who, on his part, was -delighted with her wit and cleverness. - -Instead of dogs, Cats hunted for them. These creatures ran with great -agility after rats, and mice, and birds, catching and killing a great -number of them; and sometimes the White Cat's monkey would climb a tree, -with the White Cat on his back, after a bird, a mouse, or a squirrel. This -pleasant life went on for a long time: every day the White Cat became more -fond of the Prince, while, on his part, the Prince could not help loving -the poor Cat, who was so kind and attentive to him. At last, the time drew -near when the Prince was to return home, and he had not thought of looking -for a little dog; but the Cat gave him a casket, and told him to open this -before the King, and all would be well; so the Prince journeyed home, -taking with him an ugly mongrel cur. When the brothers saw this, they -laughed secretly to each other, and thought themselves quite secure, so -far as their younger brother was concerned. They had, with infinite pains, -procured each of them a very rare and beautiful little dog, and each -thought himself quite sure to get the prize. When the day came on which -the dogs were to be shown, each of the two elder Princes produced a -beautiful little dog, on a silk velvet cushion: no one could judge which -was the prettier. The youngest now opened his casket, and found a walnut: -he cracked this walnut, and out of the walnut sprang a little tiny dog, of -exquisite beauty. Still the old King would not give up his kingdom. He -told the young Princes they must bring him home a piece of cambric so fine -that it could be threaded through the eye of a needle; and so they went -away in search of such a piece of cambric. Again the youngest Prince -passed a year with the White Cat, and again the Cat gave him a walnut -when the time came for him to return home. The three Princes were summoned -before their father, who produced a needle. The first and second Princes -brought a piece of cambric which would almost, but not quite, go through -the needle's eye. The youngest Prince broke open his walnut-shell: he -found inside it a small nut-shell, and then a cherry-stone, and then a -grain of wheat, and then a grain of millet, and in this grain of millet a -piece of cambric four hundred yards long, which passed easily through the -eye of the needle. But the old King said:-- - -"He who brings the most beautiful lady shall have the kingdom." - -The Prince went back to the White Cat, and told her what his father had -said. She replied:-- - -"Cut off my head and my tail." - -At last he consented: instantly the Cat was transformed into a beautiful -Princess; for she had been condemned by a wicked fairy to appear as a Cat, -till a young Prince should cut off her head and tail. The Prince and -Princess went to the old King's court, and she was far more beautiful than -the ladies brought by the other two Princes. But she did not want the -kingdom, for she had four of her own already. One of these she gave to -each of the elder brothers of the young Prince, and over the other two she -ruled with her husband, for the young Prince married her, and they lived -happily together all their lives. - -In Mr. Morley's _Fairy Tales_, there is a funny passage:--"'I wonder,' -said a sparrow, 'what the eagles are about, that they don't fly away with -the Cats? And now I think of it, a civil question cannot give offence.' So -the sparrow finished her breakfast, went to the eagle, and said:-- - -"'May it please your royalty, I see you and your race fly away with the -birds and the lambs that do no harm. But there is not a creature so -malignant as a Cat; she prowls about our nests, eats up our young, and -bites off our own heads. She feeds so daintily that she must be herself -good eating. She is lighter to carry than a bird, and you would get a -famous grip in her loose fur. Why do you not feed upon Cat?' - -"'Ah!' said the eagle, 'there is sense in your question. I had the worms -to hear this morning, asking me why I did not breakfast upon sparrows. Do -I see a morsel of worm's skin on your beak, my child?' - -"The sparrow cleaned his bill upon his bosom, and said:--'I should like -to see the worm who came with that enquiry.' - -"'Come forward, worm,' the eagle said. But when the worm appeared, the -sparrow snapped him up, and ate him. Then he went on with his argument -against the Cats." - -Everybody has heard of the Kilkenny Cats, and how they fought in a saw-pit -with such ferocious determination, that when the battle was over, nothing -was remaining of either combatant except his tail. Of course, we none of -us suppose that the tale is true, but some writers think that the account -of the mutual destruction of the contending Cats was an allegory designed -to typify the utter ruin to which centuries of litigation and embroilment -on the subject of conflicting rights and privileges tended to reduce the -respective exchequers of the rival municipal bodies of Kilkenny and -Irishtown--separate corporations existing within the liberties of one -city, and the boundaries of the respective jurisdiction of which had never -been marked out or defined by an authority to which either was willing to -bow. The desperate struggles for supremacy of these parish worthies began -A.D. 1377, and they fought, as only vestrymen can fight, a little over -three hundred years, by the end of which time there was, as you may -suppose, very little left of them but their tails, for, of course, there -was a disinterested third person to whom the affairs were referred for -arbitration, in the old way that the Cats appealed to the monkey upon the -great cheese question--who swallowed his huge mouthful. In the end it -would appear that all the property of either side was mortgaged, and -bye-laws were passed by each party that their respective officers should -be content with the dignity of their station, and forego all hope of -salary till the suit at law with the other "pretended corporation" should -be terminated. - -Let this be as it may, one thing is certain: Kilkenny Cats are quite as -amiable now-a-days as the Cats of any other city in Great Britain. - -But there is another story of a great Cat fight in the same neighbourhood. -One night in the summer time, all the Cats in the city and county of -Kilkenny were absent from their homes, and next morning a plain near the -city was strewn with thousands of slain Cats; and it was reported that -almost all the Cats in Ireland had joined in the fight, as was shown by -the collars of some of the dead bearing the names of places in all -quarters of the island. The cause of the quarrel is not stated, but there -are yet men alive who knew persons since dead, who actually inspected the -field--at least so they say. - -Time out of mind the Cat has figured largely in our nursery annals--from -the days of _Heigh Diddle-Diddle_ and the _House that Jack Built_ to the -present moment. There is some waggishness, by the way, in Mr. Blanchard's -version of the second mentioned rhyme, printed, as a sort of argument, in -the book of the Drury Lane Pantomime:-- - - "Anon, with velvet foot and Tarquin strides, - Subtle Grimalkin to his quarry glides; - Grimalkin grim, that slew the fierce Rodent, - Whose tooth insidious Johann's sackcloth rent. - Lo! how the deep-mouthed canine foe's assault, - That vest th' avenger of the stolen malt - Stored in the hallowed precincts of that hall - That rose complete at Jack's creative call. - Here stalks th' impetuous cow with crumpled horn, - Thereon th' exacerbating hound was torn, - Who bayed the feline slaughter-beast that slew - The rat predacious, whose keen fangs ran through - The textile fibres that involved the grain - That lay in Han's inviolate domain." - -The Cat is one of the principal of the _dramatis personæ_ in Mr. D'Arcy -Thompson's droll _Nursery Nonsense_; and some of the most ingenious -pictures Charles Bennett ever drew are to be found in his _Nine Lives of a -Cat_. There is some good fun for little folks in a small book called -_Tales from Catland_, with some masterly pictures from the graceful pencil -of Mr. Harrison Weir; and there is another work called _Cat and Dog_, -which I would recommend to all young readers. Of some other children's -books, in which Pussy takes a prominent part, it behoves not the writer of -this volume to say very much, for obvious reasons. I may, however, remark, -that though a great admirer of the feline race, the artist who illustrated -the works in question and this, has very limited notions concerning the -way in which a Cat should be drawn, and has found, after all his trouble, -that under his hand Pussy transferred to wood is very wooden indeed. It is -some consolation to that artist, however, to reflect that Hogarth's Cats -are anything but good ones. By the way, I always wonder when I look at -that picture of the "Actress's Dressing Room" in the barn, whether poor -strollers were ever driven to such an expedient as that of cutting a Cat's -tail for the blood, and if so, how was it used? In George Cruikshank's -"Bottle," do you remember in the first scene how happily the Cat and -Kittens are playing on the hearth, and how in the next the kitten has -disappeared, and the Cat, a poor half-starved wretch, is sniffing -wistfully at an empty plate upon the table? The change in Pussy's -fortune is a clever touch; but of all Cat pictures, one of the same -artist's illustrations to the Brothers Mayhew's _Greatest Plague of Life_ -is that to be remembered; I mean the one called "The Cat did it," in the -chapter about Mrs. Burgess's Tom. There are a score and more of wonderful -Cat stories in the _Münchener Bilderbögen_, and in other German books; and -who of those who have seen them can forget Grandville's extraordinary -animals, so like Cats, and yet so human. There were some pictures that -Charles Bennett drew, showing the gradual change of a human face into that -of a beast, in which it was astonishing to note how easy and with what a -few lines the transformation could be effected. - -I might make this book a great deal longer (and more wearisome, perhaps) -if I gave even the briefest outline of all the stories I have come upon -during my long search; but I believe that those to be found in these pages -are among the best extant. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - - -[Illustration: CHAPTER XI.] - -_Of Pussy Poorly, and of some Curiosities of the Cats'-meat Trade._ - - "So sickly Cats neglect their fur attire, - And sit and mope beside the kitchen fire." - _Bombastes Furioso._ - - -A writer on Cats, when speaking of the necessity of administering physic -in certain cases, says that the bare thought of so doing is sufficient to -daunt at least nine-tenths of the lady Cat-owners of the kingdom; and -gives these directions to assist the timid fair one in her arduous -task:-- - -"Have ready a large cloth and wrap the patient therein, wisping the cloth -round and round her body, so that every part of her, except the head, is -well enveloped. Any one may then hold it between their knees, while you -complete the operation. Put on a pair of stout gloves, and then with a -firm hand open the animal's mouth wide!" - -Poor Pussy! From the formidable nature of these preparations, one would -almost fancy that it was a full-grown tigress about to be doctored, and -its iron mouth required a firm hand to wrench apart the jaws. To such -inexperienced ladies as could require these directions, the writer's -further advice not to pour down the Cat's throat too much at a time, comes -very seasonably, but I am not too sure that Pussy will not be choked for -all that. When properly managed, says he, "a sick Cat may be made to take -pills or any other drug without risk of a severe scratching on your part, -and danger of a dislocated neck on the part of suffering Grimalkin." - -I can readily understand that there is small fear of the Cat's claws -penetrating through five or six folds of stout calico, but about the -safety of its neck I have my doubts. One, indeed, feels almost inclined to -add, as a further safeguard for the trembling doctor, a suit of chain-mail -or a diver's dress, such as the man wears who braves the dangers of the -tank at the Polytechnic. - -Seriously speaking, a lady who is kind to her domestic pets will have no -trouble in giving them medicine. When they are Kittens, they should be -taught to lie upon their backs, and in this attitude, with the head -raised, the physic is easily enough administered. A sick Cat, too, does -not fly from those for whom it has an affection; on the contrary, I have -always known Cats to come for sympathy to those who nurse and feed them. -Administer the physic with a teaspoon, if liquid, and be most careful when -the dose has been given, to gently wash from the Cat's face or breast any -drop of the stuff that may have fallen there, so that she may not find the -nasty taste lingering about her when she goes to clean herself, as -otherwise she has the unpleasantness of the physic long after the doses -have been discontinued. - -These are some of the complaints from which Cats suffer, and the best -methods to be adopted for their cure:-- - -A cat is sometimes affected by a sort of distemper which attacks it -between the first and third month of its life. The Cat or Kitten, when -thus suffering, refuses its food, seems to be sensitive of cold, and -creeps close to the fire or hides itself in any warm corner. A mild -aperient--small doses of brimstone, for instance--should be administered. -Whilst ill, feed the Cat upon light biscuit spread with butter. A little -manna is a good thing if the Cat will eat it, and the animal should be -kept warm and quiet. If, however, you see the sick Cat frequently -vomiting, the vomit being a bright yellow frothy liquid, be very careful -of the animal should she be a pet, for then the distemper is taking an -ugly turn, and requires special attention. Probably before long the -sickness will change to diarrhoea, which in the end will turn to dysentery -if prompt measures be not taken. When the vomiting first comes on, give -the Cat half a teaspoonful of common salt in about two teaspoonsful of -water, as an emetic, for the purpose of clearing the stomach. Then to stop -the sickness, give half a spoonful of melted beef marrow free from skin. -If this is not found sufficient, the dose may be repeated. - -Cats just reaching their full growth are liable to have fits. Male cats -almost always have, at this time, a slight attack of delirium. When coming -on, it may easily be known by an uneasy restlessness and a wildness of the -eyes. In bad cases, the Cat, when seized with delirium, will rush about -with staring eyes, sometimes fly at the window, but more often fly from -your presence and hide itself in the darkest place it can find. If it have -a regular fit, with frothing at the mouth, quivering limbs, etc., as in a -human being so attacked, Lady Cust recommends that one of the ears be -slightly slit with a sharp pair of scissors in the thin part of the ear. -You must then have some warm water ready and hold the ear in it, gently -rubbing and encouraging the blood to flow, a few drops even will afford -relief. During the attack, the Cat does not feel, nor does it resist in -the least, therefore the most timid lady might perform this little -operation without fear. But where the symptoms are not so violent, a -gentle aperient may do all that is required. A good alterative for them is -half a teaspoonful of common salt in two teaspoonfuls of water, as -mentioned above, though in this case it will not cause vomiting. Female -Cats, Lady Cust says, are less subject to fits of delirium, and never have -them after they have once nursed young ones, unless frightened into them, -which all Cats easily are. In this, however, I think she is mistaken, for -I have had a Cat so affected when nursing her second litter of Kittens. -Another Cat of mine was seized with delirium, rushed suddenly out of the -kitchen, and disappeared mysteriously for three days. At the end of that -time, the servant going to light the fire under the copper, the animal -crawled forth from the copper hole very thin and weak, but otherwise -seemingly cured of its strange complaint. All cats are subject to -diarrhoea, and the signs of their so suffering are to be found in dull -eyes, staring coat and neglected toilet, and the animal is very likely to -die of the complaint unless the proper remedies be applied. As soon as it -is discovered, give the Cat some luke warm new milk, with a piece of fresh -mutton suet (the suet the size of a walnut to a teacupful of milk) melted, -and mixed in it. If the patient be too ill to lap, administer the mixture -a teaspoonful every two hours. Take care not to give it too much so as to -make it sick. If there is no bile, you should give the Cat (full grown) a -grain and a half of the grey powder used in such cases. If the diarrhoea -still continue, Lady Cust suggests that a teaspoonful of the chalk mixture -used by human beings, be tried, with seven or eight drops of tincture of -rhubarb, and four or five of laudanum, every few hours until the complaint -ceases. Cats will continue ill, her Ladyship says, for a few days, their -eyes even fixed, but still with watching and care they may be cured. A -teaspoonful at a time of pure meat gravy should be given now and then, -but not until nearly two hours after medicine, to keep up the strength, -until appetite returns. - -There is a disease resembling the chicken-pox, which appears in the shape -of eruptions upon a Cat's head and throat. It is, in these cases, -advisable to rub the bad places with flour of brimstone mixed with fresh -hog's lard, without salt. The Cat will lick some of this ointment off, and -swallow it, which operation will assist the cure. Much of the necessity -for physic is, however, avoided when the Cat is able to get some grass to -eat, without which, I believe, it can never be in good health. I have a -Tom Cat, which seems to be particularly partial to ribbon grass, but this, -I should say, is quite an epicurean taste of his. According to Lady Cust, -who is the greatest, indeed, the only authority on such matters, the hair -swallowed by the Cat in licking itself, and conveyed into the stomach and -intestines, where it remains in balls or long rolls, causing dulness and -loss of appetite, is digested easily by adhering to the long grass; or if -the mass is too large, as is often the case in the moulting season, -especially with Angora Cats, it will be seen thrown up: long rolls of hair -with grass; perfectly exclusive of any other substance. But, again, the -Cat itself seems to know that grass is very needful for the preservation -of its health. The food and prey it eats often disorder the stomach. On -such occasions, it eats a little grass, which, however, goes no further -than the commencement of the oesophagus; this is irritated by the jagged -and saw-like margins of the blades of grass, and this irritation is, by a -reflex action, communicated to the stomach, which, by a spasmodic action, -rejects its vitiated secretion. - -It is very cruel and injurious to the mother to destroy the whole litter -of kittens at once, unless it has some feline friend or relation to -relieve it of its milk: one of its grown-up children, or its husband, will -generally do so, without much persuasion. If deprived of this resource, -however, the frequent destruction of the kittens will, in all probability, -cause cancers, and in the end kill the Cat. If the mother die, and the -kittens be left orphans, they may be easily reared by hand. Feed them with -new milk, sweetened with brown sugar--plain milk is too astringent. To -imitate the Cat's lick, wipe the kittens with a nearly dry sponge, and -soap and water. A good way to feed them is to use a well-saturated fine -sponge, which the kittens will suck. The most common way, however, is to -pour the milk gently down the throat from a pointed spoon. I knew a lady -who fed a pet kitten from her mouth, and it grew up extraordinarily -affectionate and sagacious. But I have seen many cases where a Cat has -conceived a strong affection towards a person who has never fed it, and -scarcely ever noticed it. - -I lately heard, on good authority, of a case of a lady, one of whose Cats -came every morning to her bed-room door, at six o'clock precisely, making -so much noise mewing, that it would awaken every one in the house, if she -did not hasten to get up, open the door, and shake hands with it, after -which ceremony it went quietly away. But, as a rule, these animals do not -tax their masters' good nature to such an extent: a pat on the head now -and then, a kind word now and again, nothing more is required. - -Mr. Kingston says:--"I was calling on a delightful and most clever kind -old lady, who showed me a very beautiful Tabby Cat, coiled up on a chair -before the fire. - -"'Seventeen years ago,' said she, 'that Cat's mother had a litter: they -were all ordered to be drowned, with the exception of one; the servant -brought me that one; it was a tortoiseshell. 'No,' I said, 'that will -always be looking dirty; I will choose another;' so I put my hand into -the basket, and drew forth this tabby. The tabby has stuck by me ever -since. When she came to have a family, she disappeared, but the rain did -not, for it came pouring down through the ceiling, and it was discovered -that Dame Tabby had made a lying-in hospital for herself in the thatched -roof of our house. The damage she did cost us several pounds; so we asked -a bachelor friend, who had a good cook, fond of Cats, to take care of -tabby the next time she gave signs of having a family, as we knew that she -would be well fed. We sent her in a basket, well covered up, and she was -carefully shut into a room, where she soon was able to exhibit a progeny -of young mewlings. More than the usual number were allowed to survive; and -it was thought that she would remain quietly where she was; but, at the -first opportunity, she made her escape, and down she came all the length -of the village; and I heard her mewing at my bed-room door, early in the -morning, to be let in. When I had stroked her back, and spoken kindly to -her, off she went to look after her nurselings. From that day, every -morning down she came regularly to see me, and would not go away till she -had been spoken to and caressed. Having satisfied herself that I was -alive and well, back she would go again. She never failed to pay me that -one visit in the morning, and never came twice in the day, till she had -weaned her kittens, and then every day she came back, and nothing would -induce her to go away again: I had not the heart to force her back. From -that day to this she has always slept at the door of my room.' Never was -there more evident affection exhibited in the feline race." - -With respect to a Cat's food, I think it should not have too much meat; -and I should prefer feeding it on scraps that have come from the table, to -buying Cats' meat. If their taste be consulted upon the subject, almost -all Cats are passionately fond of lights, particularly as they grow old; -and one elderly red-haired gentleman in particular, with whom I had once -the honour of being acquainted, was in the habit of watching the pot -whilst the lights boiled, with lively interest, sniffing the steam when -the saucepan-lid was raised, and licking his lips in anticipation of joys -to come, when he could gorge himself to his heart's content. As he was a -very old gentleman, and enjoyed the privileges of age, he had unlimited -lights supplied to him; and it was his habit to eat as much as he could -possibly swallow, and then lie down within sight of the plate, and catch -uneasy snatches of sleep, waiting until he could go on again with his -orgie, but racked meanwhile by horrid fears lest anyone else should get at -his food, and only dozing off, as the saying is, one eye at a time. This -same red Cat one day, when the servants were out, and I was alone in the -garden, came to me mewing in a strange sort of way, looking, as I thought, -very anxious, and running backwards and forwards between me and the house. -At last, following him as he seemed to wish me to do, I accompanied him to -the street-door, where I found the butcher's boy waiting with the lights. - -In giving a Cat the scrapings of dirty plates, it is as well, if you value -the animal's life, to remove the fish bones, should there be any among the -leavings. Very frequently, as most Cats bolt their food, they get a bone -sticking in their mouth or throat, of which they are unable to relieve -themselves, and suffer much pain without their owner's guessing at the -cause of their discomforture. A lady in a house I was staying at, had a -Cat that got what was afterwards supposed to be a fish bone sticking in -its mouth, far at the back, in such a way that it was unable to close its -jaws. For two or three days it remained in this state, refusing all food, -and looking in a woeful plight; indeed, we afterwards supposed that it -could not even lap; but at the time, although we made several examinations -of the sufferer, we could not discover what ailed it. At last, some one -suggested seeking the aid of a veterinary surgeon, whose dignity seemed -just a little bit ruffled by being called in for a Cat, and who, when he -did come, did not bring his instruments with him. Nevertheless, he found -out what was wrong, and forcing open the Cat's jaws, put in his finger to -loosen what he called a fish-bone. Being rather fearful of getting a bite, -he was somewhat hasty, and the bone jerked out, flew into the air, as he -released his hold of the Cat's head, whereupon the Cat caught the bone as -it fell, and instantly swallowed it, leaving us until this day in the dark -as to the size and nature of the bone, and indeed, rather doubtful whether -it was a bone at all. - -In cases where the Cat is accidentally crippled, or should be so ill that -it were better to put it out of its misery at once, the best plan is to -send for a chemist, who for a small sum would administer the poison upon -your own premises. I have known cases where men servants entrusted to take -the animal to the chemist's shop, have thrown it down in the street, or -killed it with unnecessary torture themselves, and pocketed the money -they should have paid for the poisoning. - -To administer the poison yourself is by no means a wise course, as -probably you may give too much or too little, and in either case defeat -your object. I know for a fact, that two medical students once barbarously -practising experiments with poison on an unhappy Cat, twice poisoned the -animal, as they supposed, and once actually buried it, of course not very -deeply, after which it recovered again, and crawled into the house, rather -to their alarm, as you may suppose, as on the second occasion it happened -in the dead of night. - -Those unable to procure the assistance of a doctor or chemist, can easily -drown a Cat by putting it into a pail of water, and pressing another pail -down upon it, care being taken of course to handle the Cat gently, so as -not to alarm it before the last moment. - -Concerning the Cats'-meat trade, Mr. Henry Mayhew gives many curious -particulars, of which the following are some of the most amusing:-- - -"The Cats'-meat carriers frequently sell as much as ten pennyworth to one -person, and there has been a customer to the extent of sixteen pennyworth. -This person, a black woman, used to get out on the roof of the house, -and throw it to the Cats on the tiles, by which conduct she brought so -many stray Cats round about the neighbourhood, that the parties in the -vicinity complained of the nuisance. The noise of about a hundred strange -Cats, a little before feeding-time, about ten in the morning, was -tremendous; and when the meat was thrown to them, the fighting and -confusion was beyond description. - -"There was also a woman in Islington who used to have fourteen pounds of -meat a-day. The person who supplied her was often paid two and three -pounds at a time. She had often as many as thirty Cats at a time. Every -stray Cat that came she would take in and support. - -"The carriers give a great deal of credit; indeed, they take but little -ready money. On some days they do not come home with more than 2_s._ One -with a middling walk, pays for his meat 7_s._ 6_d._ per day; for this he -has half-a-hundred weight: this produces him as much as 11_s._ 6_d._, so -that his profit is 4_s._, which, I am assured, is about a fair average of -the earnings of the trade. One carrier is said to have amassed £1,000 at -the business: he usually sold from 1-1/2 to 2 cwt. every morning, so that -his profits were generally from 16_s._ to £1 per day. But the trade is -much worse now: there are so many at it, they say, that there is barely a -living for any." - -A carrier assured Mr. Mayhew he seldom went less than thirty, and -frequently forty miles, through the streets every day. The best districts -are among the houses of tradesmen, mechanics, and labourers. The coachmen -in the mews at the back of the squares are very good customers. - -"'The work lays thicker there,' said one carrier. 'Old maids are bad, -though very plentiful customers: they cheapen the carriers down so that -they can scarcely live at the business: they will pay one half-penny, and -owe another, and forget that after a day or two.' The Cats'-meat dealers -generally complain of their losses from bad debts: their customers require -credit frequently to the extent of £1. - -"'One party owes me 15_s._ now,' said a carrier, 'and many 10_s._; in -fact, very few people pay ready money for the meat.' - -"The best days for the Cats'-meat business are Mondays, Tuesdays, and -Saturdays. A double quantity of meat is sold on the Saturday; and on that -day and Monday and Tuesday, the weekly customers generally pay." - -"The supply of food for Cats and Dogs is far greater than may be generally -thought. - -"'Why, sir,' said one of the dealers, 'can you tell me how many people's -in London?' On Mr Mayhew's replying, upwards of two millions; 'I don't -know nothing whatever,' said the man, 'about millions, but I think there's -a Cat to every ten people, aye, and more than that; and so, sir, you can -reckon.'" - -Mr. Mayhew told him this gave a total of 200,000 Cats in London, but the -number of inhabited houses in the Metropolis was 100,000 more than this, -and though there was not a Cat to every house, still, as many lodgers as -well as householders kept Cats, he added, "that he thought the total -number of Cats in London might be taken at the same number as the -inhabited houses, or 300,000 in all." - -"'There is not near half so many Dogs as Cats; I must know, for they all -knows me, and I serves about 200 Cats and 70 dogs. Mine's a middling -trade, but some does far better. Some Cats has a hap'orth a day, some -every other day; werry few can afford a penn'orth, but times is inferior. -Dogs is better pay when you've a connection among 'em.' - -"A Cats'-meat carrier who supplied me with information," says the same -writer, "was more comfortably situated than any of the poorer classes that -I have yet seen. He lived in the front room of a second floor, in an -open and respectable quarter of the town, and his lodgings were the -perfection of comfort and cleanliness in an humble sphere. It was late in -the evening when I reached the house; I found the 'carrier' and his family -preparing the supper. In a large morocco leather easy chair sat the -Cats'-meat carrier himself; his blue apron and black shiny hat had -disappeared, and he wore a 'dress' coat and a black satin waistcoat -instead. His wife, who was a remarkably pretty woman, and of very -attractive manners, wore a 'Dolly Varden' cap, placed jauntily on the back -of her head, and a drab merino dress. The room was cosily carpeted; and in -one corner stood a mahogany 'crib,' with cane-work sides, in which one of -the children was asleep. On the table was a clean white table-cloth, and -the room was savoury with the steaks and mashed potatoes that were cooking -on the fire. Indeed, I have never yet seen greater comfort in the abodes -of the poor. The cleanliness and wholesomeness of the apartment were the -more striking from the unpleasant associations connected with the calling. - -"It is believed by one who has been engaged at the business for 25 years, -that there are from 900 to 1,000 horses, averaging 2 cwt. of meat each, -little and big, boiled down every week; so that the quantity of cats' -and dogs' meat used throughout London is about 200,000 lbs. per week, and -this, sold at the rate of 2-1/2_d._ per lb., gives £2,000 a-week for the -money spent in cats' and dogs' meat, or upwards of £100,000 a-year, which -is at the rate of £100 worth sold annually by each carrier. The profits of -the carriers may be estimated at about £50 each per annum. The capital -required to start in this business varies from £1 to £2. The stock-money -needed is between 5_s._ and 10_s._ The barrow and basket, weights and -scales, knife and steel, or blackstone, cost about £2 when new, and from -15_s._ to 4_s._ second hand. - -Mr. Mayhew also states the London dogs' and cats' meat carriers to number -at least one thousand. "The slaughtermen," he says, "are said to reap -large fortunes very rapidly. Many of them retire after a few years and -take large farms. One after twelve years' business retired with several -thousand pounds, and has now three large farms. The carriers are men, -women, and boys. Very few women do as well at it as the men. The carriers -are generally sad drunkards. Out of five hundred it is said three hundred -at least spend £1 a head a-week in drink. One party in the trade told me -that he knew a carrier who would spend 10_s._ in liquor at one sitting. -The profit the carriers make upon the meat is at present only a penny per -pound. In the summer time the profit per pound is reduced to a halfpenny, -owing to the meat being dearer, on account of its scarcity." - -The following are, as well as I can remember, the words of an old song, to -the tune of "Cherry Ripe," that were sung in some play:-- - - "Cats'-meat, Cats'-meat--meat, I cry, - On a skewer--come and buy; - From Hyde Park Corner to Wapping Wall, - All the year I Cats'-meat bawl; - Cats'-meat, Cats'-meat--meat, I cry, - On a skewer--come and buy." - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - - -[Illustration: CHAPTER XII.] - -_Of Wild Cats, Cat Charming, etc._ - - -Without entering into any very lengthened details, I will here make room -for a few natural history notes, collected from various sources:-- - -The Cat belongs to the same family as the lion, tiger, panther, leopard, -puma, serval, ocelot, and lynx. The tribe is, perhaps, one of the best -defined in zoology, all its members having characteristics of structure -and habit not to be confounded with those of other animals. The rounded -head and pointed ears, the long, lithe body, covered with fine silky hair, -and often beautifully marked; the silent, stealthy step, occasioned by -treading only on the fleshy ball of the foot; the sharp, retractile claws, -the large, lustrous eyes, capable, from the expansive power of the pupil, -of seeing in the dark; the whiskered lip, the trenchant, carnivorous -teeth, and the tongue covered with recurved, horny prickles, are common to -all. - -In their habits and manners of life they are equally akin: they inhabit -the forest and the brake, sleeping away the greater part of their time, -and only visiting the glade and open plain when pressed by hunger. They -are for the most part nocturnal in their habits, being guided to their -prey by their peculiar power of vision, by their scent, and by their -hearing, which is superior to that of most other animals. Naturally, they -are strictly carnivorous, not hunting down their prey by a protracted -chase, like the wolf and dog, but by lying in wait, or by moving -stealthily with their supple joints and cushioned feet till within spring -of their victims, on which they dart with a growl, as if the muscular -effort of the moment were painful even to themselves. Whether the attack -be that of a tiger on a buffalo, or that of a Cat on a helpless mouse, -the mode of action is the same--a bound with the whole body from the -distance of many yards, a violent stroke with the fore foot, a clutch with -the claws, which are thrust from their sheaths, and a half-tearing, -half-sucking motion of the jaws, as if the animal gloated in ecstacy over -the blood of its victim. - -This mode of life has gained for these animals the common epithets of -"cruel, savage, and blood-thirsty," and has caused them to be looked upon -by the uninformed as monsters in creation. When its natural instincts -shall die out, then also will the tiger cease to exist; and were the whole -world peopled and cultivated equally with our own island, the feline -family would be limited to a single genus--namely, the humble Cat. But as -things are at present constituted, the valleys and plains of the tropics -are clothed with an extensive vegetation, supporting numerous herbivorous -animals, which could only be kept within due limits by the existence of -carnivora, such as the lion, tiger, leopard, and panther. - -The distribution of the feline animals is governed by those conditions to -which we have alluded; and thus the puma inhabits the North American -prairie; the jaguar the savannahs of South America; the lion the arid -plains of Africa and Asia; the tiger and panther the tropical jungles of -the old world; the minor species, as the ocelot and lynx, have a wider -range in both worlds, while the domestic Cat associates with man in almost -every region. With the exception of the latter, none of the other genera -have been tamed or domesticated, so that they are strictly "wild beasts," -against which man wages a ceaseless war of extirpation. It is true that, -in the East, one species of leopard is trained for hunting, but this only -very sparingly, and even then he does not follow the game by scent, but is -carried by the hunters, and only let loose when he is within a few bounds -of the animal. It must not be inferred, however, that they are untameable, -for every creature is capable, more or less, of being trained by man, -provided it receives due attention; and we have sufficient evidence in the -wonderful feats performed by the lions and tigers of Mr. Carter and Van -Amburgh, that the felinæ are by no means destitute of intelligent -docility. The truth is, there is no inducement to tame them, and thus the -Cat, the most diminutive of the family, and the only one of direct utility -to civilise, is likely to continue, as it ever has been, the sole -domesticated member. - -The wild Cat is more plentiful in the wooded districts of Germany, -Prussia, and Hungary than in any other part of Europe. It is found also in -the north of Asia and in Nepaul. Besides the true wild Cat, there are -other species of felis which, on account of their resemblance to the -tiger, are called "Tiger-Cats": they are found in all parts of the world, -with the exception of Europe. The largest of this family is the -Rimau-Dahan, an inhabitant of Sumatra. When full grown, it measures over -seven feet from the nose to the tip of its tail, which appendage, however, -monopolises three feet six of the whole. It is nearly two feet high at the -shoulders: its colour is light grey, striped and spotted with jet black. -One of the first specimens of this Tiger-Cat seen in England was brought -here by Sir Stamford Raffles, who procured two of them from the banks of -the Bencoolen River. - -"Both specimens," writes this gentlemen, "while in a state of confinement, -were remarkable for good temper and playfulness; no domestic kitten could -be more so; they were always courting intercourse with persons passing by, -and in the expression of their countenance, which was always open and -smiling, showed the greatest delight when noticed, throwing themselves on -their backs, and delighting in being tickled and rubbed. On board the -ship there was a small dog, who used to play round the cage and with the -animals; and it was amusing to observe the playfulness and tenderness with -which the latter came in contact with their inferior sized companion. When -fed with a fowl that died, they seized the prey, and after sucking the -head, and tearing it a little, amused themselves for hours in throwing it -about and jumping after it, in the manner that a Cat plays with a mouse -before it is quite dead. This species of Cat never seems to look on man or -children as his prey; and the natives assert that, when wild, it lives -chiefly on poultry, birds, and small deer." - -The colour of the wild Cat is more uniform than that of the domestic -species. On a ground colour of pale reddish-yellow are dark streaks -extending over the body and limbs, forming pretty much the sort of pattern -exhibited on the tiger's robe. From the back of the neck to the spine, a -line of very dark spots extends to the tail, which is short and bushy, and -has a black tip. The feet and insides of the legs are yellowish grey. In -the female, which is smaller than the male, the colours are not as -distinct. The medium size of a full-grown male wild Cat is as -follows:--Length of head and body, 1 foot 10 inches; length of head, -3-1/2 inches; length of ears, 2-1/8 inches; length of tail, 11 inches. The -wild Cat affects rocky and densely-wooded districts, living in holes or in -hollow trees. According to Mr. St. John, a wild Cat will sometimes take up -its residence at no great distance from a house, and, entering the -hen-houses and outbuildings, carry off fowls or even lambs, in the most -audacious manner. Like other vermin, the wild Cat haunts the shores of -lakes and rivers, and it is, therefore, easy to know where to lay a trap -for it. Having caught and killed one of the colony, the rest of them are -sure to be taken, if the body of their slain relative be left in some -place not far from their usual hunting-ground, and surrounded with traps, -as every wild Cat which passes within a considerable distance of the place -will to a certainty come to it. - -America has several Tiger-Cats, foremost amongst which may be mentioned -the Ocelot. Two of these animals were kept at the Tower of London, at the -time when that ancient fortress counted a menagerie among its other -attractions; and of one of these Mr. Bennett gives the following -description:-- - -"Body when full grown nearly 3 feet in length; tail rather more than 1 -foot; medium height about 18 inches. Ground colour of fur grey, mingled -with a slight tinge of fawn, elegantly marked with numerous longitudinal -bands, the dorsal one continuous and entirely black, the lateral (six or -seven on each side) consisting for the most part of a series of elongated -spots, with black margins, sometimes completely distinct, sometimes -running together. The centre of each spot is of a deeper fawn than the -ground colour external to it; this deeper tinge is also conspicuous on the -head and neck, and on the outside of the limbs, all of which parts are -irregularly marked with full black lines and spots of various sizes. From -the top of the head, between the ears, there pass backwards towards the -shoulders, two or more, frequently four, uninterrupted diverging bands, -which enclose a narrow fawn-colour space, with a black margin; between -these there is a single longitudinal, somewhat interrupted, narrow black -line, occupying the centre of the neck above. Ears short and rounded, -externally margined with black, surrounding a large central whitish spot: -under parts of the body whitish, spotted with black, and the tail, which -is of the same ground colour with the body, also covered with black spots. -This animal is a native of Mexico and Paraguay: its home is the -gloomiest depths of the forest, where all day long it lies quiet, but, -as night advances, comes out to prey on birds and small quadrupeds. It is -said to be a particularly cunning creature, and sometimes, when other -stratagems to replenish his larder have failed, to stretch himself all -along the bough of a tree and sham death. The monkeys of the neighbourhood -have no greater enemy than the Ocelot, therefore it is only natural that, -when they find him dead, they would be much rejoiced, and call together -their friends and relations to see the pretty sight. The treacherous -ocelot is, however, meanwhile keeping sharp watch through a tiny chink of -his eyelids, and when the rejoicing is at its highest, up he jumps, and, -before the monkey-revellers can recover from their fright, at least a -couple will feel the fatal weight of his paw. There are several ocelots, -the painted, the grey, and the common, among others. In captivity, few -animals are more surly and spiteful, until they grow thoroughly well -acquainted with their keepers or others who court their notice. There is, -however, one weapon keener than the sharpest sword, more potent than the -Armstrong gun, more powerful than all the gunpowder and bullets ever made, -and yet so simple, that the boy yet in pinafores may direct it: to this -weapon the suspicious tiger-cat succumbs, and the name of this weapon -is--_Kindness_! So armed, the Rev. J. G. Wood conquered a body of Ocelots -exhibited at the menagerie. He says:-- - -"Several of these animals, when I first made their acquaintance, were -rather crabbed in disposition, snarled at the sound of a strange step, -growled angrily at my approach, and behaved altogether in a very unusual -manner, in spite of many amicable overtures. After a while, I discovered -that these creatures were continually and vainly attempting the capture of -certain flies, which buzzed about the cage; so I captured a few large -bluebottle flies, and poked them through a small aperture in the cage, so -that the Ocelot's paw might not be able to reach my hand. At first the -ocelots declined to make any advance in return for the gift, but they soon -became bolder, and at last freely took the flies as fast as they were -caught. The ice was now broken, and in a very short time we were excellent -friends, the angry snarl being exchanged for a complacent composed -demeanour. The climax to their change of character was reached by giving -them a few leaves of grass, for which they were, as I thought they would -be, more anxious than for the flies. They tore the green blades out of my -hand, and enjoyed the unaccustomed dainty undisturbed. After this, they -were quite at their ease, and came to the front of the cage whenever I -passed." - -The Colocolo is another tiger-cat: it is an inhabitant of Guiana, and -though not more than a third the size of the Rimau-Dahan, is a most -formidable enemy to the smaller animals of the forests which it inhabits. -It is related by Mr. Wood that a specimen of this creature was shot on the -banks of a river, in Guiana, by an officer of rifles, who stuffed it, and -placed the skin to dry on the awning of his boat. As the vessel dropped -down the river, it passed under overhanging boughs of large trees, on -which rested numerous monkeys. Generally when a boat passed along a river, -the monkeys, which inhabit the trees that border its banks, displayed -great curiosity, and ran along the boughs, so as to obtain a close view of -the strange visitant. Before the Colocolo had been killed, the passage of -the boat had been attended, as usual, by the inquisitive monkeys, but when -the stuffed skin was exhibited on the awning, the monkeys were horribly -alarmed, and instead of approaching the vessel, as they had before done, -trooped off with prodigious yells of terror and rage. From this universal -fear which the sight of the animal occasioned to the monkeys, it may be -conjectured that the Colocolo is in the habit of procuring its food at the -expense of the monkey tribes. Of the tiger-cat in Africa, the Serval may -be taken as the type: it is about two feet long, exclusive of the tail, -which measures nine inches, and is a foot in height at the shoulders. Its -upper parts are clear yellow, and its under parts white, and its entire -body is spotted with black. Among the Dutch settlers it is known as -"Bosch-katte," or "Bush-cat." It is an inoffensive creature, _not_ easily -irritated, and behaving generally like our own familiar grimalkin. - -The wild Cat of Ireland would seem to be quite as savage a fellow as his -Scotch cousin. In Maxwell's "_Wild Sports of the West_," is a story of one -of these animals, which was killed after a severe battle: it was of a -dirty grey colour, double the size of the common house Cat, and with -formidable teeth and claws. It was a female, and was tracked to its burrow -under a rock, and caught with a rabbit-net. So flimsy an affair, however, -was scorned by the fierce brute, which speedily rent a hole with its teeth -and claws, and was about to run off, when the lad who had set the snare -seized it by the neck. It was finally dispatched by a blow of an iron -spade. The lad, however, was so terribly wounded as to necessitate his -removal to an hospital, where he for some time remained, in peril of -lock-jaw. - -The following narrative is furnished by Mr. St. John:-- - -"Once, when grouse shooting, I came suddenly, in the rough and rocky part -of the ground, upon a family of two old and three half-grown wild Cats. In -the hanging birch-woods that bordered some of the highland streams and -rocks, the wild Cat is still not uncommon; and I have heard their wild and -unearthly cries echo afar in the quiet night as they answer and call to -each other. I do not know a more harsh and unpleasant cry than the cry of -the wild Cat, or one more likely to be the origin of superstitious fears -in the mind of an ignorant Highlander. These animals have great skill in -finding their prey; and the damage they do to the game must be very great, -owing to the quantity of food which they require. When caught in a trap, -they fly, without hesitation, at any person who approaches them, not -waiting to be assailed. I have heard many stories of their attacking and -severely wounding a man, when their retreat has been cut off. Indeed, a -wild Cat once flew at me in a most determined manner. I was fishing in a -river in Sutherlandshire, and in passing from one pool to another, had -to climb over some rocky and broken ground. In doing so, I sank through -some rotten moss and heather up to my knees, almost upon a wild Cat, who -was concealed under it. I was quite as much startled as the animal herself -could be when I saw the wild looking beast rush out so unexpectedly from -between my legs, with every hair on her body standing on end, making her -look twice as large as she really was. I had three small sky-terriers with -me, who immediately gave chase, and pursued her till she took refuge in a -corner of a rock, where, perched in a kind of recess, out of reach of her -enemies, she stood with her hair bristled out, and spitting and growling -like a common Cat. Having no weapon with me, I laid down my rod, cut a -good sized stick, and proceeded to dislodge her. As soon as I came within -six or seven feet of the place, she sprang right at my face, over the -dogs' heads. Had I not struck her in mid-air, as she leapt at me, I should -probably have got some severe wound. As it was, she fell, with her back -half broken, among the dogs, who, with my assistance, dispatched her. I -never saw an animal fight so desperately, or one so difficult to kill. If -a tame Cat has nine lives, a wild Cat must have a dozen." - -That a long course of domestic drill is insufficient to win a Cat from its -native savagery, is proved by the following scrap, lately culled from the -_Swansea Herald_:-- - -"A fight of more than ordinary interest took place on the bank of the -canal, near Kidwelly Quay, a few days ago. A domestic Cat, making her -usual walk in search of prey along the embankment, was attacked by an -otter of no small dimensions, and was in an instant tossed into the middle -of the canal, and there had to fight, not for the 'belt,' but for her -life, in an uncongenial element. But very soon they were observed by some -sailors and shippers, employed not far from the scene of contest, who -hastened to witness the strange occurrence. Either from fear of the men, -or of its formidable antagonist, the otter relinquished its hold, and poor -Puss safely landed, amidst hearty cheers and congratulations. But Puss, -not being content with the laurels she had won in the first contest, went -out again on the following day, and, strange to say, the old combatants -met again, and the otter, with undiminished pluck, attacked the Cat on -land. The contest became very severe, but ultimately the otter was glad to -regain its watery refuge, and leave Puss the victor the second time, -without suffering very considerably from an encounter with such a -formidable foe." - -A writer on the subject of wild cats says:-- - -"When a domesticated creature is no longer found in the wild state -anywhere, like the camel and the lama, or when a reasonable scepticism may -be entertained respecting the species assumed to be its savage ancestor, -as is the case with the dog and the fowl, the steps of all our reasonings -march straight into a blind alley, from which there is no issue, except by -turning back. I believe that there never was such an animal as a really -wild Pussy. The supposition involves an absurdity. Whose legs could she -rub in a state of nature? On whose arrival could she set up her back, and -arch her tail, and daintily tread on the same little spot? From what -carpet, Kidderminster or Brussels, could she gently pull the threads with -her claws? In what dairy could she skim the cream? From what larder could -she steal cold roast pheasant? And if she did not do these things, or some -of them, would she be a genuine Puss? No, no! I believe that Adam and Eve -had a nice little tortoiseshell to purr between them, as they sat chatting -on a sunny bank, and that a choice pair of tabbies slumbered, with -half-shut eyes, and their feet turned under them, before the fire, which -was the centre of Noah's family circle on board the Ark!" - -_Apropos_ of Cat-charming or Cat-taming, here are two anecdotes from Mr. -Beeton's book:-- - -"I have," says the writer, "a vivid recollection of once charming a Cat to -within an inch of getting myself thoroughly well thrashed. There lived in -our neighbourhood a kind-hearted old gentleman, who was good enough to -take a fancy to my ungrateful self, and would frequently invite me (he was -a bachelor) to dine with him. The dining part of the business I had not -the least objection to; but after dinner, when we had chatted till he fell -into a doze, it became, to a boy nine years old, rather tedious. It was on -one such occasion that I behaved so disgracefully. The old gentleman was -nodding, with his slippered feet crossed lazily before the fire, and a fat -tortoiseshell Cat, his property, lay along the rug, placidly asleep, too. -Had I been a good boy, I should have sat still, and turned the leaves of -Fox's _Book of Martyrs_ till my friend awoke; but I was not a good boy: I -felt myself like a martyr, doomed to the dreadful torture of sitting -still. I felt in my pocket for a top-string I had there, and for a minute -or so amused myself by bobbing the button at the end of the string on to -the nose of the tortoiseshell Cat, till I had aroused that lazy animal -to a state of extreme irritability. This sport, after a while, grew tame, -so I shifted the string, and allowed it to dangle within an inch of my -host's feet. Really, it was done with scarce a thought, but the result was -rather astonishing. The Cat, who all the time kept her eye on the -tormenting string, no sooner saw it at a distance convenient to spring at, -than she made a bound, and, missing the cord, fiercely embraced one of the -slippered members with ten of her talons. For the moment I was too -frightened to weigh the possible consequences of laughing, and laughed -outright, which, with the sudden bound the old gentleman gave, so alarmed -the tortoiseshell Cat, that she flew towards the door like a mad Cat. I -doubt, however, whether its utmost agility would have saved it from the -tongs, with which its outraged master pursued it, had I not ashamedly -explained the matter, and begged forgiveness." - -"I have certainly, in my time, made the acquaintance of some queerish -Cats. When quite a little boy, there was attached to our house, a quaint -black and white Cat whose sole recommendation was that he was a -magnificent mouser; nay, to such lengths would he carry his passion for -hunting, as regularly to haunt a ditch that existed in the neighbourhood -for the purpose of pursuing and capturing water-rats, which class of -vermin he despatched in a manner that at once secured the death of the -rat, and himself immunity from the rat's teeth. Seizing the animal by the -back of the neck, the Cat, by a sudden wriggle, threw himself on his back, -and at once transferred the custody of the rat from his mouth to his -fore-paws, holding it neatly behind the shoulders, while with his hind -talons he cruelly assailed the unlucky animal's loins and ribs till it -ceased to struggle. I have stated that the Cat in question was attached to -our house, and that certainly was the extent of his intimacy, for he was -attached to nobody residing there. Myself, he particularly disliked, and -although he never considered it beneath his dignity to steal any article -of food from me, would never accept my overtures of friendship. I have -reason to believe that his special dislike to me arose out of a pair of -boots possessed by me at that period. They were creaking boots, and -fastened with laces. Whether it was that their loud creaking as I moved -about the room in them, reminded him of the squeak of rats, or whether, -not being a particularly tidy boy, the before-mentioned laces were -sometimes allowed to trail rats'-tail-wise, aggravatingly heightened the -illusion, I can't say; I only know that as sure as I happened to allow -my small feet to swing loosely while seated at breakfast or dinner, so -surely would the black and white Cat, if he were in the room, make a -sudden dash at the hated boots, giving my leg a severe wrench in his -endeavour to fling himself on his back for the purpose of tearing the life -out of them after his own peculiar mode. - -"My enemy was, however, finally subdued, and in a rather curious way. Some -one brought me one of those difficult musical instruments known as a mouth -organ, and delighted with my new possession, I was torturing it as I sat -on a seat in the garden. Suddenly there appeared in a tree just above my -head, my foe, the black and white Cat, with his tail waving from side to -side, his eyes staring, and his mouth twitching in an odd sort of way. I -must confess that I was rather alarmed, and in my nervous condition, I -might be excused if I construed the expression of the Cat's countenance to -intimate, "Here you are then with another hideous noise, a noise that is -even more suggestive of rat squeaking than your abominable boots; however, -I've caught you by yourself this time, so look out for your eyes." I did -not, however, cease playing my organ; my enemy's green eyes seemed to -fascinate me, and my tremulous breath continued to wail on the organ -pipes. Slowly the black and white Cat descended the tree, and presently -leapt at my feet with a bound that thrilled through me, and expelled a -scream-like note from my instrument. But to my astonishment, my enemy did -not attack me; on the contrary, he approached the offending boots humbly, -and caressed them with his head. Still I continued to play, and after -every inch of my Bluchers had received homage from the Cat's hitherto -terrible muzzle, he sprang on the seat beside me, and purred and gently -mewed, and finally crept on to my shoulders and lovingly smelt at the -mouth-organ as I played it. From that day hostilities ceased between us. -He would sit on my shoulders for half an hour together, and sing, after -his fashion, while I played, and I had only to strike up to lure him from -any part of the premises where he might happen to be. - -"There used to come to our house a young man who played the trombone, and -having heard the story, insisted that there was nothing in it,--that all -Cats like music, and that savage as was our Cat to strangers, he would be -bound to conquer him with a single blast of his favorite instrument. Next -time he came armed with the terrible-looking trombone, which our Cat no -sooner saw than, (as I had predicted, for I knew his nature better than -anyone else could) he took a violent dislike to it. A blast on the -trombone; the effect was as he prognosticated instantaneous, though not -perfectly satisfactory; the brazen note was immediately responded to by -one equally loud from our Cat, who appeared to regard it as a challenge to -combat, and thickened his tail and bared his teeth accordingly, at the -same time swearing and spitting dreadfully. I need not say that the -trombone-player was discomfited, while my fame as a Cat-charmer was -considerably augmented." - -Poor Pussy! her character is not often properly understood, as we read -elsewhere:-- - -"One or two common errors about Cats may be noticed. Many persons will -destroy them when anything is the matter with them, whereas, in many cases -they would recover with a little care. Some think they do not drink much, -which is a mistake. Water should always be placed within their reach. As -to their want of attachment, there is no doubt that is generally owing to -the neglect (if not worse treatment) they often experience. Every animal -will ordinarily return kindness for kindness; and, if persons will only -try, they will not find Cats an exception. But to knock an animal about, -or hardly ever to notice it, and to punish severely any fault it may -commit, are not ways to attach it to you. The writer has heard of more -than one instance in which, on its master's death, a favourite Cat has -gone away and not been seen again. There is a great diversity of character -in Cats, as, indeed, in all animals. As to the colour, this is not of such -importance as the shape. She should be well rounded, compactly formed, -with small ears and fur of fine texture. It sometimes happens that -ordinary-looking Cats have some very good qualities. Cats are very much -afraid of each other: two of them will often look at one another over a -plate for a long time, neither venturing to move or to take anything. At -other times they are great bullies. One will get close up to another, and -scream into his ear until the other gradually shrinks back and runs off -when he has got clear." - -"The Chinese, it seems," says another writer, "learn the hour of the day -by looking into the eyes of their Cats; but I imagine that if Cats could -speak Chinese, they would tell us, not only what o'clock it is, but also -what is the day of the week. When a boy, I was a great pigeon-keeper: -pigeon-keeping in a town leads to excursions on the roofs. Excursions over -roofs lead sometimes to neck-breaking, sometimes to strange discoveries. -Our neighbour at the back was a large coach-builder, and the nearest -buildings were his forges. On week days, I beheld, during my airy rambles, -nothing but the blacksmiths hammering away at bolt, and spring, and tire, -and nail; but on Sundays, except in case of inclement weather, the warm -tiles that covered the forges were tenanted by numerous parties of Cats. -There they sat, all day long, admiring one another, holding silent -deliberations, determining in their minds which partner they should select -for the evening's concert and ball. While daylight lasted, it was a -Quaker's meeting, silent and sober; but after dark--the darker the -better--leaps and friskings were audible, with vocal effects of -long-swelling notes, such as called forth Peter Pindar's Ode to the Jewish -Cats of Israel Mendez, whose opening line is-- - - "Singers of Israel! O, ye singers sweet!" - -From Monday morning till Saturday night not a Cat was to be seen: they -knew when Sunday came round, as well as I did, from the low temperature of -the tiles. - -It is very common for Cats to select one member of a family on whom they -lavish all their fondness, while towards the others they comport -themselves with the utmost indifference. "I remember," says a lady, "there -was a Cat with her Kittens found in a hole in the wall, in the garden of -the house where my father-in-law lived. One of the kittens, being a very -beautiful black one, was brought into the house, and almost immediately -attached himself in a very extraordinary way to me. I was in mourning at -the time, and, perhaps, the similarity of the hue of my dress to his sable -fur, might first have attracted him; but, however this may have been, -whenever he came into the room, he constantly jumped into my lap, and -evinced his fondness by purring and rubbing his head against me in a very -coaxing manner. He continued thus to distinguish me during the rest of his -life; and though I went with my father-in-law's family every winter to -Dublin, and every summer to the country, the change of abode (to which -Cats are supposed to be averse) never troubled my favourite, provided he -could be with me. Frequently, when we have been walking home, after -spending the evening out, he has come running down half the street to meet -us, testifying the greatest delight. On one occasion, when I had an -illness, which confined me for upwards of two months to my room, poor Lee -Boo deserted the parlour altogether, though he had been always patted and -caressed by every one there. He would sit for hours mewing disconsolately -at my door; and when he could, he would steal in, jump upon the bed, -testifying his joy at seeing me by loud purring and coaxing, and sometimes -licking my hand. The very day I went down, he resumed his regular -attendance in the parlour." - -Another lady describes how her Cat awoke her in the middle of the night. -It sat down by the bed-side and mewed, while it rubbed itself backwards -and forwards against the bedposts. The lady had no idea what was the -matter, but felt sure there was something, and lighting the candle, found -a dead mouse quite close to her. Satisfied that the lady had examined its -capture, Puss took it off, and after playing with it for an hour, ate it -up, leaving, as usual, the tail and paws. In the country or in farmhouses, -the Cat will never fail to bring home birds and mice, and, in Southern -climes, lizards and even snakes. She does this, however, very much in -proportion to the amount of kindness bestowed upon her at home, and if -this be altogether lacking, the prey is only shown to other Cats living in -the same house, or to her own young, if she happens to have any; often -indeed, she brings her trophy immediately and only to her young. - -There was a gentleman who had a tortoiseshell Cat, which, though he never -fed it, or paid much attention to it, formed an attachment for him equal -to that of a dog. It knew his ring at the bells, and at whatever time he -came home, it was rubbing against his legs long before the servant came, -saw him into the sitting-room, and then walked off. It was a very active -animal, and usually went bird-catching during the night; but when its -master rose, which was generally early in the morning, the Cat was always -ready to receive him at the door of his room, and accompany him in his -morning walk in the garden, alternately skipping to the tops of the trees, -and descending and gambolling about him. When he was in his study, it used -to pay him several visits in the day, always short ones; but it never -retired till he had recognized it. If rubbing against his legs had not the -desired effect, it would mount the writing-table, nudge his shoulder, and -if that would not do, pat him on the cheek; but the moment he had shaken -it by the paw, and given it a pat or two on the head, it walked off. When -he was indisposed, it paid him several visits every day, but continued in -the room; and although it was fond of society generally, and also of its -food; it never obtruded its company during meals. Its attachment was thus -quite disinterested, and no pains whatever had been taken to train it." - -Here is a curious anecdote, culled from another source:-- - -"I have at the present time about my house a Cat that came into my -possession under rather singular circumstances. Before we knew her, we had -a Cat that gave perfect satisfaction, was a good mouser, and an -affectionate mother. In the rear of our house, there is a shed, commonly -used as a wood store, and frequented, at least, once a day. It is by no -means a secluded place, and the door, through a weakness in its hinges, is -constantly ajar. - -"One morning there was discovered in the shed, not only a strange Cat, but -a strange Kitten, with its eyes open, plump, and about a fortnight old. -The strange Cat made no attempt to stir when the maid entered, but lay -suckling her baby, and looking up with an expression that said as plainly -as Cat language could,-- - -"'A persecuted Cat and her Kitten at your service; don't drive us out, -that's a good creature.' - -"More singular still, before the person appealed to could consider the -case, our own Cat peeped into the shed, and after deliberately walking up -to the refugees, and giving them a kindly touch with her nose, walked -back to the servant and commenced to rub against her, purring the while, -as though to manifest her goodwill towards the strangers, and to recommend -a favourable consideration of their case, so they were taken in. - -"As soon, however, as the novelty of the affair wore off, it began to dawn -on us that we did not require a 'house-full' of Cats, though for that -matter the four lived happily together. Which should we get rid of? The -strange Cat's kitten was too big to drown and too little to send adrift; -our own 'Topsy' and her daughter must, of course, be retained, so there -was nothing left but to send away the strange she-Cat. She was rather a -good-looking Cat, and that, coupled with her known cleverness, gave us -good ground for supposing that she would soon find another home. It -appeared, however, that we did not give her credit for being nearly so -clever as she was. - -"It was arranged that she should be conveyed in a basket to a certain -square, about a quarter-of-a-mile distant, and there left to seek her -fortune. To the best of everybody's belief, this arrangement was carried -out to the letter, therefore the amazement of the entire household may be -easily imagined when, on reference being made to the Cat-cupboard, to see -how Topsy and her two young charges were getting on, to find no Topsy at -all,--only the strange Cat and the two Kittens. How the cheat had been -accomplished, it was impossible to say. That Topsy was not the Cat placed -in the basket was vouched for by two witnesses--one of them had held the -basket-lid open while the other pushed the animal in. - -"Perhaps, in my own mind, I have little doubt how the business was so -mulled, but I know that in certain quarters there exists a belief, either -that by some sort of witchery the strange Cat put on so Topsical an -appearance as to deceive her would be smugglers, or that, after she was -basketed, she managed to sneak out, and either by persuasion or force -induced the unlucky Topsy to take her place. - -"However it came about, the result is that the strange Cat alone reigns at -our house, to the jealous exclusion of all her species. No one, I believe, -has any particular affection for her, but that circumstance is not -observed to prey on her mind or to interfere with her appetite. She -devours her rations with the air of a Cat that is conscious that she has -earned them, and as though she is aware, and rather gloried than -otherwise, in the knowledge that she is regarded as a cunning and -manoeuvring beast, that first, by hypocritical representations, induced an -honest Cat to obtain for her a situation, and afterwards ungratefully -contrived to push out her benefactress and progeny, and install herself in -their place." - -From the _Autobiography of Miss Cornelia Knight_, Lady Companion to the -Princess Charlotte of Wales, I take the following scrap:-- - -"An old woman, who died a few years ago, in Ireland, had a nephew, to whom -she left by will all she possessed. She happened to have a favourite Cat, -which never left her, and even remained by the corpse after her death. -After the will was read, in the adjoining room, on opening the door the -Cat sprang at the lawyer, seized him by the throat, and was with -difficulty prevented from strangling him. This man died about eighteen -months after this scene, and, on his death-bed, confessed that he had -murdered his aunt to get possession of her money." - -The oft-quoted lines by Gray should not be omitted from _The Book of -Cats_:-- - - "ON THE DEATH OF A FAVOURITE CAT, - - "_Drowned in a Tub of Gold Fishes_. - - "'Twas on a lofty vase's side, - Where China's gayest art had dyed - The azure flowers that blow, - Demurest of the tabby kind, - The pensive Selima reclined, - Gazed on the lake below. - - "Her conscious tail her joy declared-- - The fair round face, the snowy beard, - The velvet of her paws, - Her coat, that with the tortoise vies, - Her ears of jet, and emerald eyes-- - She saw and purred applause. - - "Still had she gazed, but 'midst the tide, - Two angel forms were seen to glide, - The genii of the stream; - Their scaly armour's Tyrian hue, - Though richest purple to the view, - Betrayed a golden gleam. - - "The hapless nymph, with wonder saw, - A whisker first, and then a claw; - With many an ardent wish - She stretched in vain to reach the prize;-- - What female heart can gold despise? - What Cat's averse to fish? - - "Presumptuous maid, with looks intent, - Again she stretched, again she bent, - Nor knew the gulf between; - (Malignant Fate sat by and smiled)-- - The slippery verge her feet beguiled, - She tumbled headlong in. - - "Eight times emerging from the flood, - She mewed to every watery god - Some speedy aid to send; - No dolphin came, no nereid stirred, - No cruel Tom, no Susan heard,-- - Favourite has no friend. - - "From hence, ye beauties, undeceived, - Know one false step is ne'er retrieved, - And be with caution bold-- - Not all that tempts your wandering eyes - And heedless hearts is lawful prize-- - Not all that glitters gold." - -These verses are well known, but those which follow are less often met -with: they are attributed to George Tuberville, and written somewhere -about the beginning of the sixteenth century:-- - - "THE LOUER, - - "Whose mistresse feared a mouse, declareth that he - would become a Cat if he might haue his desire. - - "If I might alter kind, - What, think you, I would bee? - Not Fish, nor Foule, nor Fle, nor Frog. - Nor Squirril on the Tree; - The Fish the Hooke, the Foule - The lymed Twig doth catch, - The Fle the Finger, and the Frog - The Bustard doth dispatch. - - "The Squirrill thinking nought, - That feately cracks the Nut; - The greedie Goshawke wanting pray, - In dread of Death doth put; - But scorning all these kindes, - I would become a Cat, - To combat with the creeping Mouse, - And scratch the screeking Rat. - - "I would be present, aye, - And at my Ladie's call, - To gard her from the fearfull mouse, - In Parlour and in Hall; - In Kitchen, for his Lyfe, - He should not shew his hed; - The Peare in Poke should lie untoucht - When shee were gone to Bed. - - "The Mouse should stand in Feare, - So should the squeaking Rat; - All this would I doe if I were - Converted to a Cat." - -But I think George must have been very far gone when he wrote that piece -of poetry, for I should think that, even with the advantage of nine lives -to lose, a Cat's existence is rather too hazardous; and, by the way, that -reminds me of some instances where Pussy's natural prey have turned upon -her in a most unpleasant manner; thus:-- - -A Cat was observed on the top of a paled fence, endeavouring to get at a -blackbird's nest, which was near it. The hen left the nest at her -approach, and flew to meet her in a state of alarm, and uttered a wild -cry. The cock bird, on perceiving the danger, showed signs of distress by -sometimes settling on the fence just before the Cat, who was unable to -make a spring in consequence of the narrowness of her footing. After a -little while, the cock bird flew at the Cat, settled on her back, and -pecked her head with so much violence that she fell to the ground, -followed by the blackbird, who succeeded in driving her away. A second -time the same scene occurred; the blackbird was again victorious; and the -Cat became so intimidated at the attacks made upon her, that she gave over -the attempts to get at the young ones. After each battle, the blackbird -celebrated his victory with a song, and for several days afterwards he -would hunt the Cat about the garden whenever she left the house. There is -also an instance of a pair of blackbirds following a boy into a house, and -pecking at his head, while he was conveying one of their young into it. - -Here is another case:-- - -A lady who kept a tame Jack Hare, in giving an account of it, says, that -if a Cat approached him he would sit upright, "square himself," as it -were, and rub his paws together like a pugilist preparing for an -encounter. With one stroke of his soft but strong paws, the hare would -tear a strip of the hair, and often even the skin, from the Cat's back; at -other times he would make his sharp-cutting teeth meet in her neck; and so -formidable at last was the "timid hare" to the little "domestic tiger," -that no sooner did Pussy spy her conqueror than she would fly in terror -from his presence. - -In these two anecdotes, as in many others, Pussy is exhibited in a very -unamiable light; but I hope that a few of the good traits I have been able -to relate in the foregoing pages may weigh the balance in her favour with -those inclined to judge her fairly. As a cruel destroyer of smaller and -weaker animals she is most often painted, and so identified is she with -that character, that it is difficult to make those personally unacquainted -with her many good qualities to believe that any exist. In this way an -actor, famous for his villains, becomes so very villainous, that even in a -virtuous character we suspect him of hypocrisy, and expect that presently -he will throw off the mask and assume his proper colours. By the way of -allusion to a Cat on the stage, I think I can quote one of the most -effective pieces that have been spoken. - -Do any of my readers remember Robson acting in the burlesque of Medea? -Upon the night of its production Ristori went to the Olympic to see his -travestie of her great character. One of the finest passages in the -tragedy is that in which Medea describes how like a tigress she will -spring upon her intended victim. In Robert Brough's version the tigress is -turned into a Cat, and Robson, with one of his intensely passionate -bursts, used words, as well as I can recollect (I have not got a book by -me), something after this fashion:-- - - "How will I, eh? The way the Cat jumps - Upon a simple unsuspecting mouse - Loose in the pantry,--no one in the house,-- - Nibbling away, with confidence unshaken, - Eating his cheese up first to save his bacon. - She's in no hurry. With dilating eyes, - And undulating tail, she crouching lies, - Till his enjoyments crises he is at, - Then pounce! she makes a spring, and has him--pat. - To a short game of pitch and toss she treats him-- - Tears him to pieces slowly--SCRUNCH--then eats him." - -While upon the subject of the theatre, I might add that it is a rule -behind the scenes--a rule, however, very seldom enforced, if I am properly -informed--that a Cat which crosses the scene when the curtain is raised -shall be put to death. Such an unappropriate appearance has, before now, -spoilt the finest tragedy. I think there is a story by Colonel Addison -bearing upon an incident of this kind. - -The Old Catch:-- - - "When a good housewife sees a rat - In a trap in the morning taken, - With pleasure her heart goes pitte-pitte-pat, - For revenge of loss of bacon; - Then she throws it to the Dog or Cat, - To be worried, eat, or shaken," - -tolerably well indicates the popular notion of a Cat's duties, and the -idea of keeping one for a pet, as birds are kept, would be thought by many -a monstrous absurdity. By the way, it is said that the best way to get rid -of English rats is not to get a Dog or Cat to kill them, but to purchase -two or three Australian rats, and let them loose among them. They are to -be purchased in London, and realise a high price from those who have faith -in their frightening propensities, which I confess I have not. - -With respect to Pussy's mouse-catching qualities, etc., a writer in a -periodical says:-- - -"Most persons have heard of the beautiful contrivance by which the claws -of these animals are preserved constantly sharp; being drawn, when not -used, by certain tendons, within a sheath or integument, while only the -soft parts of the foot come in contact with the ground, thus enabling the -animal to tread noiselessly. The roughness of the Cat's tongue is due to a -multitude of horny papillæ (much stronger, of course, in lions and -tigers), by which it is materially helped to keep itself clean,--a most -important point, for cleanliness is a necessity to Cats, inasmuch, as if -they had the slightest smell about them, their prey would detect their -presence, and never come within their reach. As it is, the Cat is so free -from smell that she may sit close to the holes of mice without their being -aware of it, although they possess a fine sense of smell. A Cat never eats -a morsel of anything, whatever it is, without afterwards sitting down to -clean and wipe its face and lips. The caution for which it is so -remarkable is likewise evinced in its choice of secluded spots for -bringing up its offspring; very often some hole or corner little thought -of by the inmates of the house. If the young be removed and placed -elsewhere, the mother will frequently take them again and again to the -place chosen by herself. Another characteristic of the domestic Cat is an -instinctive knowledge of the presence of danger. Even a chimney on fire, -or the presence of strange workmen in the house, will make it very -restless and uneasy, and on such occasions it will sometimes not go to -rest even during the night. Every animal is endowed with peculiar means of -self-defence; and as the Cat cannot trust, like the hare, to speed, on the -approach of danger, it watches its enemy, occasionally taking side -glances, or looking round for a place of refuge. On these occasions, -notwithstanding its natural nervousness, it maintains great coolness. If a -hole or shelter be near, it waits for an opportunity, or until its enemy -looks away, and then rushes under cover, or runs up a tree or a wall, and -immediately sits down and watches its enemy. If driven to an actual -encounter, the smallness of its mouth and jaws preclude the use of its -teeth to any great extent, but it can inflict considerable injury and -acute pain with its sharp claws, which, perhaps, no dog, except a bulldog, -can bear; indeed, few dogs like to attack a Cat at bay, though they all -run after them. It is curious, too, that once in a place of safety, it -never seeks to leave it, or loses sight of its enemy. A Cat on the safe -side of an area railing will sit down and coolly watch a dog barking -furiously at it. - -"Its care and solicitude for its offspring are excessive and touching. If -attacked while rearing them, it will not run away, but stand and defend -them against any odds; like the hare in similar circumstances, the Cat -evinces immense power and courage, no matter how formidable the enemy may -be. Of course the females of all animals possess more or less of this -quality." - -Cats have a much better time of it in France than here. A year or two -since, the budget of the Imperial Printing Office in France, amongst other -items, contained one for Cats, which caused some merriment in the -Legislative Chamber during its discussion. According to the _Pays_, these -Cats are kept for the purpose of destroying the numerous rats and mice -which infest the premises, and cause considerable damage to the large -stock of paper which is always kept there. This feline staff is fed twice -a day, and a man is employed to look after them, so that for Cats'-meat -and the keeper's salary no little expense is annually incurred, -sufficient, in fact, to form a special item in the national expenditure. -Of these animals a somewhat interesting anecdote is related. It appears -that near to the Imperial Printing Office is situated the office of the -Director of the Archives, and the gardens of the two establishments are -adjacent. In that belonging to the latter gentleman, were kept a number of -choice aquatic birds, for whose convenience a small artificial river had -been constructed. Their owner suddenly discovered, one day, that his -favourites were diminishing in a mysterious manner, and set a watch to -ascertain the reason. Soon it was discovered who were the marauders--the -Cats! The enraged director, acting in the spirit of the law, thought he -had a perfect right to shoot and otherwise destroy these feline burglars, -whenever he found them on his grounds, and accordingly did so. Traps were -set, and soon half-a-dozen Cats paid the penalty of their crimes. The -keeper of the Cats, also, by this time, found that the muster at -meal-times was much scantier than usual, and reported to his superior, the -director of the printing office. At first the workmen were suspected of -killing them; but the appearance, one day, of a Cat with a broken snare -round its neck, put the keeper on a fresh scent, and ultimately led to -the discovery of the truth. The director thereupon complained to his -brother official, who only replied by pointing to the thinly-tenanted -pond, and saying that he would not have his birds destroyed if he could -help it. The result was that a fierce hostility reigned between the two -establishments, until an arrangement was made by their respective heads. -By this treaty it was stipulated that the Director of the Imperial -Printing Office should, on his part, cause every outlet by which the Cats -gained access to the gardens of the Director of the Archives to be -carefully closed, and every means taken to prevent such a contingency; -while, on the other hand, Monsieur, the Director of the Archives, agreed -never to molest any Cat belonging to the Imperial Printing Office, who -should, by some unforeseen accident, obtain admittance into his garden. -And thus, by this famous treaty, the horrors of civil war were averted! - -Perhaps as curious an instance as any on record, where Puss's powers as a -watchman have been called into requisition, may be found in a fact just -communicated to me. There is, it appears, a family now residing near -Richmond, who have a black Cat nicknamed Snow Ball, which, during sowing -time, every morning, punctually and dutifully presents himself to his -owners, for the purpose of being fastened up by a cord, near the spot -where the peas or other seed may have been newly sown; and whilst thus -keeping guard, woe betide any bird that might attempt to commit a -depredation within Puss's reach. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - - -[Illustration: CHAPTER XIII.] - - -Mention has already been made of a Cat concert in Paris, but we should not -forget that we once had an English actor of the name of Harris, who took -part in the entertainments given by Foote at "the little Theatre," who was -called Cat Harris, in consequence of the talent he displayed in imitating -the mewing of the feline race. He burlesqued scenes from Italian operas, -and probably at that time the squalling of a Cat was thought to be a very -severe satire on the foreign singers. Only a year or two ago, however, I -remember a music hall singer, since dead, who sang a song called the -_Monkey and the Nuts_,--he being dressed something like a monkey;--with a -peculiarly comic mewing and jabbering chorus. The since popular _Perfect -Cure_ is the air of this song, slightly altered, in the same way that the -_Whole Hog or none_ is altered from _Love's young Dream_. - -The imitations of the singer I allude to (I think his name was McGown) -were very good, and there was no occasion for him to tell you which was -meant for the monkey and which the Cat, by no means superfluous -information sometimes, when a young gentleman gives his notion of the -voices of popular actors. By the way, do any of my readers remember the -great Von Joel's celebrated "plack purd" and "trush," and how hard it was, -occasionally, to tell which was "te trush" or which was "te plack purd"? - -In talking of a Cat's fondness for fish (see page 73), I might also have -mentioned the great liking these animals seem to have for the ends of -asparagus, which I have often observed them devour with great eagerness. - -Talking of fish-catching, an officer on board an Australian packet tells -me that he has seen a Cat watch for hours on a windy night for flying -fish, which jump on board if they see a light. From the same source I -have learnt some curious facts relating to Puss at sea. "There are," he -says, "generally two kinds of rats on board a ship, one kind going out, -another coming home. While we were in the East India Docks, the -rat-catcher caught twenty-five rats in his traps on board our ship, which -we purchased and let loose in a malt bin extending the width of the ship. -A Cat which we put among them killed all the brown rats, but did not touch -the black ones, of which there were three. When she came in contact with a -black rat she drew back, and made no attempt to harm it, although the -black rats were much the smallest. Our ship, coming home from Sydney, was -swarming with black rats, but I never knew a Cat to kill one, or even go -near it. The reason of this I cannot explain. - -"I have seen a Cat imitate a monkey in climbing up a loose-hanging rope. -Of course it took a longer time to do it, but it did do it in the end." - -Aboard ship it would seem sometimes as though Pussy required to have all -her nine lives at her disposal, and yet runs some risk of being killed -even then. Upon the vessel in which this gentleman served there was a -black Cat that had lost its tail in rather a singular manner. - -"A squall came on one night, and I gave the order to let go the -main-top-gallant halyard. The Cat was in the coil of rope, and in whizzing -through the leading block the rope cut off its tail. She remembered the -place which she had found so dangerous, and could never afterwards be -induced to venture abaft the foremast. - -"In Sydney we had hauled out from Campbell's Wharf to the stream, previous -to sailing next day for England, and found, when the men had gone to bed, -that the tailless black Cat was missing. It could not be below, as the -hatches were battened down. About 3 A.M. next morning, the two men who -kept anchor watch heard a piteous cry at the bows, and looking over saw a -black object clinging to the chain cable, trying to get in at the -hawse-pipe. One of them lowered himself down by a bowline, and handed up -poor Pussy in an awful plight. She had swum off to the ship,--about three -hundred yards. It took three or four days of nursing before she recovered, -but she got round at last, and remained in the ship for more than five -years afterwards. - -"Sailors have the greatest objection to a Cat being thrown overboard. The -captain one day found a Cat sitting on his chronometer in his cabin, and -in a passion flung the Cat into the sea, although this cruel act was -protested against by the man at the wheel and other men at work on the -poop, who said that we should have an unlucky passage of it. This proved -to be the case. We lost three men and a boy, besides our jibboom and -fore-top-gallant mast, and we also ran short of water. All this the -sailors--(they were North country men)--ascribed to the Cat's murder. - -"As a rule, sailors treat Cats well, as they are sources of great -amusement on board. One of the boys once took a Cat to the fore royal -mast-head, and left it there. In about half-an-hour it was on deck again. -It came down backwards, crying pitifully all the time. It never allowed -the boy to touch it afterwards." - -The same gentleman tells me that in Coburg, Canada West, he knew a widow -lady who had a Cat two feet in height, and beautifully marked. It was -supposed to be a cross-breed between a wild and a domestic Cat. His -youngest brother has often ridden on it when eight years old. It was very -docile. It had been fed highly when young, and never showed the least -desire to hunt mice or birds, or to leave the house. - -With regard to the origin of the name "Cat-o'-nine tails," referred to in -a former chapter, a writer in _Notes and Queries_ says:-- - -"As there appears to be some uncertainty about the number of cords or -tails attached to this whip, it may be a question whether, like its -namesake, the animal, it did not originally commence by having only _one_ -tail, and in course of time or fashion increase to _nine_, the number of -lives proverbially allotted to our domestic friend Pussy. - -"According to the Talmudists (_Maccoth_ iii. 10), the Jews, in carrying -out their sentences of scourges, employed for that purpose a whip which -had three lashes (Jahn's Arch. Biblica, page 247), and it is stated in the -_Merlinus Liberatus_, or _John Partridge's Almanack for 1692_, that in -"May, 1685, Dr. Oates was whipt," and "had 2,256 lashes with a whip of six -thongs knotted, which amounts to 13,536 stripes." Sir John Vanbrugh, -moreover, in the prologue to his play of the _False Friend_ (written A.D. -1702), alludes to this scourge in these words:-- - - "You dread reformers of an injurious age, - You awful cat-o'-nine tails of the stage." - -"In _James's Military Dictionary_, the cat, etc., is described as "a whip -with nine knotted cords, with which the public soldiers and sailors are -punished. Sometimes it has only _five_ cords." The following passage -occurs in Mr. Sala's _Waterloo to the Peninsula_:--"A Dutch king, they -say, introduced the cat-o'-nine tails in the British army: ere the -Nassauer's coming the scourge had _three_ thongs." - -There is a little story of feline affection for which I should have found -a place in an earlier chapter. A lady had a Cat which she called "the -Methodist Parson." It used for years regularly to go away every Sunday -morning, and return to its home on the next (the Monday) morning. It was -never known to miss for a series of years, going away on the Sunday -morning, except upon one occasion, when it stopped at home on the Sunday, -and went away on the Monday morning. After this it never returned. In the -same lady's house upon a certain occasion, for some reason or other, the -water was turned off. It was in the evening, and she had the tap of the -water-butt turned on, with a tub under it, thinking they would get water -when they wanted it. The family went to bed, forgetting that the water-tap -was left turned on. In the course of the night the Cat came to the lady's -bedroom door, making a great noise, mewing. Her husband got up several -times, and drove it away, but it returned again, and would go to the -corner of the stairs, and then turn round, as if to see whether he was -following it. At last he followed it down-stairs, and found the whole of -the lower premises inundated, the water having been turned on from the -main. - -Here, too, is a facetious story, which should not be omitted:-- - -One night, some hours after a certain family had retired to rest, there -arose a most extraordinary and unaccountable noise in the lower part of -the house. Had thieves broken in? If so they must have been very noisy -thieves, and quite careless as to the noise they made. You can imagine -Paterfamilias sitting up in bed, and listening with suspended breath; -Materfamilias suggesting that he had better get up, and see what was the -matter; Paterfamilias of the contrary opinion, and inclined to wait -a-while, and see what happened next. Then a group of white figures, with -whiter faces, at the head of the stairs, and the mysterious noise below -growing louder and louder. - -But the explanation of all this was simple enough, when some venturesome -spirit summoned up courage to creep down-stairs and enquire into the -cause. The servant, when she had gone to bed, had left a strong brown jug -on the dresser, with a drain of milk in the bottom of it. After everyone -had retired, Puss commenced prowling about, and, attracted by the milk in -the bottom of the jug, put her head into it. Now, though the top of the -jug was wide enough for the Cat to put her head through, it was not so -wide but what it required a slight pressure for her to get her head into -it. When the milk was lapped, however, she could not get her head out -again, for it required some one to hold the jug, to enable her to do so. -In the meantime, all being in bed and asleep, the Cat in her terror jumped -about, knocking its head, with the jug on it, against the tables and -chairs, and upon the kitchen floor. Hence the alarming and unaccountable -disturbance. - -I clip this from an American paper:-- - -"During the progress of the war I was sitting one day in the office of -Able and Co.'s wharf-boat at Cairo, Illinois. At that time a tax was -collected on all goods shipped south by private parties, and it was -necessary that duplicate invoices of shipments should be furnished to the -collector before the permits could be issued. The ignorance of this fact -by many shippers frequently caused them much annoyance, and invoices were -ofttimes made out with great haste, in order to ensure shipment by boats -on the eve of departure. A sutler, with a lot of stores, had made out a -hasty list of his stock, and gave it to one of the youngest clerks on the -boat to copy out in due form. The boy worked away down the list, but -suddenly he stopped, and electrified the whole office by exclaiming, in a -voice of undisguised amazement,--'What the dickens is that fellow going to -do with four boxes of Tom Cats?' An incredulous laugh from the other -clerks was the reply, but the boy pointed triumphantly to the list, -exclaiming, 'That's what it is--T-o-m C-a-t-s--Tom Cats, if I know how to -read!' The entrance of the sutler at that moment explained the mystery. - -"'Why, confound it!' said he, 'that means four boxes Tomato Catsup! Don't -you understand abbreviations?'" - -Here is a bit of my own experience:-- - -I once had in my possession a very life-like engraving of a remarkably -ugly bulldog, which hung in a frame over a piano in the drawing-room. With -some surprise I noticed, upon several occasions, that a favourite cat -would climb upon the top of the piano, and sitting close underneath the -picture, fix its eyes upon the dog's face, and putting back its ears, -remain thus, with a wild and terrified expression, for as long as an hour -at a time. This was remarked by other persons in the house, and we could -not in any way satisfactorily account for Puss's behaviour. Two dogs -formed part of the household, and with these she was on friendly terms, -and they being of a very meek and harmless nature, she treated them with -contempt, as a general rule, boxing their ears now and then, when their -presence annoyed her. We came to the conclusion, however, that she must -have taken the picture for another dog of a different and higher order, -more terrible in its motionless silence than if it had growled or barked -ever so fiercely. Its eyes were drawn in that particular angle which made -them seem to be fixed upon you in whatever part of the room you might be -in. Many of us recollect in our childhood some gaunt-featured -oil-painting, with hungry eyes, which thus pursued us. I remember one in a -scrap-book, which it wanted some courage to face all by onesself, when -twilight was gathering. With much of the same shrinking dread Puss seemed, -whilst hating, to be unable to break the spell this picture had over her, -to the contemplation of which she returned again and again, though -frequently sent away. During the time that we noticed this conduct on the -Cat's part, she was with Kitten, and when the four Kittens were born they -were dead, and one of them, strange to say, had a bulldog-shaped head, -marked almost exactly like the picture. - -I need not tell a kind master or mistress to use every precaution when -drowning a Cat's kittens, to keep their mother in ignorance of the fact. -It can easily be imagined that the poor creature will be in great distress -if the slaughter be committed before her eyes; and I know of a case where -the Cat having found her young ones which had been drowned and thrown -carelessly in the corner of a yard, brought the bodies back to her nest, -and mewing and licking them, seemed to use every endeavour to restore them -to life. A friend of mine, too, once passing along the bank of a river one -moonlight night found a Cat mewing piteously among the long grass at the -water's edge. He came to a stand-still a dozen yards from the spot, and -looked on curiously. At sight of him, the Cat turned round, and came -running to his feet, looking-up appealingly into his face, and running -back to the water side and then back again to him, seemingly to be -entreating his assistance. Presently the moonlight showed him three or -four kittens being borne away by the stream, and crying in small weak -voices for their mother's help. He did everything in his power to reach -them, but they were too far away from the bank, and very soon they came to -a place where the current was stronger, and swept them out of sight. The -mother's cries were then most heart-rending, and he was unable to induce -her to come away. Indeed, having taken her in his arms, and carried her -some distance, she struggled and fought violently to regain her liberty, -and ran back again to the water's edge. This took place at some distance -from any habitation, but he concluded that somebody must have thrown the -kittens into the water, and that the Cat had followed them, and seen the -deed done. - -[Illustration: TO THE RESCUE. _Page 286._] - -There are some children who will not cry, however much they are beaten; it -is as difficult to make a Cat cry out when you chastise it. It will -shrink; sometimes growl; but rarely cry: yet when beaten by another Cat, -it will howl loudly. A dog on the contrary, very often cries at the bare -sight of the whip, and screams at the lightest blow. - -Some people say all Cats are thieves. I will not deny that a good many -are: indeed, so are dogs. Neither will steal much if they are well fed, as -they only take food when they are hungry. Here, however, is a plan by -which, I think, you can generally ascertain whether or not a Cat is of a -thievish disposition. Give the Cat a piece of meat an inch square, and if -he is a dishonest rascal, he will not lay it down on the floor to pick it -up again as is the usual way with his species, but keep tight hold of it -with his teeth, and jerk it down his throat, sometimes using his paws to -prevent its falling. - -There is one ridiculous accusation brought against poor Pussy, which I -have not yet referred to, namely, that she is in the habit, when the -opportunity offers, of suffocating young babies by sucking their breath. -Now, since the world began, I beg emphatically to state, no baby was ever -so suffocated, and I say this in the face of numerous newspaper -paragraphs, and a thousand old women's stories:-- - -For instance, the "_Annual Register_," January 25, 1791, says:-- - -A child of eighteen months old, was found dead near Plymouth; and it -appeared, on the coroners inquest, "that the child died in consequence of -a Cat sucking its breath, thereby occasioning a strangulation." - -My friend Mr. Burrows, surgeon, of Westbourne Park Place, who is a great -lover of animals, gives me this note:-- - -"It is quite impossible for a Cat to suck a child's breath, as the -anatomical formation of the Cat's mouth would prevent it. No doubt in some -remote country places, among the ignorant, a popular superstition to that -effect may exist, but when a child has been found dead from suffocation, -in many cases the Cat may have lain on the infant's mouth, in the cot or -cradle near the fire, for the sake of warmth--not with the slightest -criminal intent of course, but purely for the sake of obtaining the latent -caloric from the warm body and clothing of the infant, who would probably -not possess sufficient muscular power to disencumber itself, or even to -make any resistance." - -But it is not only in remote country places that the superstition -prevails, but here in London, among most of the upper middle classes. And -after all, are not more ridiculous notions to be met with every day? Only -a few months ago, a lady was seriously informed by a poor woman in a -village near Bath, that a mother should never cut her child's nails before -it is a year old. She should always bite them, otherwise the children -would grow up thieves. - -In Ireland, the following cure for warts is practised by even the most -intelligent classes:--"Take a small stone, less than a boy's marble for -each wart, and tie them in a clean linen bag, and throw it out on the -highway. Then find out a stone in some field or ditch with a hollow in -which rain or dew may have lodged (such stones are easily found in rural -districts), and wash the warts seven times therein, and after this -operation, whoever picks up the bag of stones will have a transfer of the -warts." - -Here again is a little bit of Devonshire Folk-lore which has its -believers:--"When you see the new moon in the new year, take your stocking -off from one foot, and run to the next stile; when you get there, between -the great toe and the next, you will find a hair which will be the colour -of your lover's." This must be rare sport while there is snow on the -ground. - -There is also a vulgar superstition to the effect that a Cat left in the -room with a dead body will fly at and disfigure the face of the corpse. -Some of my readers may remember the old man's death in "Bleak House," and -how the Cat was carefully shut out of the room where the body lay. From -what I recollect, Cats are not great favourites of Mr. Dickens', though -"Dickens' Dogs," a small collection from his canine heroes, published some -years ago, showed him to be a great lover and close observer of that -animal. - -Pope says:-- - - "But thousands die without or this or that-- - Die and endow a college or a Cat." - -The latter case, however, is rather rare I should think. When Pussy's good -master and mistress die, the wide world is often enough left for it to -roam in at its will, seeking its living as it can--a wide world full of -cruel kicks and cuffs. Justin's Cat was lucky to die of old age in a good -home, and have such a fine epitaph written over his remains:-- - - Worn out with age and dire disease, a Cat, - Friendly to all save wicked mouse and rat, - I'm sent at last to ford the Stygian lake, - And to the infernal coast a voyage make. - Me Proserpine received, and smiling said, - "Be bless'd within these mansions of the dead; - Enjoy among thy velvet-footed loves, - Elysium's sunny banks and shady groves." - "But if I've well deserved (O gracious Queen)-- - If patient under suffering I have been, - Grant me at least one night to visit home again, - Once more to see my home and mistress dear, - And purr these grateful accents in her ear. - 'Thy faithful Cat, thy poor departed slave, - Still loves her mistress e'en beyond the grave.'" - -Stray Cats, I am afraid, have a bad time of it before they find a new -home. Cats were recently said to be in great demand at Lucerne, in -Switzerland, and to be selling at a high price, in consequence of a malady -which had greatly thinned their numbers. According to the account in the -newspaper, the head of the animal swelled rapidly; the Cat refused all -nourishment, and very soon dropped down dead. - -It is true, that in some quarters of the globe, the feline race is still -held of some value. _Vide_ Lady Duff Gordon's Article in _Macmillan's -Magazine_, which gives us a glimpse of a strange superstition in Thebes. -She says:-- - -"Do you remember the German story of the lad who travelled 'um das gruseln -zu lernen' (to learn how to tremble)? Well, I who never 'gruselte' -(quaked) before, had a touch of it a few mornings ago. I was sitting here -quietly drinking tea, and four or five men were present, when a Cat came -to the door. I called 'bis! bis!' and offered milk; but puss, after -looking at us, ran away. - -"'Well, dost thou, Lady,' said a quiet sensible man, a merchant here, 'to -be kind to the Cat, for I daresay he gets little enough at home; _his_ -father, poor man, cannot cook for his children every day;' and then in an -explanatory tone to the company: 'That's Alee Nasseeree's boy, Yussuf; it -must be Yussuf, because his fellow-twin, Ismaeen, is with his uncle at -Negadeh.' - -"'Mir gruselte' (I shuddered), I confess; not but what I have heard things -almost as absurd from gentlemen and ladies in Europe, but an -'extravagance' in a kuftan has quite a different effect from one in a -tail-coat. - -"'What! My butcher-boy who brings the meat--a Cat?' I gasped. - -"'To be sure, and he knows well where to look for a bit of good cookery, -you see. All twins go out as Cats at night, if they go to sleep hungry; -and their own bodies lie at home like dead, meanwhile, but no one must -touch them or they would die. When they grow up to ten or twelve they -leave it off. Why, your own boy, Achmet, does it. Ho, Achmet!' - -"Achmet appears. - -"'Boy, don't you go out as a Cat at night?' - -"'No,' said Achmet tranquilly, 'I am not a twin. My sister's sons do.' - -"I enquired if people were not afraid of such Cats. - -"'No, there is no fear; they only eat a little of the cookery; but if you -beat them, they tell their parents next day. 'So and so beat me in his -house last night,' and show their bruises. No, they are not afreets; they -are beni-Adam. Only twins do it, and if you give them a sort of onion -broth and some milk, the first thing when they are born, they do not do it -at all.' - -"Omar professed never to have heard it, but I am sure he had, only he -dreads being laughed at. One of the American missionaries told me -something like it, as belonging to the Copts; but it is entirely Egyptian, -and common to both religions. I asked several Copts, who assured me it was -true, and told it just the same. Is it a remnant of the doctrine of -transmigration? However, the notion fully accounts for the horror the -people feel at the idea of killing a Cat." - -Ah, heaven help those whom we love and cherish when we are dead and gone! -The soft, delicate hands that never were made to work--the gentle hearts -untried--the pretty, thoughtless heads, pillowed so softly, slumbering so -placidly, all unconscious that there is a rough, unsympathising crowd -surging round the castle gates, whose hoarse murmur has never yet reached -our darlings' ears. And our dumb pets, where shall they find a home, and -kind hands to wait upon them? It is a thousand times better when we die -that they should die too; and you, whose roof has sheltered a Cat, should -you change your home, and be unable to take the creature with you, would -act a more humane part by having it killed at once than leave it to the -questionable mercy of the new comer. The too often carelessly uttered -words of "Oh, the Cat will get on well enough," have sealed the poor -dependant's fate, and it has been left to shift for itself, with what fate -its late owners have but rarely troubled themselves to enquire. What fate -would many of us meet with were not a helping hand stretched forth in time -of need? To how many of our poor brothers and sisters is the help never -tendered! - -There is a hospital for dogs, which is, I am told, in a flourishing -condition; and a lady of the name of Deen established a sort of asylum for -lost Cats at Rottingdean, in consequence of the large number which she saw -lying dead upon the beach, and, indeed, offered premiums to anyone who -would bring animals of the feline species to her city of refuge. But such -kind friends are scarce, and Pussy, going upon her travels, will find -many dangers upon the road, and but few doors opened to receive her. -Therefore, in conclusion, I would advise all Cats to stay at home when -they have a good home to stay at. One word, too, I would fain say to those -who do not like Cats, because they do not know them. Having long observed -these animals carefully, and, I sincerely believe, without prejudice, I am -sure that when kindly treated they will be found gentle and attached, and -little, if at all, inferior in intelligence to their much-vaunted rival, -the dog. One last word to those who have followed me thus far. I hope I -have not been very prosy, and I hope, in the somewhat large collection of -Cat anecdotes here brought together, "the only one worth the trouble of -relating" has not been omitted. If this has been the case, allow me to -assure you it has not been because I have spared any trouble in gathering -together my materials. - - -[Illustration: THE END.] - - - - -Transcriber's Notes: - -Passages in italics are indicated by _italics_. - -The original text includes symbols that are represented as [Symbol: -description] in this text version. - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Book of Cats, by Charles H. 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Ross—A Project Gutenberg eBook @@ -49,49 +49,7 @@ </style> </head> <body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Book of Cats, by Charles H. Ross - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Book of Cats - A Chit-chat Chronicle of Feline Facts and Fancies, - Legendary, Lyrical, Medical, Mirthful and Miscellaneous - -Author: Charles H. Ross - -Illustrator: Charles H. Ross - -Release Date: September 21, 2013 [EBook #43790] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BOOK OF CATS *** - - - - -Produced by The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images -generously made available by The Internet Archive/American -Libraries.) - - - - - - -</pre> - +<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 43790 ***</div> <p class="figcenter"><img src="images/cover.jpg" alt="" /></p> @@ -5918,384 +5876,7 @@ together my materials.</p> <p> </p> <p class="figcenter"><img src="images/chap13end.jpg" alt="THE END." /></p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Book of Cats, by Charles H. 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Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - - -</pre> - +<div>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 43790 ***</div> </body> </html> diff --git a/43790.txt b/43790.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 73ddf83..0000000 --- a/43790.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6083 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Book of Cats, by Charles H. Ross - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Book of Cats - A Chit-chat Chronicle of Feline Facts and Fancies, - Legendary, Lyrical, Medical, Mirthful and Miscellaneous - -Author: Charles H. Ross - -Illustrator: Charles H. Ross - -Release Date: September 21, 2013 [EBook #43790] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BOOK OF CATS *** - - - - -Produced by The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images -generously made available by The Internet Archive/American -Libraries.) - - - - - - - - - -THE BOOK OF CATS. - - - - -[Illustration: THE DOCTOR'S PET. _Page 48._] - - - - -[Illustration: THE BOOK OF CATS - -BY CHAS. H. ROSS. - -With Illustrations by the Author] - - LONDON: - GRIFFITH & FARRAN, - CORNER OF ST. PAUL'S CHURCHYARD. - MDCCCLXVIII. - - - - - THE BOOK OF CATS. - - _A Chit-Chat Chronicle_ - - OF FELINE FACTS AND FANCIES, LEGENDARY, LYRICAL - MEDICAL, MIRTHFUL AND MISCELLANEOUS. - - - BY CHARLES H. ROSS. - - - WITH - Twenty Illustrations by the Author. - - - LONDON: - GRIFFITH AND FARRAN, - (SUCCESSORS TO NEWBERY AND HARRIS), - CORNER OF ST. PAUL'S CHURCHYARD. - MDCCCLXVIII. - - - - - LONDON: - WERTHEIMER, LEA AND CO., PRINTERS, CIRCUS PLACE, - FINSBURY CIRCUS. - - - - -NOTICE. - - -The Author would thankfully receive any well-authenticated anecdotes -respecting Cats, with the view of incorporating them with the work, in the -event of a fresh Edition being called for. - - SPRING COTTAGE, FULHAM. - _November, 1867._ - - - - -CONTENTS. - - - PAGE - - CHAPTER I. - - Of the reason why this Book was written, and of several - sorts of Cats which are not strictly Zoological 3 - - CHAPTER II. - - Of some Wicked Stories that have been told about Cats 15 - - CHAPTER III. - - Of other Wicked Stories, with a few Words in Defence of - the Accused 35 - - CHAPTER IV. - - Of the Manners and Customs of Cats 59 - - CHAPTER V. - - Of Whittington's Cat, and another Cat that visited Strange - Countries 79 - - CHAPTER VI. - - Of various kinds of Cats, Ancient and Modern 91 - - CHAPTER VII. - - Of some Clever Cats 111 - - CHAPTER VIII. - - Of some amiable Cats, and Cats that have been good Mothers 139 - - CHAPTER IX. - - Of Puss in Proverbs, in the Dark Ages, and in the Company - of Wicked Old Women 159 - - CHAPTER X. - - Of a certain Voracious Cat, some Goblin Cats, Magical Cats, - and Cats of Kilkenny 185 - - CHAPTER XI. - - Of Pussy poorly, and of some Curiosities of the Cat's-meat - Trade 207 - - CHAPTER XII. - - Of Wild Cats, Cat Charming, etc. 229 - - CHAPTER XIII. - - Conclusion 275 - - - - -THE BOOK OF CATS. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - - -[Illustration: CHAPTER I.] - -_Of the reason why this Book was written, and of several sorts of Cats -which are not strictly Zoological._ - - -One day, ever so long ago, it struck me that I should like to try and -write a book about Cats. I mentioned the idea to some of my friends: the -first burst out laughing at the end of my opening sentence, so I refrained -from entering into further details. The second said there were a hundred -books about Cats already. The third said, "Nobody would read it," and -added, "Besides, what do you know of the subject?" and before I had time -to begin to tell him, said he expected it was very little. "Why not Dogs?" -asked one friend of mine, hitting upon the notion as though by -inspiration. "Or Horses," said some one else; "or Pigs; or, look here, -this is the finest notion of all:-- - - 'THE BOOK OF DONKIES, - BY ONE OF THE FAMILY!'" - -Somewhat disheartened by the reception my little project had met with, I -gave up the idea for awhile, and went to work upon other things. I cannot -exactly remember what I did, or how much, but my book about Cats was -postponed _sine die_, and in the meantime I made some inquiries. - -I searched high and low; I consulted Lady Cust's little volume; I bought -Mr. Beeton's book; I read up Buffon and Bell, and Frank Buckland; I -eagerly perused the amusing pages of the Rev. Mr. Wood; I looked through -two or three hundred works of one sort and another, and as many old -newspapers and odd numbers of defunct periodicals, and although I daresay -I have overlooked some of the very best, I have really taken a great deal -of trouble, and sincerely hope that I shall be able to amuse you by my -version of what other people have had to tell, with a good many things -which have not yet appeared in print, that I have to tell myself. - -One thing I found out very early in my researches, and that was, that nine -out of ten among my authorities were prejudiced against the animal about -which they wrote, and furthermore, that they knew very little indeed upon -the subject. Take for instance our old friend Mavor, who thus mis-teaches -the young idea in his celebrated Spelling Book. "Cats," says Mr. Mavor, -"have less sense than dogs, and their attachment is chiefly to the house; -but the dog's is to the persons who inhabit it." Need I tell the reader -who has thought it worth his while to learn anything of the Cat's nature, -that Mr. Mavor's was a vulgar and erroneous belief, and that there are -countless instances on record where Cats have shown the most devoted and -enduring attachment to those who have kindly treated them. Again, nothing -can be more unjust than to call Cats cruel. If such a word as cruel could -be applied to a creature without reason, few animals could be found more -cruel than a Robin Redbreast, which we have all determined to make a pet -of since somebody wrote that pretty fable about the "Babes in the Wood." -And apropos of the Robin, do you remember Canning's verses? - - "Tell me, tell me, gentle Robin, - What is it sets thy heart a-throbbing? - Is it that Grimalkin fell - Hath killed thy father or thy mother, - Thy sister or thy brother, - Or any other? - Tell me but that, - And I'll kill the Cat. - - But stay, little Robin, did you ever spare, - A grub on the ground or a fly in the air? - No, that you never did, I'll swear; - So I won't kill the Cat, - That's flat." - -But all the cruel and unjust things that have been said about poor pussy I -will tell you in another chapter. I mean to try and begin at the -beginning. In the first place, what is the meaning of the word "Cat." Let -us look in the dictionary. A Cat, according to Dr. Johnson, is "a -domestick animal that catches mice." But the word has one or two other -meanings, for instance:-- - -In thieves' slang the word "Cat" signifies a lady's muff, and "to free a -cat" to steal a muff. Among soldiers and sailors a "Cat" means something -very unpleasant indeed, with nine tingling lashes or tails, so called, -from the scratches they leave on the skin, like the claws of a cat. - -A Cat is also the name for a tackle or combination of pulleys, to suspend -the anchor at the cat's-head of a ship. - -Cat-harping is the name for a purchase of ropes employed to brace in the -shrouds of the lower masts behind their yards. - -The Cat-fall is the name of a rope employed upon the Cat-head. Two little -holes astern, above the Gun-room ports, are called Cat-holes. - -A Cat's-paw is a particular turn in the bight of a rope made to hook a -tackle in; and the light air perceived in a calm by a rippling on the -surface of the water, is known by the same name. - -A kind of double tripod with six feet, intended to hold a plate before the -fire and so constructed that, in whatever position it is placed, three of -the legs rest on the ground, is called a Cat, from the belief that however -a Cat may be thrown, she always falls on her feet. - -Cat-salt is a name given by our salt-workers to a very beautifully -granulated kind of common salt. - -Cat's-eye or Sun-stone of the Turks is a kind of gem found chiefly in -Siberia. It is very hard and semi-transparent, and has different points -from whence the light is reflected with a kind of yellowish radiation -somewhat similar to the eyes of cats. - -Catkins are imperfect flowers hanging from trees in the manner of a rope -or cat's-tail. - -Cat's-meat, Cat-thyme, and Cat's-foot are the names of herbs; Cat's-head -of an apple, and also of a kind of fossil. Cat-silver is a fossil. -Cat's-tail is a seed or a long round substance growing on a nut-tree. - -A Cat-fish is a shark in the West Indies. Guanahani, or Cat Island, a -small island of the Bahama group, in the West Indies, is supposed to be so -called because wild Cats of large size used to infest it, but I can find -no particulars upon the subject in the works of writers on the West -Indies. - -In the North of England, a common expression of contempt is to call a -person Cat-faced. Artists call portraits containing two-thirds of the -figure Kit-cat size. With little boys in the street a Cat is a dreadfully -objectionable plaything, roughly cut out of a stick or piece of wood, and -sharpened at each end. Those whose way to business lies through low -neighbourhoods, and who venture upon short cuts, well know from bitter -experience that at a certain period of the year the tip-cat season sets in -with awful severity, and then it is not safe for such as have eyes to -lose, to wander where the epidemic rages. - -[Illustration: TIP-CAT. _Page 8._] - -In the North, however, the same game is called "Piggie." I learn by the -newspaper that a young woman at Leeds nearly lost her eye-sight by a blow -from one of these piggies or cats, and the magistrates sent the boy who -was the cause of it to an industrial school, ordering his father to pay -half-a-crown a week for his maintenance. - -The shrill whistle indulged in upon the first night of a pantomime by -those young gentlemen with the figure six curls in the front row of the -gallery are denominated cat-calls. This is, I am given to understand, a -difficult art to acquire--I know I have tried very hard myself and can't; -and to arrive at perfection you must lose a front tooth. Such a thing has -been known before this, as a young costermonger having one of his front -teeth pulled out to enable him to whistle well. Let us hope that his -talent was properly appreciated in the circles in which he moved. - -With respect to cat-calls or cat-cals, also termed cat-pipes, it would -appear that there was an instrument by that name used by the audiences at -the theatre, the noise of which was very different to that made by -whistling through the fingers, as now practised. In the _Covent Garden -Journal_ for 1810 the O. P. Riots are thus spoken of:--"Mr. Kemble made -his appearance in the costume of 'Macbeth,' and, amid vollies of hissing, -hooting, groans, and cat-calls, seemed as though he meant to speak a -steril and pointless address announced for the occasion." - -In book iii. chap. vi. of _Joseph Andrews_, occurs this passage:--"You -would have seen cities in embroidery transplanted from the boxes to the -pit, whose ancient inhabitants were exalted to the galleries, where they -played upon cat-calls." - -In Lloyd's _Law Student_ we find:-- - - "By law let others strive to gain renown! - Florio's a gentleman, a man o' th' town. - He nor courts clients, or the law regarding, - Hurries from Nando's down to Covent Garden. - Zethe's a scholar--mark him in the pit, - With critic Cat-call sound the stops of wit." - -In _Chetwood's History of the Stage_ (1741), there is a story of a -sea-officer who was much plagued by "a couple of sparks, prepared with -their offensive instruments, vulgarly termed Cat-calls;" and describes how -"the squeak was stopped in the middle by a blow from the officer, which he -gave with so strong a will that his child's trumpet was struck through his -cheek." - -The Cat-call used at theatres in former times was a small circular -whistle, composed of two plates of tin of about the size of a half-penny -perforated by a hole in the centre, and connected by a band or border of -the same metal about one-eighth of an inch thick. The instrument was -readily concealed within the mouth, and the perpetrator of the noise could -not be detected. - -There used to be a public-house of some notoriety at the corner of -Downing-street, next to King-street, called the "_Cat and Bagpipes_." It -was also a chop house used by many persons connected with the public -offices in the neighbourhood. George Rose, so well known in after life as -the friend of Pitt, Clerk of the Parliament, Secretary of the Treasury, -etc., and executor of the Earl of Marchmont, but then "a bashful young -man," was one of the frequenters of this tavern. - -Madame Catalini is thus alluded to with disrespectful abbreviation of her -name in _a new song on Covent Garden Theatre_, printed and sold by J. -Pitts, No. 14, Great St. Andrew-street, Seven Dials. - - "This noble building, to be sure, has beauty without bounds, - It cost upwards of one hundred and fifty thousand pounds; - They've Madame Catalini there to open her white throat, - But to hear your foreign singers I would not give a groat; - So haste away unto the play, whose name has reached the skies, - And when the Cati ope's her mouth, oh how she'll catch the flies!" - -It was once upon a time the trick of a countryman to bring a Cat to market -in a bag, and substitute it for a sucking pig in another bag, which he -sold to the unwary when he got the chance. If the trick was discovered -prematurely, it was called letting the cat out of the bag--if not--he that -made the bad bargain was said to have bought a pig in a poke. To turn the -Cat in the pan, according to Bacon, is when that which a man says to -another he says it as if another had said it to him. - -There is a kind of ship, too, called a Cat, a vessel formed on the -Norwegian model, of about 600 tons burthen. That was the sort of cat that -brought the great Dick Whittington, of "turn again" memory, his fortune. -Do you remember how sorry you were to find out the truth? Do you recollect -what a pang it cost you when first you heard that Robinson Crusoe was not -true? I shall never forget how vexed and disappointed I was at hearing -that Dick Turpin never did ride to York on his famous mare Black Bess, and -that no such person as William Tell ever existed, and that that beautiful -story about the apple was only a beautiful story after all. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - - -[Illustration: CHAPTER II.] - -_Of some Wicked Stories that have been told about Cats._ - - -"I do not love a Cat," says a popular author, often quoted; "his -disposition is mean and suspicious. A friendship of years is cancelled in -a moment by an accidental tread on the tail. He spits, twirls his tail of -malignity, and shuns you, turning back as he goes off a staring vindictive -face full of horrid oaths and unforgiveness, seeming to say, 'Perdition -catch you! I hate you for ever.' But the Dog is my delight. Tread on his -tail, he expresses for a moment the uneasiness of his feelings, but in a -moment the complaint is ended: he runs round you, jumps up against you, -seems to declare his sorrow for complaining, as it was not intentionally -done,--nay, to make himself the aggressor, and begs, by whinings and -lickings, that the master will think of it no more." No sentiments could -be more popular with some gentlemen. In the same way there are those who -would like to beat their wives, and for them to come and kiss the hand -that struck them in all humility. It is not only when hurt by accident -that the dog comes whining round its master. The lashed hound crawls back -and licks the boot that kicked him, and so makes friends again. Pussy will -not do that though. If you want to be friendly with a cat on Tuesday, you -must not kick him on Monday. You must not fondle him one moment and -illtreat him the next, or he will be shy of your advances. This really -human way of behaving makes Pussy unpopular. - -I am afraid that if it were to occur to one of our legislators to tax the -Cats, the feline slaughter would be fearful. Every one is fond of dogs, -and yet Mr. Edmund Yates, travelling by water to Greenwich last June, said -that the journey was pleasingly diversified by practical and nasal -demonstrations of the efficient working of the Dog-tax. "No fewer than 292 -bodies of departed canines, in various stages of decomposition, were -floating off Greenwich during the space of seven days in the previous -month, seventy-eight of which were found jammed in the chains and -landing-stages of the "Dreadnought" hospital ship, thereby enhancing the -salubrity of that celebrated hothouse for sick seamen." And I cannot -venture to repeat the incredible stories of the numbers said to have been -taken from the Regent's Canal. - -There are some persons who profess to have a great repugnance to Cats. -King Henry III. of France, a poor, weak, dissipated creature, was one of -these. According to Conrad Gesner, men have been known to lose their -strength, perspire violently, and even faint at the sight of a cat. Others -are said to have gone even further than this, for some have fainted at a -cat's picture, or when they have been in a room where such a picture was -concealed, or when the picture was as far off as the next room. It was -supposed that this sensitiveness might be cured by medicine. Let us hope -that these gentlemen were all properly physicked. I myself have often -heard men express similar sentiments of aversion to the feline race; and -sometimes young ladies have done so in my hearing. In both cases I have -little doubt but that the weakness is easily overcome. As for a hidden and -unheard Cat's presence affecting a person's nerves, I beg to state my -conviction that such a story is utterly ridiculous; and I was vastly -entertained by the following narrative, written by a lady for a Magazine -for Boys, and given as a truth. Such a valuable fact in natural history -should not be allowed to perish; she calls it, A TALE OF MY GRANDMOTHER. - -My maternal grandmother had so strong an aversion to Cats that it seemed -to endow her with an additional sense. You may, perhaps, have heard people -use the phrase, that they were "frightened out of their seven senses," -without troubling yourselves to wonder how they came to have more than -_five_. But the Druids of old used to include sympathy and antipathy in -the number, a belief which has, no doubt, left its trace in the above -popular and otherwise unmeaning expression; and this extra sense of -antipathy my grandmother certainly exhibited as regarding Cats. - -When she was a young and pretty little bride, dinner parties and routs, as -is usual on such occasions, were given in her honour. In those days, now -about eighty years ago, people usually dined early in the afternoon, and -you may imagine somewhere in Yorkshire, a large company assembled for a -grand dinner by daylight. With all due decorum and old-fashioned stately -politeness, the ladies in rustling silks, stately hoops, and nodding -plumes, are led to their seats by their respective cavaliers, in bright -coloured coats with large gilt buttons. - -With dignified bows and profound curtsies, they take their places, the -bride, of course, at her host's right hand. The bustle subsides, the -servants remove the covers, the carving-knives are brandished by -experienced hands, and the host having made the first incision in a goodly -sirloin or haunch, turns to enquire how his fair guest wishes to be -helped. - -To his surprise, he beholds her pretty face flushed and uneasy, while she -lifts the snowy damask and looks beneath the table. - -"What is the matter, my dear madam? Have you lost something?" - -"No, sir, nothing, thank you;--it is the _Cat_," replied the timid bride, -with a slight shudder, as she pronounced the word. - -"The Cat?" echoed the gentleman, with a puzzled smile; "but, my dear Mrs. -H----, we have no Cat!" - -"Indeed! that is very odd, for there is certainly a Cat in the room." - -"Did you see it then?" - -"No, sir, no: I did not _see_ it, but I _know_ it is in the room." - -"Do you fancy you heard one then?" - -"No, sir." - -"What is the matter, my dear?" now enquires the lady of the house, from -the end of the long table; "the dinner will be quite cold while you are -talking to your fair neighbour so busily." - -"Mrs. H---- says there is a Cat in the room, my love; but we have no Cat, -have we?" - -"No, certainly!" replied the lady tartly. "Do carve the haunch, Mr.----." - -The footman held the plate nearer, a due portion of the savoury meat was -placed upon it. - -"To Mrs. H----," said the host, and turned to look again at his fair -neighbour; but her uneasiness and confusion were greater than ever. Her -brow was crimson--every eye was turned towards her, and she looked ready -to cry. - -"I will leave the room, if you will allow me, sir, for I _know_ that there -is a Cat in the room." - -"But, my dear madam--" - -"I am quite sure there is, sir; I _feel_ it--I would rather go." - -"John, Thomas, Joseph, _can_ there be a Cat in the room?" demanded the -embarrassed host of the servants. - -"Quite impossible, sir;--have not seen such a hanimal about the place -since I comed, any way." - -"Well, look under the table, at any rate; the lady says she _feels_ it; -look in every corner of the room, and let us try to convince her." - -"My dear, my dear!" remonstrated the annoyed bridegroom from a distant -part of the table; "what trouble you are giving." - -"Indeed, I would rather leave the room," said the little bride, slipping -from her chair. But, meanwhile, the servants ostentatiously bustled in -their unwilling search for what they believed to be a phantom fancy of the -young lady's brain; when, lo! one of the footmen took hold of a -half-closed window-shutter, and from the aperture behind out sprang a -large cat into the midst of the astonished circle, eliciting cries and -exclamations from others than the finely organised bride, who clasped her -hands rigidly, and gasped with pallid lips. - -Such facts as this are curious, certainly, and remain a puzzle to -philosophers. - -This habit of hiding itself in secret places is one of the most unpleasant -characteristics of the Cat. I know many instances of it--especially of a -night alarm when we were children, ending in a strange cat being found in -a clothes bag. - -Here, indeed, we have truth several degrees stranger than fiction; but -this is not the only wonderful story the authoress has to tell. I will -give you some others very slightly abridged. - -"A year or two ago, a man in the south of Ireland severely chastised his -cat for some misdemeanour, immediately after which the animal stole away, -and was seen no more. - -"A few days subsequently, as this man was starting to go from home, the -Cat met and stood before him in a narrow path, with rather a wicked -aspect. Its owner slashed his handkerchief at her to frighten her out of -the way, but the Cat, undismayed, sprang at the hand, and held it with so -ferocious a gripe, that it was impossible to make it open its jaws, and -the creature's body had actually to be cut from the head, and the jaws -afterwards to be severed, before the mangled hand could be extricated. The -man died from the injuries." - -The jaws of a Cat are comparatively strong, and worked by powerful -muscles; it has thirty-four teeth, but they are for the most part very -tiny teeth, like pin's points. What, I wonder, were the dimensions of this -ferocious animal with the iron jaws; and how many courageous souls were -engaged in its destruction. If this story is, however, rather hard to -swallow, the next is not less so. Says our authoress:-- - -"I also know an Irish gentleman, who being an only son without any -playmates, was allowed, when he was a child, to have a whole family of -Cats sleeping in the bed with him every night. - -"One day he had beaten the father of the family for some offence, and when -he was asleep at night, the revengeful beast seized him by the throat, and -would probably have killed him had not instant help been at hand. "The Cat -sprang from the window, and was never more seen." (Probably went away in a -flash of blue fire.) - -What do you think of these very strange stories? If they surprise you, -however, what will you say to this one? "Dr. C----, an Italian gentleman -still living in Florence (the initial is just a little unsatisfactory), -who knew at least one of the parties, related to the authoress the -following singular story. A certain country priest in Tuscany, who lived -quite alone with his servants, naturally attached himself, in the want of -better society, to a fine he-cat, which sat by his stove in winter, and -always ate from his plate. - -One day a brother priest was the good man's guest, and, in the rare -enjoyment of genial conversation, the Cat was neglected; resenting this, -he attempted to help himself from his master's plate, instead of waiting -for the special morsels which were usually placed on the margin for his -use, and was requited with a sharp rap on the head for the liberty. This -excited the animal's indignation still more, and springing from the table -with an angry cry, he darted to the other side of the room. The two -priests thought no more of the Cat until the cloth was about to be -removed; when the master of the house prepared a plateful of scraps for -his forward favourite, and called him by name to come and enjoy his share -of the feast. No joyful Cat obeyed the familiar call: his master observed -him looking sulkily from the recess of the window, and rose, holding out -the plate, and calling to him in a caressing voice. As he did not -approach, however, the old gentleman put the platter aside, saying he -might please himself, and sulk instead of dine, if he preferred it; and -then resumed his conversation with his friend. A little later the old -gentleman showed symptoms of drowsiness, so his visitor begged that he -would not be on ceremony with him, but lie down and take the nap which he -knew he was accustomed to indulge in after dinner, and he in the meantime -would stroll in the garden for an hour. This was agreed to. The host -stretched himself on a couch, and threw his handkerchief over his face to -protect him from the summer flies, while the guest stepped through a -French window which opened on a terrace and shrubbery. - -An hour or somewhat more had passed when he returned, and found his friend -still recumbent: he did not at first think of disturbing him, but after a -few minutes, considering that he had slept very long, he looked more -observantly towards the couch, and was struck by the perfect immobility of -the figure, and with something peculiar in the position of the head over -which the handkerchief lay disordered. Approaching nearer he saw that it -was stained with blood, and hastily removing it, saw, to his unutterable -horror, that his poor friend's throat was gashed across, and that life was -already extinct. - -He started back, shocked and dismayed, and for a few moments remained -gazing on the dreadful spectacle almost paralysed. Then came the -speculation who could have done so cruel a deed? An old man murdered -sleeping--a good man, beloved by his parishioners and scarcely known -beyond the narrow circle of his rural home. It was his duty to investigate -the mystery, so he composed his countenance as well as he was able, and -going to the door of the room, called for a servant. - -The man who had waited at table presently appeared, rubbing his eyes, for -he, too, had been asleep. - -"Tell me who has been into this room while I was in the garden." - -"Nobody, your reverence; no one ever disturbs the master during his -siesta." - -He then asked the servant where he had been, and was told in the -ante-room. He next enquired whether any person had been in or out of the -house, or if he had heard any movement or voice in the room, and also how -many fellow-servants the man had. He was told that he had heard no noise -or voices, and that he had two fellow-servants--the cook and a little boy. -His reverence demanded that they should be brought in, that he might -question them. - -They came, and were cross-questioned as closely as possible, but they -declared that they had not been in that part of the house all day long, -and that nobody could possibly get into the house without their knowledge, -unless it was through the garden. The priest had been walking all the time -in view of the house, and he felt convinced that the murderer could not -have passed in or out on that side without his knowledge. - -"Listen to me; some person has been into that room since dinner, and your -master is cruelly murdered." - -"Murdered!" cried the three domestics in tones of terror and amazement; -"did your reverence say 'murdered'?" - -"He lies where I left him, but his throat is gashed from ear to ear--he is -dead. My poor old friend!" - -"Dead! the poor master dead, murdered in his own house." - -They wrung their hands, tore their hair, and wept aloud. - -"Silence! I command you; and consider that every one of us standing here -is liable to the suspicion of complicity in this foul deed; so look to it. -Giuseppe was asleep." - -"But I sleep very lightly, your reverence." - -"Come in and see your master," said the priest solemnly. - -They crept in, white with fear and stepping noiselessly. They gazed on the -shocking spectacle transfixed with horror. Then a cry of "Who can have -done it?" burst from all lips. - -"Who, indeed?" repeated the cook. - -The priest desired Giuseppe to look round the premises, and count the -plate, and ascertain if there had been a robbery, or if any one was -concealed about the house. The man returned without throwing any new light -upon the mystery; but, in his absence, while surveying the room more -carefully than he had previously done, the priest's eye met those of the -Cat glowing like lurid flames, as he sat crouching in the shade near a -curtain. The orbs had a fierce malignant expression, which startled him, -and at once recalled to his recollection the angry and sullen demeanour of -the creature during dinner. - -"Could it possibly be the Cat that killed him?" demanded of the cook the -awe-struck priest. - -"Who knows?" replied he; "the beast was surly to others, but always seemed -to love him fondly; and then the wound seems as though it were made with a -weapon." - -[Illustration: A TALE OF TERROR. _Page 29._] - -"It does, certainly," rejoined the priest; "yet I mistrust that brute, and -we will try to put it to the proof, at any rate." - -After many suggestions, they agreed to pass cords round the neck and under -the shoulders of the deceased, and carried the ends outside the room door, -which was exactly opposite the couch where he lay. They then all quietly -left the apartment, almost closing the door, and remained perfectly still. - -One of the party was directed to keep his eye fixed on the Cat, the others -after a short delay slowly pulled the cords, which had the effect of -partially raising the head of the corpse. - -Instantly, at this apparent sign of life, the savage Cat sprang from its -corner, and, with a low yell and a single bound, fastened upon the mangled -neck of its victim. - -At once the sad mystery was solved, the treacherous, ungrateful, cowardly, -and revengeful murderer discovered! and all that remained to be done was -to summon help to destroy the wild beast, and in due time to bury the good -man in peace. - - * * * * * - -Well, to such stories as these I have no particular objection, under -certain circumstances. They are well enough, for instance, to fill up -the odd corners of a weekly newspaper in the dull season, and are a -pleasant relief to the 'enormous gooseberry'; but I have my doubts whether -they should be given as facts for the instruction of youth, though I am -not much surprised that the editor should have admitted them into his -pages, when he speaks of them in another part of the magazine as -"delightful papers." When children's minds are thus filled with absurd -falsehoods, it is not to be wondered at if, when the child grows up into a -man, the man should express himself somewhat in the words of this -instructor of youth, who says, "I must confess, on my own part, an -aversion to the feline race, which, with the best intentions, I am unable -entirely to conquer. I have occasionally become rather fond of an -individual Cat, but never encounter one, unexpectedly, without a feeling -of repugnance; and, as I like, or feel an interest in, every other animal, -I regard this peculiarity as hereditary." - -I suppose, however, that there are few of my fair readers who have not a -feeling somewhat akin to repugnance towards snakes, black-beetles, -earwigs, spiders, rats, and even poor little, harmless mice; yet ladies -have been known to keep white mice, and make pets of them after a time, -when the first timidity was overcome. There was a captive once, you may -remember, who tamed a spider. A man, about ten years ago, who used to go -about the streets, got his living by pretending to swallow snakes. He -allowed them, while holding tight on their tails, to crawl half-way down -his throat and back again. He said they were nice clean animals, and good -company. Little boys at school often swallow frogs. An earwig probably has -fine social qualities, which only want bringing out: naturalists tell us -they make the best of mothers. The black beetle has always been a maligned -insect: it is a sort of nigger among insects, apparently born only to be -poisoned, drowned, or smashed; but some one ought, decidedly, to take the -race in hand and see of what it is capable. I have, myself, a horror of -most of the creatures I have named, but happen not to have been reared -with an aversion for Cats, and I have a strong belief that if I tried hard -(which I am not going to do) I might get upon friendly relations with the -other animals named above, which, I suppose, most of us are taught, when -children, to dislike; and as our fathers and mothers have entertained the -same feeling, perhaps, as my authoress says, we may "regard this -peculiarity as hereditary." - -Probably a good many ladies reading these lines will endorse my -authoress's opinions. For the most part these will be married ladies with -large families; and it will be found upon enquiry, I feel certain, that -ladies who have many children will have a dislike for the feline race. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - - -[Illustration: CHAPTER III.] - -_Of other Wicked Stories, with a few Words in Defence of the Accused._ - - -I told you awhile ago what good Mr. Mavor says of Cats. "La defiance que -cet animal inspire," says another instructor of youth, M. Pujoulx, in his -_Livre du Second Age_, "est bien propre a corriger de dissimulation et de -l'hypocrisie." I have nothing to say of poor Pujoulx, whose books and -opinions are by this time well nigh forgotten; but what am I to think of -two other authors, whose words should be law, but of the value of which -I leave you to judge for yourself. I need not, I think, remind you that -there is a natural history written by one Monsieur Buffon, "containing a -theory of the earth, a general history of man, of the brute creation, and -of vegetables, minerals, etc.," of which Mr. Barr published an English -translation in ten goodly volumes. Thus, in this work of world-wide -celebrity, is the feline race discussed. I give the author's words as I -find them:-- - -"The Cat is a faithless domestic, and only kept through necessity to -oppose to another domestic which incommodes us still more, and which we -cannot drive away; for we pay no respect to those, who, being fond of all -beasts, keep Cats for amusement. Though these animals are gentle and -frolicksome when young, yet they, even then, possess an innate cunning and -perverse disposition, which age increases, and which education only serves -to conceal. They are, naturally, inclined to theft, and the best education -only converts them into servile and flattering robbers; for they have the -same address, subtlety, and inclination for mischief or rapine. Like all -knaves, they know how to conceal their intentions, to watch, wait, and -choose opportunities for seizing their prey; to fly from punishment, and -to remain away until the danger is over, and they can return with safety. -They readily conform to the habits of society, but never acquire its -manners; for of attachment they have only the appearance, as may be seen -by the obliquity of their motions, and duplicity of their looks. They -never look in the face those who treat them best, and of whom they seem to -be the most fond; but either through fear or falsehood, they approach him -by windings to seek for those caresses they have no pleasure in, but only -to flatter those from whom they receive them. Very different from that -faithful animal the dog, whose sentiments are all directed to the person -of his master, the Cat appears only to feel for himself, only to love -conditionally, only to partake of society that he may abuse it; and by -this disposition he has more affinity to man than the dog, who is all -sincerity." - -So much for M. Buffon: though he is sadly mistaken on the subject of which -he writes, these were probably his honest opinions; but what can be said -for a writer in the Encyclopaedia Britannica, who holds forth as follows, -and is not only ignorant of what he talks about, but steals Buffon's -absurd prejudices, and passes them off as his own. In his opinion the -cat "is a useful but deceitful domestic. Although when young it is playful -and gay, it possesses at the same time an innate malice and perverse -disposition, which increases as it grows up, and which education learns it -to conceal, but never to subdue. Constantly bent upon theft and rapine, -though in a domestic state, it is full of cunning and dissimulation: it -conceals all its designs, seizes every opportunity of doing mischief, and -then flies from punishment. It easily takes on the habits of society, but -never its manners; for it has only the appearance of friendship and -attachment. This disingenuity of character is betrayed by the obliquity of -its movements and the ambiguity of its looks. In a word, the Cat is -totally destitute of friendship." - -Here, I think, are some pretty sentiments and some valuable information -about the Cat-kind. Let us hope that the other contributors to the -Encyclopaedia knew something more of what they wrote about than the -gentleman above quoted. And these opinions are not uncommon; for instance, -allow me to quote from an article in a popular miscellany:-- - -"No! I cannot abide Cats," says the writer. "Pet Cats, wild Cats, Tom -Cats, gib Cats, Persian Cats, Angora Cats, tortoiseshell Cats, tabby -Cats, black Cats, Manx Cats, brindled Cats, mewing once, twice, or thrice, -as the case may be,--none of these Cats delight me; they are associated in -my mind with none but disagreeable objects and remembrances--old maids, -witchcraft, dreadful sabbaths, with old women flying up the chimney upon -broom-sticks, to drink hell-broth with the evil one, charms, incantations, -sorceries, sucking children's breaths, stopping out late on the tiles, -catterwauling and molrowing in the night season, prowling about the -streets at unseasonable hours, and a variety of other things, too numerous -and too unpleasant to mention." - -Upon the other hand, Puss has had her defenders, and Miss Isabel Hill -writes thus:-- - -"Poor Pinkey, I can scarce dare a word in praise of one belonging to thy -slandered sisterhood; yet a few good examples embolden me to assert that I -have rarely known any harm of Cats who were given a fair chance, though I -own I have seldom met with any that have enjoyed that advantage. Is it -their fault that they are born nearly without brains, though with all -their senses about them, and of a tender turn? That they want strength, -both of body and instinct, are dependant, and ill educated? No! their -errors are thrust upon them; they become selfish per force, cowards from -their tenacious regard for that personal neatness which they so labour to -preserve. Oh! that all females made such good use of their tongues! Cross -from sheer melancholy, reflecting, in their starved and persecuted -maturity, on the fondness lavished over the days in which they were pet -useless toys; as soon as they can deserve and may require kind treatment, -they are as ill-used as if they were constant wives--rather unfair on -ladies of their excessive genius. Could every Cat, like Whittington's, -catch fortunes for her master as well as mice, we should hear no more said -against the species. Suppose they only fawn on us because we house and -feed them, they have no nobler proofs of friendship with which to thank -us; and if their very gratitude for this self-interested hire be adduced -as a crime, alas! poor Pussies! Had Minette been a Thomas, a whiskered -fur-collared Philander, he would most probably have surmounted that -unmanly weakness, and received all favours as but his due. I never see a -Mrs. Mouser rubbing her soft coat against me, with round upturned eyes, -but I translate her purr into words like these:--'I can't swim; I can -neither fetch and carry, nor guard the house; I can only love you, -mistress; pray accept all I have to offer.'" - -An anonymous writer says: "We may learn some useful lessons from Cats, as -indeed, from all animals. Agur, in the book of Proverbs, refers to some; -and all through Scripture we find animals used as types of human -character. Cats may teach us patience, and perseverance, and earnest -concentration of mind on a desired object, as they watch for hours -together by a mouse-hole, or in ambush for a bird. In their nicely -calculated springs, we are taught neither to come short through want of -mercy, or go beyond the mark in its excess. In their delicate walking -amidst the fragile articles on a table or mantel-piece, is illustrated the -tact and discrimination by which we should thread rather than force our -way; and, in pursuit of our own ends, avoid the injuring of others. In -their noiseless tread and stealthy movements, we are reminded of the -frequent importance of secresy and caution prior to action, while their -promptitude at the right moment, warns us, on the other hand, against the -evils of irresolution and delay. The curiosity with which they spy into -all places, and the thorough smelling which any new object invariably -receives from them, commends to us the pursuit of knowledge, even under -difficulties. Cats, however, will never smell the same thing twice over, -thereby showing a retentive as well as an acquiring faculty. Then to speak -of what may be learned from their mere form and ordinary motions, so full -of beauty and gracefulness. What Cat was ever awkward or clumsy? Whether -in play or in earnest, Cats are the very embodiment of elegance. As your -Cat rubs her head against something you offer her, which she either does -not fancy or does not want, she instructs you that there is a gracious -mode of refusing a thing; and as she sits up like a bear, on her hind -legs, to ask for something (which Cats will often do for a long time -together), you may see the advantage of a winning and engaging way, as -well when you are seeking a favour as when you think fit to decline one. -If true courtesy and considerateness should prevent you not merely from -positively hurting another, but also from purposely clashing, say, with -another's fancies, peculiarities, or predilections, this too, may be -learned from the Cat, who does not like to be rubbed the wrong way (who -does like to be rubbed the wrong way?), and who objects to your treading -on her tail. Nor is the soft foot, with its skilfully sheathed and ever -sharp claws, without a moral too; for whilst there is nothing -commendable in anything approaching to spite, passion, or revenge, a -character that is all softness is certainly defective. The velvety paw is -very well, but it will be the better appreciated when it is known that it -carries within it something that is not soft, and which can make itself -felt, and sharply felt, on occasion. A cat rolled up into a ball, or -crouched with its paws folded underneath it, seems an emblem of repose and -contentment. There is something soothing in the mere sight of it. It may -remind one of the placid countenance and calm repose with which the sphynx -seems to look forth from the shadow of the Pyramids, on the changes and -troubles of the world. This leads to the remark, that Cats, after all, are -very enigmatical creatures. You never get to the bottom of Cats. You will -never find any two, well known to you, that do not offer marked -diversities in ways and dispositions; and, in general, the combination -they exhibit of activity and repose, and the rapidity with which they pass -from the one to the other, their gentle aspects and fragile form, united -with strength and pliancy, their sudden appearances and disappearances, -their tenacity of life, and many escapes from dangers ("as many lives as a -Cat"), their silent and rapid movements, their sometimes unaccountable -gatherings, and strange noises at night--all contribute to invest them -with a mysterious fascination, which reaches its culminating point in the -(not very frequent) case of a completely black cat." - -Instances are frequent, I am happy to tell Cat-haters, of illustrious -persons who have been attached to the feline race, and of Cats who have -merited such attachment. - -Mahomet would seem to have been very fond of Cats, for it is said that he -once cut off the sleeve of his robe rather than disturb his favourite -while sleeping on it. Petrarch was so fond of his Cat that when it died he -had it embalmed, and placed in a niche in his apartment; and you ought to -read what Rousseau has to say in favour of the feline race. M. Baumgarten -tells us that he saw a hospital for Cats at Damascus: it was a large -house, walled round very carefully, and said to be full of patients. It -was at Damascus that the incident above related occurred to Mahomet. His -followers in this place ever afterwards paid a great respect to Cats, and -supported the hospital in question by public subscriptions with much -liberality. - -When the Duke of Norfolk was committed to the Tower, in the reign of Queen -Elizabeth, a favourite Cat made her way into the prison room by getting -down the chimney. - -"The first day," says Lady Morgan, in her delightful book, "we had the -honour of dining at the palace of the Archbishop of Toronto, at Naples, he -said to me, 'You must pardon my passion for Cats, but I never exclude them -from my dining-room, and you will find they make excellent company.' -Between the first and second course, the door opened, and several -enormously large and beautiful Angora Cats were introduced by the names of -Pantalone, Desdemona, Otello, etc.: they took their places on chairs near -the table, and were as silent, as quiet, as motionless, and as well -behaved as the most _bon ton_ table in London could require. On the bishop -requesting one of the chaplains to help the Signora Desdemona, the butler -stepped up to his lordship, and observed, 'My lord, La Signora Desdemona -will prefer waiting for the roasts.'" - -Gottfried Mind, the celebrated Swiss painter, was called the "Cat -Raphael," from the excellence with which he painted that animal. This -peculiar talent was discovered and awakened by chance. At the time when -Frendenberger painted his picture of the "Peasant Clearing Wood," before -his cottage, with his wife sitting by, and feeding her child out of a -basin, round which a Cat is prowling, Mind, his new pupil, stared very -hard at the sketch of this last figure, and Frendenberger asked with a -smile whether he thought he could draw a better. Mind offered to show what -he could do, and did draw a Cat, which Frendenberger liked so much that he -asked his pupil to elaborate the sketch, and the master copied the -scholar's work, for it is Mind's Cat that is engraved in Frendenberger's -plate. Prints of Mind's Cats are now common. - -Mind did not look upon Cats merely as subjects for art; his liking for -them was very great. Once when hydrophobia was raging in Berne, and eight -hundred were destroyed in consequence of an order issued by the civic -authorities, Mind was in great distress on account of their death. He had, -however, successfully hidden his own favourite, and she escaped the -slaughter. This Cat was always with him when he worked, and he used to -carry on a sort of conversation with her by gesture and signs. It is said -that Minette sometimes occupied his lap, while two or three kittens -perched on his shoulders; and he was often known to remain for an hour -together in almost the same attitude for fear of disturbing them; yet he -was generally thought to be a passionate, sour-tempered man. It is said -that Cardinal Wolsey used to accommodate his favourite Cat with part of -his regal seat when he gave an audience or received princely company. - -There is a funny story told of Barrett, the painter, another lover of -Cats. He had for pets a Cat and a kitten, its progeny. A friend seeing two -holes in the bottom of his door, asked him for what purpose he made them -there. Barrett said it was for the Cats to go in and out. - -"Why," replied his friend, "would not one do for both?" - -"You silly man," answered the painter, "how could the big Cat get into the -little hole?" - -"But," said his friend, "could not the little one go through the big -hole?" - -"Dear me," cried Barrett, "so she could; well, I never thought of that." - -M. Sonnini had an Angora Cat, of which he writes: "This animal was my -principal amusement for several years. How many times have her tender -caresses made me forget my troubles, and consoled me in my misfortunes. My -beautiful companion at length perished. After several days of suffering, -during which I never forsook her, her eyes constantly fixed on me, were at -length extinguished; and her loss rent my heart with sorrow." - -You have heard, of course, of Doctor Johnson's feline favourite, and how -it fell ill, and how he, thinking the servants might neglect it, himself -turned Cat-nurse, and having found out that the invalid had a fancy for -oysters, daily administered them to poor Pussy until she had quite -recovered. I like to picture to myself that good old grumpy doctor nursing -Pussy on his knee, and wasting who shall say how many precious moments -which otherwise might have been devoted to his literary avocations. I dare -say now, in that tavern parlour where the lexicographer held forth so ably -after sun-set, he made but scant allusion to his nursing feats, lest some -mad wit might have twitted him upon the subject, for you may be sure that -the wits of those days, as of ours, could have been mighty satirical on -such a theme. - -Madame Helvetius had a Cat that used to lie at its mistress's feet, -scarcely ever leaving her for five minutes together. It would never take -food from any other hand, and it would allow no one but its mistress to -caress it; but it would obey her commands in everything, fetching objects -she wanted in its mouth, like a dog. During Madame Helvetius's last -illness, the poor animal never quitted her chamber, and though it was -removed after her death, it returned again next morning, and slowly and -mournfully paced to and fro in the room, crying piteously all the time. -Some days after its mistress's funeral, it was found stretched dead upon -her grave, having, it would seem, died of grief. - -There is a well-authenticated story of a Cat which having had a thorn -taken out of her foot by a man servant, remembered him, and welcomed him -with delight when she saw him again after an absence of two years. - -As a strong instance of attachment, I can quote the case of a she Cat of -my own, which always waited for me in the passage when I returned home of -an evening, and mounted upon my shoulder to ride upstairs. Returning home -once after an absence of six weeks, this Cat sat on the corner of the -mantel-piece, close by the bed, all night, and as it would appear wide -awake, keeping a sort of guard over me, for being very restless I lay -awake a long while, and then awoke again, several times, after dozing off, -to find upon each occasion Miss Puss, with wide open eyes, purring loudly. -I may add, that although, when we have gone away from home, the Cats -have taken their meals and spent most of their time with the servants, yet -upon our return they have immediately resumed their old ways, and cut the -kitchen dead. - -By the report of a police case at Marlborough Street, on the 28th of June -last, it appeared that a husband, brutally ill-using his wife, flung her -on the ground, and seizing her by the throat, endeavoured to strangle her. -While, however, she lay thus, a favourite Cat, named "Topsy," suddenly -sprang upon the man, and fastened her claws and teeth in his face. He -could not tear the Cat away, and was obliged to implore the woman he had -been ill-using to take the Cat from him to save his life. - -The Cat is reproached with treachery and cruelty, but Bigland argues that -the artifices which it uses are the particular instincts which the -all-wise Creator has given it, in conformity with the purposes for which -it was designed. Being destined to prey upon a lively and active animal -like the mouse, which possesses so many means of escape, it is requisite -that it should be artful; and, indeed, the Cat, when well observed, -exhibits the most evident proofs of a particular adaptation to a -particular purpose, and the most striking example of a peculiar instinct -suited to its destiny. - -Every animal has its own way of killing and eating its prey. The fox -leaves the legs and hinder parts of a hare or rabbit; the weasel and stoat -eat the brains, and nibble about the head, and suck the blood; crows and -magpies peck at the eyes; the dog tears his prey to pieces -indiscriminately; the Cat always turns the skin inside out like a glove. - -Mr. Buckland relates the case of a gamekeeper who bought up all the Cats -in the neighbouring town, cut off their heads, and nailed them up as -trophies of veritable captures in the woods. In a gamekeeper's museum, -visited by the same writer, were no less than fifty-three Cats' heads -staring hideously down from the shelves. There was a story attached to -each head. One Cat was killed in such a wood; another in such a hedge-row; -some in traps, some shot, some knocked on the head with a stick; but what -was most remarkable was the different expression of countenance observable -in each individual head. One had died fighting desperately to the last, -and giving up its nine lives inch by inch. Caught in a trap, it had -lingered the night through in dreadful agony, the pain of its entrapped -limb causing it to make furious efforts to free itself, each effort but -lending another torment to the wound. In the morning the gamekeeper had -released the poor exhausted creature for the dogs to worry out what little -life was left in its body. The head dried by the heat of two summers, the -wrinkled forehead, the expanded eyelids, the glary eyeballs, the whiskers -stretched to their full extent, the spiteful lips, exposing the double row -of tiger-like teeth, envenomed by agony, told all this. The hand of death -had not been powerful enough to relax the muscles racked for so many hours -of pain and terror. - -Another Cat's head wore a very different expression; she had neither been -worried nor tortured. Creeping, stealthily, on the tips of her beautifully -padded feet, behind some overhanging hedge, the hidden gamekeeper had -suddenly shot her dead. In death her face was calm; no expression of fear -ruffled her features; she had been shot down and died instantly at the -moment of anticipated triumph. - -A third head belonged to a poor little Puss that had died before it had -attained the age of cathood; her young life had been knocked out of her -with a stick: her head still retained the kitten's playful look, and there -was an appealing expression about it as though it had died quickly, -wondering in what it had done wrong. - -I find a writer upon Cats who speaks thus in their praise:-- - -"It has been said that the Cat is one of those animals which has made the -least return to man for his trouble by its services; but it is certain -that it renders very essential service to man." - -And another says:-- - -"Authors seem to delight in exaggerating the good qualities of the Dog, -while they depreciate those of the Cat; the latter, however, is not less -useful, and certainly less mischievous, than the former." - -Indeed, it would be unfair not to state that Pussy has had many able -defenders, who have argued her case in verse as well as prose; for -example, in Edmond Moore's fable of "_The Farmer, the Spaniel and the -Cat_" the Spaniel, when Puss drew near to eat some of the fragments of a -feast, repelled her, saying she does nothing to merit being fed, etc.:-- - - "'I own' (with meekness Puss replied) - 'Superior merit on your side; - Nor does my breast with envy swell - To find it recompens'd so well. - Yet I, in what my nature can, - Contribute to the good of man. - Whose claws destroy the pilf'ring mouse? - Who drives the vermin from the house? - Or, watchful for the lab'ring swain, - From lurking rats secures the grain? - For this, if he rewards bestow, - Why should your heart with gall o'erflow? - Why pine my happiness to see, - Since there's enough for you and me?' - 'Thy words are just,' the Farmer cried, - And spurned the Spaniel from his side." - -And, again, the same idea occurs in Gay's fable of the "_Man, the Cat, the -Dog, and the Fly_." The Cat solicits aid from the Man in the social state. - - "'Well, Puss,' says Man, 'and what can you - To benefit the public do?' - The Cat replies, 'These teeth, these claws, - With vigilance shall serve the cause. - The Mouse, destroy'd by my pursuit, - No longer shall your feasts pollute; - Nor Rats, from nightly ambuscade, - With wasteful teeth your stores invade.' - 'I grant,' says Man, 'to general use - Your parts and talents may conduce; - For rats and mice purloin our grain, - And threshers whirl the flail in vain; - Thus shall the Cat, a foe to spoil, - Protect the farmers' honest toil.'" - -Mr. Ruskin says, "There is in every animal's eye a dim image and gleam of -humanity, a flash of strange life through which their life looks at and up -to our great mystery of command over them, and claims the fellowship of -the creature, if not of the soul!" - -Poor Pussy! on the whole she has had but few champions in comparison to -the number of her foes. Let us see what anecdotes we can find which will -show her in a favourable light; but my chapter is long enough, and I will -conclude it with the epitaph placed over a favourite French Puss:-- - - "Ci repose pauvre Mouton, - Qui jamais ne fut glouton; - J'espere bien que le roi Pluton, - Lui donnera bon gite et crouton." - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - - -[Illustration: CHAPTER IV.] - -_Of the Manners and Customs of Cats._ - - -Let us see though, before we try our anecdotes, what is known of the Cat's -peculiarities. I rather like this quaint description of the domestic -Pussy, which occurs in an old heraldic book, John Bossewell's "_Workes of -Armorie_," published in 1597:-- - -"The field is of the Saphire, on a chief Pearle, a Masion Cruieves. This -beaste is called a 'Masion,' for that he is enimie to Myse and Rattes. He -is slye and wittie, and seeth so sharpely that he overcommeth darkness of -the nighte by the shyninge lyghte of his eyne. In shape of body he is like -unto a Leoparde, and hathe a greate mouthe. He doth delighte that he -enjoyeth his libertie; and in his youth he is swifte, plyante, and merye. -He maketh a rufull noyse and a gastefulle when he profereth to fighte with -another. He is a cruell beaste when he is wilde, and falleth on his owne -feete from moste highe places: and never is hurt therewith. When he hathe -a fayre skinne, he is, as it were, proude thereof, and then he goethe -muche aboute to be seene." - -It is commonly supposed that a Cat's scratch is venomous, because a -lacerated wound oftener festers than a smooth cut from a sharp knife. - -It is erroneously said that Cats feel a cutaneous irritation at the -approach of rain, and offer sensible evidence of uneasiness: allusion may -be found to this in "Thomson's Seasons." Virgil has also made the subject -a theme for poetic allusion. - -The Chinese look into their Cat's eyes to know what o'clock it is; and the -playfulness of Cats is said to indicate the coming of a storm. I have -noticed this often myself, and have seen them rush about in a half wild -state just before windy weather. I think it is when the wind is _rising_ -that they are most affected. - -It is stated in a Japanese book that the tip of a Cat's nose is always -cold, except on the day corresponding with our Midsummer-day. This is a -question I cannot say I have gone into deeply. I know, however, that Cats -always have a warm nose when they first awaken from sleep. All Cats are -fond of warmth. I knew one which used to open an oven door after the -kitchen fire was out, and creep into the oven. One day the servant shut -the door, not noticing the Cat was inside, and lighted the fire. For a -long while she could not make out whence came the sounds of its crying and -scratching, but fortunately made the discovery in time to save its life. A -Cat's love of the sunshine is well known, and perhaps this story may not -be unfamiliar to the reader:-- - -One broiling hot summer's day Charles James Fox and the Prince of Wales -were lounging up St. James's street, and Fox laid the Prince a wager that -he would see more Cats than his Royal Highness during their promenade, -although the Prince might choose which side of the street he thought fit. -On reaching Piccadilly, it turned out that Fox had seen thirteen Cats and -the Prince none. The Prince asked for an explanation of this apparent -miracle. - -"Your Royal Highness," said Fox, "chose, of course, the shady side of the -way as most agreeable. I knew that the sunny side would be left for me, -and that Cats prefer the sunshine." - -Cats usually, but not always, fall on their feet, because of the facility -with which they balance themselves when springing from a height, which -power of balancing is in some degree produced by the flexibility of the -heel, the bones of which have no fewer than four joints. Cats alight -softly on their feet, because in the middle of the foot is a large ball or -pad in five parts, formed of an elastic substance, and at the base of each -toe is a similar pad. No mechanism better calculated to break the force of -a fall could be imagined. - -A Cat, when falling with its head downwards, curls its body, so that the -back forms an arch, while the legs remain extended. This so changes the -position of the centre of gravity, that the body makes a half turn in the -air, and the feet become lowest. - -In the inside of a Cat's head there is a sort of partition wall projecting -from the sides, a good way inwards, towards the centre, so as to prevent -the brain from suffering from concussion. - -There is a breed of tail-less white Cats in the Isle of Man, and also in -Devonshire. These are not the sort of animals with which, on shipboard, -the "stow-aways" are made acquainted. - -A great many Cats in the Isle of Man are said to be deaf. Thus, "As deaf -as a Manx Cat." There is an idea that white Cats with blue eyes are always -deaf, but a correspondent of _Notes and Queries_ says, "I am myself -possessed of a white Cat which, at the advanced age of upwards of -seventeen years, still retains its hearing to great perfection, and is -remarkably intelligent and devoted, more so than Cats are usually given -credit for. Its affection for persons is, indeed, more like that of a dog -than of a Cat. It is a half-bred Persian Cat, and its eyes are perfectly -blue, with round pupils, not elongated, as those of Cats usually are. It -occasionally suffers from irritation in the ears, but this has not at all -resulted in deafness." - -Do you know why Cats always wash themselves after a meal? A Cat caught a -sparrow, and was about to devour it, but the sparrow said, - -"No gentleman eats till he has first washed his face." - -The Cat, struck with this remark, set the sparrow down, and began to wash -his face with his paw, but the sparrow flew away. This vexed Pussy -extremely, and he said, - -"As long as I live I will eat first and wash my face afterwards." - -Which all Cats do, even to this day. - -A French writer says, the three animals that waste most time over their -toilet are cats, flies, and women. - -The attitudes and motions of a Cat are very graceful, because she is -furnished with collar-bones. She can, therefore, carry food to her mouth -like a monkey, can clasp, can climb, and can strike sideways, and seat -herself at a height upon a very narrow space. - -The lateral movements of the head in Cats are not so extensive as in the -owl, but are, nevertheless, considerable. A cat can look round pretty far -behind it without moving its body, which might be apt to startle its prey. -The spine of the Cat is very full and loose, in order that all its -movements in all possible directions and circumstances may be free and -unrestrained. For this purpose, too, all the joints which connect its -bones together are extremely loose and free. Thus, the Cat is enabled to -get through small apertures, to leap from great heights, and even to fall -in an unfavourable posture with little or no injury to itself. Its ears -are not so moveable as those of some other animals, but are more so than -in very many animals. The shape of the external ear, or rather -cartilaginous portion, is admirably adapted to intercept sounds. The -natural posture is forward and outward, so as to catch sounds proceeding -from the front and sides. The upper half, however, is moveable, and by -means of a thin layer of muscular fibres, it is made to curve backwards -and receive sounds from the rear. Although a Cat cannot lick its face and -head, it nevertheless cleans these parts thoroughly; in fact, as we often -observe, a Cat licks its right paw for a long time, and then brushes down -the corresponding side of the head and face; and when this is -accomplished, it does the same with the other paw and corresponding side. - -"'A May kitten makes a dirty Cat,' is a piece of Huntingdonshire -folk-lore," says Mr. Cuthbert Bede, "quoted to me in order to deter me -from keeping a kitten that had been born in May." - -Dr. Turton says, "The Cat has a more voluminous and expressive vocabulary -than any other brute; the short twitter of complacency and affection, the -purr of tranquility and pleasure, the mew of distress, the growl of anger, -and the horrible wailing of pain." For myself, I seldom hear a -catawauling without thinking of that droll picture in _Punch_ of the old -lady sitting up in bed and pricking up her ears to the music of a mewing -Cat. - -"Oh, ah! yes, it's the waits," says she, with a delighted chuckle; "I love -to listen to 'em. It may be fancy, but somehow they don't seem to play so -sweetly as they did when I was a girl. Perhaps it is that I am getting -old, and don't hear quite so well as I used to do." - -Few, even amongst Pussy's most ardent admirers, who possess the faculty of -hearing, and have heard the music of Cats, would desire the continuance of -their "sweet voices"; yet a concert was exhibited at Paris, wherein Cats -were the performers. They were placed in rows, and a monkey beat time to -them, as the Cats mewed; and the historian of the facts relates that the -diversity of the tones which they emitted produced a very ludicrous -effect. This exhibition was announced to the Parisian public by the title -of "Concert Miaulant." - -This would seem to prove that Cats may be taught tricks, which is not -generally believed, but is nevertheless the case. - -In Pool's _Twists and Turns about the Streets of London_, mention is -made of "a poor half-naked boy, strumming a violin, while another urchin -with a whip makes two half-starved Cats go through numerous feats of -agility." - -De Roget says, that in animals that graze and keep their heads for a long -time in a dependent position, the danger from an excessive impetus in the -blood flowing towards the head is much greater than in other animals; and -we find that an extraordinary provision is made to obviate this danger. -The arteries which supply the brain on their entrance into the basis of -the skull suddenly divide into a great number of minute branches, forming -a complicated network of vessels, an arrangement which, on the well known -principle of hydraulics, must greatly check the velocity of the blood -conducted through them. That such is the real purpose of this structure, -which has been called the _rete mirabile_, is evident from the branches -afterwards uniting into larger trunks when they have entered the brain, -through the substance of which they are then distributed exactly as in -other animals, where no such previous subdivision takes place. The rete -mirabile is much developed in the sheep, but scarcely perceptible in the -Cat. - -Being an animal which hunts both by day and night, the structure of its -visual organs is adjusted for both. The retina, or expansion of the optic -nerve, is most sensitive to the stimulus of light; hence, a well-marked -ciliary muscle contracts the pupil to a mere vertical fissure during the -day, while in the dark, the pupil dilates enormously, and lets in as much -light as possible. But even this would be insufficient, for Cats have to -look for their prey in holes, cellars, and other places where little or no -light can penetrate. Hence, the Cat is furnished with a bright metal-like, -lustrous, membrane, called the _Tapetum_, which lines part of the hollow -globe of the eye, and sheds considerable light on the image of an object -thrown on the retina. This membrane is, we are told, common to all -vertebrated animals, but is especially beautiful and lustrous in nocturnal -animals. The herbivora, such as the ox and sheep, have the _tapetum_ of -the finest enamelled green colour, provided probably to suit the nature of -their food, which is green. The subject, however, of the various colours -of the _tapetum_ in different animals is not yet understood. The -sensibility of the retina in Cats is so great that neither the -contractions of the pupil nor the closing of the eye-lids would alone -afford them sufficient protection from the action of the light. Hence, -in common with most animals, the Cat is furnished with a nictitating -membrane, which is, in fact, a third eyelid, sliding over the transparent -cornea beneath the common eyelids. This membrane is not altogether opaque, -but translucent, allowing light to fall on the retina, and acting, as it -were, like a shade. The nictitating membrane is often seen in the Cat when -she slowly opens her eyes from a calm and prolonged sleep: it is well -developed in the eagle, and enables him to gaze steadfastly on the sun's -unclouded disk. - -The illumination of a Cat's eye in the dark arises from the external light -collected on the eye and reflected from it. Although apparently dark, a -room is penetrated by imperceptible rays of external light from lamps or -other luminiferous bodies. When these rays reach the observer direct, he -sees the lamps or luminiferous bodies themselves, but when he is out of -their direct sight, the brightness of their illumination only becomes -apparent, through the rays being collected and reflected by some -appropriate substance. - -The cornea of the eye of the Cat, and of many other animals, has a great -power of concentrating the rays and reflecting them through the pupil. -Professor Bohn, at Leipsic, made experiments proving that when the -external light is wholly excluded, none can be seen in the Cat's eye. For -the same reason, the animal, by a change of posture or other means, -intercepting the rays, immediately deprives the observer of all light -otherwise existing in, or permeating, the room. In this action, when the -iris of the eye is completely open, the degree of brilliancy is the -greatest; but when the iris is partly contracted, which it always is when -the external light, or the light in the room, is increased, then the -illumination is more obscure. The internal motions of the animals have -also great influence over this luminous appearance, by the contraction and -relaxation of the iris dependent upon them. When the animal is alarmed, or -first disturbed, it naturally dilates the pupil, and the eye glares; when -it is appeased or composed, the pupil contracts, and the light in the eye -is no longer seen. - -A German savant says, that at the end of each hair of a Cat's whiskers is -a sort of bulb of nervous substance, which converts it into a most -sensitive feeler. The whiskers are of the greatest use to her when hunting -in the dark. The nervous bulbs at the ends of a lion's whiskers are as -large as a small pea. - -But an English writer differs from him; thus:-- - -"Every one must have observed what are usually called the "whiskers" on a -Cat's upper lip. The use of these, in a state of nature, is very -important. They are organs of touch; they are attached to a bed of close -glands under the skin; and each of these long and stiff hairs is connected -with the nerves of the lip. The slightest contact of these whiskers with -any surrounding object is thus felt most distinctly by the animal, -although the hairs are of themselves insensible. They stand out on each -side in the lion, as well as in the common Cat; so that, from point to -point, they are equal in width to the animal's body. If we imagine, -therefore, a lion stealing through a covert of wood in an imperfect light, -we shall at once see the use of these long hairs. They indicate to him, -through the nicest feeling, any obstacle which may present itself to the -passage of the body: they prevent the rustle of boughs and leaves, which -would give warning to his prey if he were to attempt to pass through too -dense a bush, and this, in conjunction with the soft cushions of his feet, -and the fur upon which he treads (the retractable claws never coming in -contact with the ground), enable him to move towards his victim with a -stillness even greater than that of the snake, who creeps along the -grass, and is not perceived till he is coiled round his prey." - -Black Cats especially are said to be highly charged with electricity, -which, when the animal is irritated, is easily visible in the dark. Here -are directions I have for producing the effect:--Lay one hand upon the -Cat's throat, and slightly press its shoulder bones. If the other hand be -drawn gently along its back, electric shocks will be felt in the hand upon -the Cat's throat. If the tips of the ears be touched after the back has -been rubbed, shocks of electricity may also be felt, or they may be -obtained from the foot. Lay the animal upon your knees, and apply the -right hand to the back, the left fore paw resting on the palm of your left -hand, apply the thumb to the upper side of the paw, so as to extend the -claws, and by this means bring your fore finger in contact with one of the -bones of the leg, where it joins the paw; when from the knob or end of -this bone, the finger slightly pressing on it, you may feel distinctly -successive shocks similar to those obtained from the ears. The Reverend -Mr. Wood expresses an opinion, that on account of the superabundance of -electricity which is developed in the Cat, the animal is found very -useful to paralysed persons, who instinctively encourage its approach, and -from the touch derive some benefit. Those who suffer from rheumatism often -find the presence of a Cat alleviate their sufferings. The same gentleman, -writing of a favourite Cat, says, that if a hair of her mistress's head -were laid upon the animal's back it would writhe as though in agony, and -rolling on the floor, would strive to free herself from the object of her -fears. The pointing of a finger at her side, at a distance of half a foot, -would cause her fur to bristle up and throw her into a violent tremour. - -It is difficult to account for the fondness of Cats for fish, as nature -seems to have given them an appetite, which, with their great antipathy to -water, they can rarely gratify unassisted. Many instances have, however, -been recorded of Cats catching fish. A Mr. Moody, of Sesmond, near -Newcastle-upon-Tyne, had a Cat in 1829 which had been in his possession -for some years, and caught fish with great assiduity, and frequently -brought them home alive. Besides minnows and eels, she occasionally -carried home pilchards, one of which, about six inches long, was once -found in her possession; she also contrived to teach a neighbour's Cat to -fish, and the two were sometimes seen together watching by a river side -for their prey. At other times they were seen at opposite sides of the -river, not far from each other, on the look out for game. - -A writer in the _Plymouth Journal_, June 1828, says:--"There is now at the -battery, on the Devil's Point, a Cat which is an expert catcher of the -finny tribe, being in the constant habit of diving into the sea and -bringing up the fish alive in her mouth, and depositing them in the guard -room for the use of the sailors. She is now seven years old, and has long -been a useful caterer. It is supposed that her pursuit of the water-rats -first taught her to venture into the water, to which it is well known Puss -has a natural aversion. She is now as fond of the water as a Newfoundland -dog, and takes her regular peregrinations along the rocks at its edge, -looking out for her game ready to dive for it at a moment's notice." - -Talking of the Cat's fondness for fish, I should, however, mention, that -if a plate of meat and a plate of fish, either raw or cooked, be placed -before the generality of Cats, they will be found almost always to choose -the meat. - -It is usually supposed that a tortoiseshell Tom is an impossibility. The -animal is certainly rare, as is also a Queen Anne's farthing; but it is -not such a rarity as we are led to believe. On the contrary, specimens -are frequently offered for sale at the Zoological Gardens. - -It is another great mistake to think that Cats have fleas: the insect -infesting a half-grown Cat does not leap like a flea. - -The she Cat goes with young from fifty-five to fifty-eight days, and -generally has four or five kittens at a litter. When born, they are blind -and deaf, like puppies. They get their sight in about nine days, and are -about eighteen months before reaching full growth. - -Those who wish their Cats to catch mice, I should advise not to neglect -the Cat's food. A starved Cat makes a very bad mouser; being too eager and -hungry for the work, it tries to pounce upon its prey before the proper -time comes. A good mouser does not eat the mouse. I have a black Cat, -which is very fat, but a wonderful huntsman, and surprisingly nimble at -the chase. He is also as proud of his achievements as a human sportsman, -and brings me every head of game he catches. Sometimes, if I have been out -when he has caught his mouse, he has gone all over the house in search of -me, and at last has taken his seat by the fireside, or out in the garden, -and nursed the trophy of his prowess until I returned, mewing piteously -if anyone attempted to take it away; but once having laid it at my feet, -and had his head scratched in return, his interest in the matter seemed to -cease, and he went away without again attempting to touch it. It was clear -that he had made me a present of the game; and, as we sometimes think, -when we make anyone a present of something to eat, it would be more -delicate for us to go away immediately, lest it might be supposed we -desired to be asked to stop and partake of it, Tom thus departed, no doubt -with a similar idea. - -"No experiment," says an intelligent writer, "can be more beautiful than -that of setting a kitten for the first time before a looking-glass. The -animal appears surprised and pleased with the reflection, and makes -several attempts to touch its new acquaintance; and at length, finding its -efforts fruitless, it looks behind the glass, and appears highly -astonished at the absence of the figure. It again views itself, and tries -to touch the image with its foot, suddenly looking at intervals behind the -glass. It then becomes more accurate in its observations, and begins, as -it were, to make experiments by stretching out its paw in different -directions; and when it finds that these motions are answered in every -respect by the figure in the glass, it seems at length to be convinced of -the real nature of the image." - - - - -CHAPTER V. - - -[Illustration: CHAPTER V.] - -_Of Whittington's Cat, and another Cat that visited Strange Countries._ - - -As no work about Cats could be complete without the story of Dick -Whittington, from the first moment I had made up my mind to write this -book, I had also made up my mind to look up the best authorities upon the -subject--to write Whittington's Cat's life, and to give her a chapter all -to herself. Having come to this conclusion, the question naturally arose -where were the authorities. I made search, I read deeply, but I gathered -small matter on which I could place reliance, and I was half inclined to -abandon my resolve, when happening to have ten minutes to spend, waiting -for an omnibus at a street corner in the east-end of London, I made a -discovery in a shop window, by the result of which I intend that you shall -benefit almost as much as I have myself; for this discovery was nothing -less than the very identical tale-book that I bought when I was a child, -only it was a penny now, instead of twopence, as in the days of my extreme -youth,--yes, the very identical tale of Whittington and his Cat, with a -splendid illustrated pink wrapper and seven magnificent engravings, -hand-coloured blue, red, yellow and pink on each plate, with here and -there a dash of green laid boldly on, irrespective of outline, and now and -again reaching as far as the type. Here, in the well-remembered verses, -was Richard's history related:-- - - "Dick Whittington had often heard - The curious story told - That far fam'd London's brilliant streets - Were paved with sheets of gold; - Sometimes by waggon, erst on foot, - Poor Dick he came to town, - But found the streets, instead of gold, - Were muddy, thick, and brown." - -(You will observe that the poet sacrifices everything for the rhyme, and I -do not blame him, when I contemplate the noble result):-- - - "In search of work he wandered round, - Till his heart was sick and sore; - Then cold and hungry laid him down - Besides a Merchant's door. - The Merchant kindly took him in, - And gave him food to eat, - But the plainest of plain cooks"-- - -(Do you notice the poet's wit and humour?) - - "Him cruelly did treat." - -(There is a picture here of the Cook beating Whittington with two ladles.) - - "No longer could he stay, - So towards the famous Highgate Hill - Poor Dick he ran away. - Four miles he ran, then wearied much, - He sat him on a stone, - And heard the merry bells of Bow - Speak to him in this tone-- - 'Turn again, Whittington, - Thrice Lord Mayor of London.'" - -The poet's lines at this point have been beautifully illustrated by a -picture of Whittington, sitting on the stone aforesaid, labelled "four -miles to London," in an attitude of attention, whilst the merry church of -Bow is to be seen on the other side of a wooden fence, apparently fifty -yards off. - - "Then taking heart, he wandered home, - But meeting on the road - A boy, who had a Cat to sell, - He took't to his abode." - -(I think, now, that "took't" shows real genius! How else could you have -got over the difficulty?) - - "She drove away the rats and mice-- - She was his only friend,"-- - -(This is true pathos.) - - "But when the Merchant went abroad, - He Puss did with him send." - -(This part wants thinking over. It means Whittington sent the Cat with his -master; please, however, read on):-- - - "It was the only thing he had-- - Each servant something sent; - The cook became more cruel still - After her master went. - Meanwhile Puss sail'd across the seas, - Unto the Moorish Court, - And to the palace of the King - The merchant Pussy brought; - For that poor King no rest enjoy'd - All through the rats and mice, - They swept the food from off his board-- - Puss killed them in a trice." - -(And I should rather think she did, too, if the artist may be believed who -depicts her simultaneously seizing one rat with her teeth, and two others -with each of her fore paws.) - - "The King then gave him heaps of gold - For an animal so rare; - The merchant brought it all to Dick, - Oh, how the boy did stare!" - -(And he is represented staring tremendously at a box, apparently four feet -by two-and-a-half, and two-and-a-quarter high, marked "R. W.," and chock -full of guineas.) - - "The kindly bells had told him true - In saying, 'Turn again,' - For Whittington was thrice Lord Mayor - In great King Henry's reign." - -The poem here concludes with a beautiful picture of a gentleman and a lady -sitting on chairs of state. I am not quite certain whether this is -intended to represent King Henry and his Queen, or Lord and Lady -Whittington; as far as the portrait goes, I should say that the gentleman -was Charles the First. - -In 1857 an advertisement appeared in several newspapers of a person who -was willing to buy any number of live Cats for exportation. They were -probably wanted for New Zealand; but it is not every emigrating Puss that -is as lucky as Dick Whittington's (which, of course, by the way, never -existed at all.) As a contrast to the successful career of the Cat -described above, let me tell you, in almost the same words in which it is -amusingly told in a magazine article, the story of a Cat who went "some -strange countries for to see." - -During the bold campaign of Mr. Williams the Missionary in Polynesia, a -favourite Cat was taken on shore by one of the teacher's wives at their -first visit to the island of Rarotonga. But Tom, not liking the aspect of -his new acquaintance, fled to the mountains. Under the influence of the -apostles of the new religion, a priest named Tiaki had destroyed his idol. -His house was situated at a distance from the settlement, and at midnight, -while he was lying asleep on his mat, his wife, who was sitting awake by -his side, musing upon the strange events of the day, beheld, with -consternation, two fires glittering in the doorway, and heard with -surprise a mysterious and plaintive voice. Petrified with fear, she awoke -her husband, and began to upbraid him with his folly for burning his god, -who, she declared, was now come to be avenged of them. "Get up and pray!" -she cried. The husband arose, and, on opening his eyes, beheld the same -glaring lights, and heard the same ominous sound. He commenced with all -possible vehemence to vociferate the alphabet, as a prayer to the powers -above to deliver them from the vengeance of Satan. The Cat, on hearing the -incantation, was as much alarmed as the priest and his wife; so he escaped -once more into the wilderness, leaving the repentant priestly pair in -ecstacies at the efficacy of their exorcism. The nocturnal apparition of a -Cat in the flesh had nearly reinstated an overthrown idol. Subsequently, -Puss, in his perambulations, perhaps in hopes of finding a native fur-clad -helpmate, went to another distant district; and as a maral or temple stood -in a retired spot, and was shaded by the rich foliage of ancient trees, -Tommy, pleased with the situation, and wishing to frequent good society, -took up his abode with the wooden gods. A few days after, the priest came, -accompanied by a number of worshippers, to present some offering to the -pretended deities; and, on opening the door, Tom greeted them with a -respectful mew. Unaccustomed to such salutations, the priest, instead of -returning the welcome with a reciprocal politeness, rushed out of the -sanctuary, shouting to his companions, "Here's a monster from the deep! a -monster from the deep!" - -The whole party of devotees hastened home, collected several hundreds of -their brethren, put on their war-caps, brought their spears, clubs, and -slings, blackened themselves with charcoal, and, thus equipped, came -shouting on to attack the enemy. Tom, affrighted at the formidable array, -sprang towards the open door, and, darting through the terror-stricken -warriors, sent them scampering in all directions. In the evening, while -the brave conspirators were entertaining themselves and a numerous company -with a war-dance, to recruit their spirits, poor Tom, wishing to see the -sport, and bearing no malice in his heart, stole in amongst them to take a -peep. Again the dusky heroes seized their weapons and gave chase to the -unfortunate Cat; but "the monster of the deep" was too nimble for them. -Some hours afterwards, when all was quiet, Tom unwisely endeavoured to -renew his domiciliary relations with man. In the dead of the night he -entered a house, crept beneath a coverlet, under which a whole native -family were lying, and fell asleep. His purring awoke the man, in the -hospitality of whose night-cloth he had taken refuge, and who, supposing -that some other monster had come to disturb his household, closed the -doorways, awoke the inmates, and procured lights to search for the -intruder. Poor Tom, fatigued with the two previous engagements of the day, -lay quietly asleep, when the warriors, attacking him with their clubs and -spears, thought themselves models of bravery in putting an end to him. - -But Cats, though thus misunderstood at first, seem in the end to have -proved a welcome and valuable introduction to the country. One of Mr. -Williams's means of proselytism was, the exercise of a useful -handicraft--he turned blacksmith; but he found unusual difficulties in the -way of his working a forge. Rarotonga was devastated by a plague of rats, -which congregated at night in his blacksmith's shop, and devoured every -particle of leather, so that, in the morning, nothing remained of his -bellows but the bare boards. The rats, however, were not permitted to have -everything their own way. The missionaries imported a singular cargo, -consisting of pigs, cocoa-nuts, and Cats. The Cats proved a real blessing -to the island, but even they did not destroy so many rats as the pigs, -which were exceedingly voracious, and took greedily to the rodent diet. - -By the way, I must not close the chapter without one little scrap. - -Mr. Spectator, in No. 5, March 6, 1711, says:--"I am credibly informed -that there was once a design of casting into an opera the story of -Whittington and his Cat, and that in order to do it there had been got -together a great quantity of mice, but Mr. Rich, the proprietor of the -playhouse, very prudently considered that it would be impossible for the -Cat to kill them all." - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - - -[Illustration: CHAPTER VI.] - -_Of various kinds of Cats, Ancient and Modern._ - - -Now, although this is the _Book of Cats_, do you know I am more than half -afraid that if I give you too much about Cats in it, you will go away -dissatisfied. Some years ago there was a great rage for mechanics' -institutions and instructive lectures on things generally, and one half -the world was for jumping on to the platform and improving the mind of the -other half in gases and ologies; and, in those days, there was one -particular sort of lecture, which might be roughly described as hard words -and an explosion, with which the frequenter of all institutes was -perfectly familiar; and you may remember, too, how we did not so much care -about the words, but thought that the stuff out of the bottle, that went -off with a bang, was the best fun out. Carried away by the popularity of -these oratorical and chemical displays, the heads of schools were wont to -encourage lecturing on a small scale among their pupils, only suppressing -the explosive part of the entertainment as too dangerous; and young -gentlemen told other young gentlemen what they knew rather better than the -young gentlemen telling them respecting the ology of which they treated. - -In like fashion, I am afraid I may be only telling you what you know -already, or what you might have known, but have not cared about learning. -The fact is, all that this chapter contains is to be elsewhere found at -greater length. I have no new theories of my own upon the subject, and, -indeed, would not presume to argue the question of the domestic Cat's -origin with those who have so ably treated the subject in books long since -written. To tell the truth, I was not myself very much interested about -the matter when I began to read the arguments on either side. Will you be? -I am inclined to think not. However, here is a brief statement of the -case, which is easily skipped if not approved of. - -M. Rueppel, who discovered in the wild regions west of the Nile a Cat about -one-third smaller than the European Cat, and having a longer tail, is of -opinion that the animal was descended from the domestic Cat of the ancient -Egyptians, and that the Egyptian and our domestic Cat are identical. -Temminck is of the same opinion; but Professor Owen objects to this -theory, because the first deciduous molar-tooth of the Egyptian Cat has a -relatively thicker crown, and is supported by three roots, whilst the -corresponding tooth of the domestic and wild Cat of Europe has a thinner -crown, and only two roots. A writer on the subject, in 1836, says, there -is no doubt but that the wild Cat of the European forests is the tame Cat -of European houses; that the wild Cat at some period has been -domesticated, and that the tame Cat would become wild if turned into the -woods. Mr. Bell, however, with regard to the belief that the common wild -Cat is the father of the tame, says, that the general conformation of the -two animals is considerably different, especially in the length and form -of the tail. The fur, too, of the wild Cat is thicker and longer. - -Sir William Jardine thinks that, since the introduction of our house Cat -to this country, there may have been an accidental cross with the wild -native species, by which the difference in form between the wild and tame -Cat may be accounted for. "The domestic Cat," says he, "is the only one of -this race which has been generally used in the economy of man. Some of the -other small species have shown that they might be applied to similar -purposes; and we have seen that the general disposition of this family -will not prevent their training. Much pains would have been necessary to -effect this, and none of the European nations were likely to have -attempted it. The scarcity of Cats in Europe, in its earliest ages, is -also well known, and in the tenth and eleventh centuries a good mouser -brought a high price." - -Another author, quoting the above, says:-- - -"Although our opinion coincides with that of Rueppel, and we think that we -are indebted to the superstition of the ancient Egyptians for having -domesticated the species mentioned by Rueppel, we have no doubt that since -its introduction to this country, and more particularly to the north of -Scotland, there have been occasional crosses with our native species, and -that the result of these crosses have been kept in our houses. We have -seen many Cats very closely resembling the wild Cat, and one or two which -could scarcely be distinguished from it. There is, perhaps, no other -animal that so soon loses its cultivation and returns apparently to a -state completely wild: the tasting of some wild and living food may tempt -them to seek it again and to leave their civilized homes. They then prowl -about in the same manner as their prey, couching in the long grass and -brush-wood, and hiding themselves from all publicity." - -No game destroyer, however, is more easily caught than the Cat. In summer, -when rabbit-paunches will not keep on account of the weather, a little -valerian root is used as a bait. The Cats come to rub themselves on it, -finding some unaccountable pleasure in so doing. The valerian root is of a -whitish colour, and it has a very strong and disagreeable smell: it is -used by us as a medicine in nervous disorders, and its good effects -against headaches, low-spirits, and trembling of the limbs are well known. -A story is told of a little boy home for the holidays who played an old -lady this trick:--He put some valerian root under the hearth-rug, which -set the Cat scratching, rubbing her back on it, and performing a hundred -antics, till the old lady, getting frightened, thought Puss had gone mad. -The boy then quietly took away the valerian. The Cat grew calm again, and -the old lady was much astonished. - -It is a cruel custom in some parts of the country to cut off the ears of -Cats and remove the hairs all round the exposed aperture of the ear, to -prevent the animal from poaching in the woods. It is thought that by so -doing, the wet off the bushes and grass may get into the internal cavity -of the ear, and by the pain cause the Cat to desist from the chase. Cats -so mutilated, however, often choose fine days for their poaching -expeditions. - -A Cat caught in a trap is a dangerous customer to let loose again. If the -door be opened incautiously, the Cat will probably fly at the catcher's -face the moment she sees the light. The only safe way of getting the Cat -out of the trap is to place a sack over the door end of the trap, and then -rattle the other end with a stick. The animal runs at once into the sack. - -Wild Cats not only eat birds, but seek eagerly after their eggs, of which -they are passionately fond. - -Regarding the wild Cat, Pennant says, "It may be called the 'British -Tiger': it is the fiercest and most destructive beast we have; making -dreadful havoc amongst our poultry, lambs and birds. It inhabits the most -mountainous and wooded parts of these islands, living mostly in trees and -feeding only at night. It multiplies as fast as our common Cats." - -A wild Cat is said to have been killed in Cumberland (my authority gives -no date) which measured above five feet in length from the nose to the end -of the tail. - -Mr. Timbs relates how, in 1850, he saw, at No. 175, Oxford Street, a -beautifully-marked tabby Cat weighing 25-3/4 lbs., and measuring 27 inches -round the body, and 37 inches from the tip of the tail to the end of the -nose; height to top of shoulders 11-1/2 inches: he was then seven years -old. - -The tame Cat's tail ends in a point; the wild Cat's in a tuft. The head of -the wild Cat is triangular and strongly marked, the ears triangular, -large, long and pointed. - -At the village of Barnborough, in Yorkshire, there is a tradition extant -of a serious conflict that once took place between a man and a wild Cat. -The inhabitants say that the fight began in an adjacent wood, and that the -man and Cat fought from thence to the porch of the church, where each died -of the wounds received. A rude painting in the church commemorates the -sanguinary event, and the red colour of some of the stones are, of course, -said to be blood-stains, which all the soap and water in the world could -not remove. - -In the reign of Richard II. wild Cats were reckoned among the beasts of -the chase, and there was an edict that no man should use more costly -apparel than that made of lambs' or Cats'-skins. - -In Egypt Cats were considered sacred to the Goddess Bubastis, the Egyptian -Diana. Her priestesses were vowed to celibacy: they passed a great portion -of their time attending on the Cats of the temple. Mrs. Loudon suggests -that hence, perhaps, may have arisen the idea that a fondness for Cats is -a sign of old maidism. - -Apollo created the lion to terrify his sister Diana, and she turned his -fearful beast into ridicule by mimicking it in the form of a Cat. Cats -were dedicated to Diana, not only when she bore her proper name, but when -she was called "Hecate." Witches who worshipped Hecate had always a -favourite Cat. - -A very great number of Cats' mummies, discovered in Egypt, afford ample -proof of the esteem in which Pussy was held in "Thebes' Streets Three -Thousand Years Ago." If one died a natural death, it was mourned for with -many ceremonies; among others the entire household, where the death took -place, shaved off their eyebrows. If killed, the murderer was given up to -the mob to buffet him to death. Cats were held sacred when alive, and when -they died were embalmed and deposited in the niches of the catacombs. An -insult offered by a Roman to a Cat caused an insurrection among the -Egyptians when nothing else could excite them. Cambyses gained Pelusis, -which had previously successfully resisted all attacks, by the following -stratagem:--He gave to each of his soldiers employed in the attack a live -Cat, instead of a buckler, and the Egyptians, rather than hurt the objects -of their veneration, suffered themselves to be vanquished without striking -a blow. - -Herodotus tells us that "on every occasion of a fire in Egypt, the -strangest prodigy occurs with the Cats. The inhabitants allow the fire to -rage as long as it pleases, while they stand about, at intervals, and -watch these animals, which, slipping by the men, or else leaping over -them, rush headlong into the flames." - -In some of the curious Egyptian pictures at the British Museum, you may -see the representation of Cats being trained to catch birds. - -Cats are frequently trained in California to catch a species of burrowing -pouched rat, called a gopher, a destructive animal infesting fields and -gardens. Cats, so trained, are very valuable. - -We are told that there was once a Cape in the Island of Cyprus, which was -called Cat Cape. A monastery stood here, the monks of which were compelled -by their vows to keep a great number of Cats, to wage war against the -snakes, with which the Island was swarming. At the sound of a certain bell -the Cats came trooping home to their meals, and then rushed out again to -the chase. When, however, the Turks conquered the Island, they destroyed -both the Cats and their home. - -In the middle ages, animals formed as prominent a part in the worship of -the time as in the old religion of Egypt. The Cat was a very important -personage in religious festivals. At Aix, in Provence, on the festival of -Corpus Christi, the finest Tom-cat of the country, wrapt in swaddling -clothes like a child, was exhibited in a magnificent shrine to public -admiration. Every knee was bent, every hand strewed flowers, or poured -incense, and Grimalkin was treated in all respects as the god of the day. -But on the festival of St. John, poor Tom's fate was reversed. A number of -the tabby tribe were put into a wicker basket, and thrown alive into the -midst of an immense fire, kindled in the public square by the bishop and -his clergy. Hymns and anthems were sung, and processions were made by the -priest and people in honour of the sacrifice. - -In the reign of Howel the Good, who died in 948, a law was made in Wales, -fixing the price of the Cat, which was then of great scarcity. A kitten -before it got its sight was to cost one penny; until a warranty was given -of its having caught a mouse, twopence; after this important event, -fourpence, and a very high price, too, the times considered. The Cat, -however, was required to be perfect in its senses of seeing and hearing, -should be a good mouser, have its claws uninjured, and, if a lady pussy, -be a good mamma. If after it was sold, it was found wanting in any of -these particulars, the seller was to forfeit a third of the -purchase-money. If any one stole or killed the Cat that was guarding the -prince's granary, the criminal forfeited a milch ewe with her fleece and -lamb, or as much wheat as when poured upon a Cat suspended by its tail, -would bury the animal up to the top of its tail. - -In Abyssinia, Cats are so valuable, that a marriageable girl who is likely -to come in for a Cat, is looked upon as quite an heiress. - -The resemblance between the Tiger and the Cat is so striking, that little -children first taken to the Zoological Gardens almost always call the -Tigers great Cats; and, in their native woods, Tigers purr. - -The domestic species require no description, but one or two of the -varieties may be mentioned: - -The Cat of Angora, is a very beautiful variety, with silvery hair of fine -silken texture, generally longest on the neck, but also long on the tail. -Some are yellowish, and others olive, approaching to the colour of the -Lion; but they are all delicate creatures, and of gentle dispositions. Mr. -Wood, while staying in Paris, made the acquaintance of an Angora, which -ate two plates of almond biscuits at a sitting. This breed of Cats has -singular tastes; I knew one that took very kindly to gin and water, and -was rather partial to curry. He also ate peas, greens, and broad beans -(in moderation). Most Cats are fond of asparagus. - -The Persian Cat is a variety with hair very long, and very silky, perhaps -more so than the Cat of Angora; it is however differently coloured, being -of a fine uniform grey on the upper part, with the texture of the fur as -soft as silk, and the lustre glossy; the colour fades off on the lower -parts of the sides, and passes into white, or nearly so, on the belly. -This is, probably, one of the most beautiful varieties, and it is said to -be exceedingly gentle in its manners. - -The Chinese Cat has the fur beautifully glossed, but it is very different -from either of those which have been mentioned. It is variegated with -black and yellow, and, unlike most of the race, has the ears pendulous. -Bosman, writing about the ears, says: "It is worthy of observation, that -there is in animals evident signs of ancestry of their slavery. Long ears -are produced by time and civilization, and all wild animals have straight -round ears." - -The Tortoise-shell or Spanish Cat is one of the prettiest varieties of -those which have the fur of moderate length, and without any particular -silvery gloss. The colours are very pure, black, white, and reddish -orange; and, in this country, at least, males thus marked are said to be -rare, though they are quite common in Egypt and the south of Europe. This -variety has other qualities to recommend it, besides the beauty of its -colours. Tortoise-shell Cats are very elegant, though delicate in their -form, and are, at the same time, very active, and among the most attached -and grateful of the whole race. - -Bluish grey is not a common colour; this species are styled "Chartreux -Cats," and are esteemed rarities. - -The Manx Cat is perhaps the most singular; its limbs are gaunt, its fur -close set, its eyes staring and restless, and it has no tail; that is to -say, there is only a sort of knob as though its tail had been amputated. -"A black Manx Cat," says a modern writer, "with its staring eyes and its -stump of a tail, is a most measly looking beast, which would find a more -appropriate resting place at Kirk Alloway or the Black Bay, than at the -fireside of a respectable household. So it might fitly be the quadrupedal -form in which the ancient sorcerers were wont to clothe themselves on -their nocturnal excursions." - -I read in an article by Mr. Lord that there is a variety of tailless Cats -found in various parts of the world, and he suggests that this -deficiency may be due to an accident originally, but perpetuated by -interbreeding. I am not quite of the same opinion. It reminds one of the -old saying, "It runs in the blood, like wooden legs." - -I recollect the case of a young gentleman who devoted his leisure evenings -to cutting off Cats' tails in the neighbourhood in which he lived. He hung -them up in bunches to dry, and had rare sport, while it lasted, in making -the collection, only some one, who was a Cat-owner, did not see the fun of -it, and put an end to the joke. Some young men think it a manly sport to -kill or hunt down Cats; and, by the way, do you remember Sir Robert Peel's -memorable speech about the Volunteers, thus reported in _Hansard_?:-- - -"At Hythe the first prize was carried off by a genuine Cockney. Upon being -asked how he had acquired his extraordinary skill and precision-- - -"'Oh,' said he, as reported in the columns of the _Court Journal_, 'I live -in London, and have had considerable practice in shooting at the Cats of -my Brompton neighbours.' - -"It was not, perhaps, of much consequence in the depth of winter -(continued Sir R. Peel), but no man could tell what a scene London would -present in the height of the season. Everybody would be shooting at his -neighbour's Cat. There would be the stoker of the Railway Rifles potting -at the funnels of the North Western, and we should have the Finsbury -Filibusters fluking over Cripplegate. He trusted, however, that before -that time a stop would be put to the Volunteer movement," etc., etc. - -Cats do certainly seem to enjoy themselves on moonlight nights, anyhow -they make noise enough. The Cat was believed by the ancients to stand in -some relation to the moon, for Plutarch says that the Cat was the symbol -of the moon on account of her different colours, her busy ways at night, -and her giving birth to twenty-eight young ones during the course of her -life, which is exactly the number of the phases of the moon. - -The ancients identified Bubastis with the Greek Artemis (or Diana), and -each was regarded as the Goddess of the moon. Bubastis was generally -represented as a woman with a Cat's head. - -It might occur to some, that "Puss" is derived from the Egyptian name, -_Pasht_; but perhaps it is better to acquiesce in the derivation from the -Latin, _Pusus_ (a little boy), or _Pusa_ (a little girl). By others this -term is thought to be a corruption of _Pers_. The French of Cat is -_Chat_; the German, _Katze_; the Italian, _Gatto_; the Spanish, _Gato_; -the Dutch and Danish, _Kat_; the Welsh, _Cath_; the Latin, _Catus_: the -French of Puss is _Minette_. You have heard the story, I suppose, of the -person who being told to decline the noun Cat, when he came to the -vocative, said "O Cat!" on which he was reminded that if he spoke to a Cat -he would say "Puss." - -Mr. Buchton says, that "the only language in which the name of the Cat is -significant, is the Zend, where the word _Gatu_, almost identical with the -Spanish _Gato_, means a place--a word peculiarly significant in reference -to this animal, whose attachment is peculiar to place, and not to the -person, so strikingly indicated by the dog." - -In some parts of Lancashire, a Tom is still called a "Gib" or "Gibbe" Cat, -the _g_ being pronounced _hard_, not _jibbe_, as found in most -dictionaries. According to Nares, Gib, the contraction of Gilbert, was the -name formerly applied to a Cat, as Tom is now, and that Tibert, as given -in _Reynard the Fox_, was the old French for Gilbert. Chaucer in his -_Romance of the Rose_ translates _Thibert le Cas_ by "Gibbe our Cat." -Shakespeare applies the word Gibbe to an old worn-out animal. The term -Gib-face means the lower lip of a horse. In mechanics, the pieces of -iron employed to clasp together the pieces of wood or metal of a frame -which is to be keyed previous to inserting the keys, are called Gibs. -Anyone curious upon the subject of Gib Cats, may find the subject treated -at length in the _Etymologicon_. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - - -[Illustration: CHAPTER VII.] - -_Of some Clever Cats._ - - -This domestic animal, as Dr. Johnson puts it, "that catches mice," can do -many other things when it has a fair opportunity of distinguishing itself. -It is difficult, but by no means impossible, to teach a Cat tricks. I -myself had a favourite Cat, lately dead, which performed a variety of -amusing feats, though I must own that it was extremely coquettish, and -nine times out of ten refused to exhibit before a visitor, invited -specially to witness the little comedy. Many Cats, without teaching, learn -droll tricks. - -Doctor Smellie tells of a Cat that had learned to lift the latch of a -door; and other tales have been related of Cats that have been taught to -ring a bell by hanging to the bell rope; and this anecdote is related by -the illustrious Sam Slick, of Slickville. It occurred, several times, that -his servant entered the library without having been summoned by his -master, and in all cases the domestic was quite sure he had heard the -bell. Great wonderment was caused by this, and the servant began to -suspect that the house was haunted. It was, at length, noticed that on all -these mysterious occasions the Cat entered with the servant. She was, -therefore, watched, and it was soon perceived that whenever she found the -library door closed against her, she jumped on to the window-sill, and -thence sprang at the bell. This feat was exhibited to several of the -clockmaker's friends, for the Cat when shut out of the room, would at once -resort to this mode of obtaining admission. - -[Illustration: THE CUNNING CAT. _Page 113._] - -My third story is a time-honoured one that almost every person who has -written about Cats has related. There was once upon a time, a -monastery, a Cat, and a dinner-bell. Every day at a certain hour the -bell was rung, and the monks and the Cat had their meal together. There -however came a time when, during the bell ringing, the Cat happened to be -locked in a room at the other end of the building. Some hours afterwards -she was released, and ran straight to the refectory, to find, alas! -nothing but bare tables to welcome her. Presently the monks were -astonished by a loud summons from the dinner-bell. Had the cook, in his -absence of mind, prepared another dinner? Some of them hurried to the -spot, where they found the Cat swinging on the bell-rope. She had learnt -from experience that there never was any dinner without a bell ringing; -and by force of reasoning, no doubt, had come to the conclusion that the -dinner would be sure to come if she only rang loud enough. - -But that story is not half so wonderful as another, about an Angora Cat -belonging to a Carthusian monastery at Paris. This ingenious animal -discovered that, when a certain bell rang, the cook left the kitchen to -answer it, leaving the monks' dinners, portioned out in plates, -unprotected. The plan the Cat adopted was to ring the bell, the handle of -which hung outside the kitchen by the side of a window, to leap through -the window, and back again when she had secured one of the portions. -This little manoeuvre she carried on for some weeks before the perpetrator -of the robbery was discovered; and there is no saying, during this lapse -of time, how many innocent persons were unjustly suspected. Who shall say, -indeed, but that the head of the establishment did not, as in the great -Jackdaw case, call for his candle, his bell, and his book, and in holy -anger, in pious grief, solemnly curse that rascally thief, as, you -remember, the Cardinal cursed the Jackdaw:-- - - "He cursed him at board, he cursed him in bed, - From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head; - He cursed him in eating, he cursed him in drinking, - He cursed him in coughing, in sneezing, in winking; - He cursed him in sitting, in standing, in lying; - He cursed him in walking, in riding, in flying; - He cursed him in living, he cursed him in dying;-- - Never was heard such a terrible curse! - But what gave rise - To no little surprise, - Nobody seemed one penny the worse!" - -When, however, they found out that Pussy was the wrong-doer, and, unlike -the Jackdaw, had grown fat upon her misdeeds, they did not hang her, as -you might suppose, though I have no doubt that course was suggested; on -the contrary, they allowed her to pursue her nefarious career, and -charged visitors a small fee to be allowed to see her do it. Out of evil -sometimes may come good; but one would hardly think that the best way of -making a person's fortune was to rob him. - -Cats have been frequently known to do their best to protect the property -of their masters, as well as dogs. A man who was imprisoned for a -burglary, in America, stated after his conviction, that he and two others -broke into the house of a gentleman, near Harlem. While they were in the -act of plundering it, a large black Cat flew at one of the robbers, and -fixed her claws on each side of his face. He added, that he never saw a -man so frightened in his life; and that in his alarm, he made such an -outcry, that they had to beat a precipitate retreat, to avoid detection. - -A lady in Liverpool had a favourite Cat. She never returned home, after a -short absence, without being joyfully received by it. One Sunday, however, -on returning from church, she was surprised to find that Pussy did not -receive her as usual, and its continued absence made her a little uneasy. -The servants were all appealed to, but none could account for the -circumstance. The lady, therefore, made a strict search for her feline -friend, and descending to the lower storey, was surprised to hear her -cries of "Puss" answered by the mewing of a Cat, the sounds proceeding -from the wine cellar, which had been properly locked and the key placed in -safe custody. As the Cat was in the parlour when the lady left for church, -it was unnecessary to consult a "wise man" to ascertain that the servants -had clandestine means of getting into the wine cellar, and that they had -forgotten, when they themselves returned, to request pussy, also, to -withdraw. The contents of the cellar, from that time forward, did not -disappear as quickly as they had been doing for some time previously. - -A woman was murdered at Lyons, and when the body was found weltering in -blood, a large white Cat was seen mounted on the cornice of a cupboard. He -sat motionless, his eyes fixed on the corpse, and his attitude and looks -expressing horror and affright. Next morning he was still found there; and -when the room was filled by the officers of justice, neither the -clattering of the soldiers' arms nor the loud conversation frightened him -away. As soon, however, as the suspected persons were brought in, his eyes -glared with fury, and his hair bristled. He darted into the middle of the -room, where he stopped for a moment to gaze on them, and then fled -precipitately. The faces of the assassins showed, for the first time, -signs of guilt: they were afterwards brought to trial, condemned, and, -before execution, confessed. - -In September, 1850, the mistress of a public house in the Commercial Road, -London, going late at night into the tap-room, found her Cat in a state of -great excitement. It would not suffer itself to be stroked, but ran -wildly, to and fro, between its mistress and the chimney-piece, mewing -loudly. The landlady alarmed, summoned assistance, and presently a robber -was discovered up the chimney. Upon his trial it was proved that he had -robbed several public-houses, by remaining last in the tap-room, and -concealing himself in a similar manner. - -An old maiden lady, rich and miserly, had, in the latter years of her -life, placed all her affections upon a Cat she called "Minny," for which -she had made a fine bed-place in the wainscot, over a closet in the -parlour, where she kept the animal's provisions. The food in question was -stowed away in a drawer, and under the drawer which served as Minny's -safe, was another, very artfully concealed, and closing with a spring. To -the latter the Cat had often seen its mistress pay lengthened visits. When -the old lady died, her heirs came to live in the house, and Minny being -no longer fed with the same regularity, was often hungry, and would then -go and scratch at the drawer where its food had been kept. The drawer -being at length opened, some pieces of meat were found within in a -mummified state. These having been given to the Cat, failed to console -her, and she scratched harder than ever at the secret drawer underneath; -and Minny's new masters, in course of time understanding what she meant, -broke it open, and found twenty small canvas bags of guineas snugly packed -up within. My authority does not say how Minny fared after this little -discovery. Let us hope she was allowed her old sleeping-place, and got her -food with tolerable regularity. But there is no knowing. - -Cats are very fond of creeping into out-of-the-way holes and corners, and, -sometimes, pay dearly for so doing. - -Once when repairing the organ in Westminster Abbey, a dried Cat was found -in one of the large recumbent wooden pipes, which had been out of tune for -some time. In one of the rooms at the Foreign Office, some years ago, -there was, for a long time, a very disagreeable smell, which was supposed -to arise from the drains. At length some heavy volumes being taken down -from a shelf, the body of a dried Cat was found behind them. The -unfortunate animal had been shut up by accident, and starved to death, a -prisoner, like the heroine of the "Oak Chest." - -Mrs. Loudon, in her book of _Domestic Pets_, tells several amusing -stories. Her mother, the writer says, had a servant who disliked Cats very -much, and in particular a large black Cat, which she was in the habit of -beating, whenever she could do so unobserved. The Cat disliked and feared -the girl exceedingly; however, one day, when her enemy was carrying some -dishes down-stairs into the kitchen, and had both her hands full, the Cat -flew at her and scratched her hands and face severely. - -A strange Cat had two kittens in a stable belonging to the house, and one -day, pitying its wretched condition, Mrs. Loudon ordered her some milk. A -large Tom Cat, attached to the establishment, watched the proceeding very -attentively, and while the Cat was lapping, went to the stable, brought -out one of the kittens in his mouth, and placed it beside the saucer, and -then fetched the other, looking up into the lady's face, and mewing when -he had done so, as much as to say, "You have fed the mother, so you may as -well feed the children," which was done; and it should be added, for the -credit of Tom's character, that he never attempted to touch the milk -himself. - -But the best story is this:--Mrs. Loudon had a Cat which had unfortunately -hurt its leg. During the whole time the leg was bad, that lady constantly -gave it milk; but, at last, she found out that, though the Cat had become -quite well, yet whenever it saw her, it used to walk lame and hold up its -paw, as though it were painful to put it to the ground. - -A favourite Cat, much petted by her mistress, was one day struck by a -servant. She resented the injury so much that she refused to eat anything -which he gave her. Day after day he handed her dinner to her, but she sat -in sulky indignation, though she eagerly ate the food as soon as it was -offered to her by any other person. Her resentment continued, -undiminished, for upwards of six weeks. - -The same Cat, having been offended by the housemaid, watched three days -before she found a favourable opportunity for retaliation. The housemaid -was on her knees, washing the passage, when the Cat went up to her and -scratched her arm, to show her that no one should illuse her with -impunity. It is, however, but fair to record her good qualities as well as -her bad ones. If her resentment was strong, her attachment was equally -so, and she took a singular mode of showing it. All the tit-bits she could -steal from the pantry, and all the dainty mice she could catch, she -invariably brought and laid at her mistress's feet. She has been known to -bring a mouse to her door in the middle of the night, and mew till it was -opened, when she would present it to her mistress. After doing this she -was quiet and contented. - -Just before the earthquake at Messina, a merchant of that town noticed -that his Cats were scratching at the door of his room, in a state of great -excitement. He opened the door for them, and they flew down-stairs and -began to scratch more violently still at the street-door. Filled with -wonder, the master let them out and followed them through the town out of -the gates, and into the fields beyond, but, even then, they seemed half -mad with fright, and scratched and tore at the grass. Very shortly the -first shock of the earthquake was felt, and many houses (the merchant's -among them) came thundering in ruins to the ground. - -A family in Callander had in their possession a favourite Tom Cat, which -had, upon several occasions, exhibited more than ordinary sagacity. One -day, Tom made off with a piece of beef, and the servant followed him -cautiously, with the intention of catching, and administering to him a -little wholesome correction. To her amazement, she saw the Cat go to a -corner of the yard where she knew a rat-hole existed, and lay the beef -down by the side of it. Leaving the beef there, he hid himself a short -distance off, and watched until a rat made its appearance. Tom's tail then -began to wag, and just as the rat was moving away with the bait, he sprang -upon, and killed it. - -It one day occurred to M. de la Croix that he ought to try an experiment -upon a Cat with an air pump. The necessity for her torture was not, -however, so apparent to the intended victim of science as to the -scientific experimenter. Therefore, when she found the air growing scarce, -and discovered how it was being exhausted, she stopped up the valve with -her paw. Then M. de la Croix let the air run back, and Pussy took away her -paw, but as soon as he began to pump, she again stopped up the hole. This -baffled the man of science, and there is no knowing what valuable -discovery might have been made, had not his feline friend been so very -unaccommodating. - -Dr. Careri, in his _Voyage round the World_ in 1695, says, that a person, -in order to punish a mischievous monkey, placed upon the fire a cocoa -nut, and then hid himself, to see how the monkey would take it from the -fire without burning his paws. The cunning creature looked about, and -seeing a Cat by the fireside, held her head in his mouth, and with her -paws took off the nut, which he then threw into water to cool, and ate it. - -Cats have always been famous for the wonderful manner in which they have -found their way back to their old home, when they have been taken from it, -and for this reason alone, have often been accused of loving only the -house and not its inmates. It is more probable though, I should think, -that the animal returns to the place because its associations there have -been happy, and, in the confusion and strangeness of the new house, it -cannot comprehend that its old friends have come with it. For instance, I -have known a Cat when taken away from a house, return to it, and going -from room to room, mew pitifully, in search of the former inmates. When -taken away a second time, the new place having in the meantime been set -straight, it found nothing to frighten it there, and returned no more to -its old house. - -I knew a person who was in the habit of moving about a great deal, and -hiring furnished houses, who had a Cat called Sandy, on account of his -colour, which he found in the first instance, in a sort of half-wild -state, on Hampstead Heath, mostly living up a tree. It had been left -behind by the people who had last occupied the house, and locked out by -the landlady. It was about nine or ten years old, and goodness knows how -many dwelling places it may have had; with its new friends, I know of five -or six changes, and am told that it always made itself perfectly at home -in half an hour after entering a new house. It was taken from place to -place in a hamper, and the lid being raised would put out its head and -sniff the air in the drollest manner. Getting out very cautiously, it -would then make a tour of the premises, and inspect the furniture; at the -end of about half an hour it washed its face and seemed settled. - -A lady residing in Glasgow had a handsome Cat sent to her from Edinburgh: -it was conveyed to her in a close basket in a carriage. The animal was -carefully watched for two months; but having produced a pair of young ones -at the end of that time, she was left to her own discretion, which she -very soon employed in disappearing with both her kittens. The lady at -Glasgow wrote to her friend at Edinburgh, deploring her loss, and the Cat -was supposed to have formed some new attachment. About a fortnight, -however, after her disappearance from Glasgow, her well-known mew was -heard at the street-door of her Edinburgh mistress; and there she was with -both her kittens, they in the best state, but she, herself, very thin. It -is clear that she could carry only one kitten at a time. The distance from -Glasgow to Edinburgh is forty-four miles, so that if she brought one -kitten part of the way, and then went back for the other, and thus -conveyed them alternately, she must have travelled 120 miles at least. -She, also, must have journeyed only during the night, and must have -resorted to many other precautions for the safety of her young. - -Mr. Lord relates a story of a Cat living with some friends of his in a -house on an island. The family changed residence, and the Cat was sewn up -in a hamper and taken round to the other side of the island in a boat. The -island was sparsely inhabited, timbered, and there were but few paths cut -to traverse it by, and yet the Cat found its way during the night back -again to its old residence. There could have been no scent of foot-prints, -neither was there any road or path to guide it. - -Another Cat was conveyed from its home in Jamaica to a place five miles -distant, and during the time of its transport was sown up closely in a -bag. Between the two places were two rivers, one of them about eighty feet -broad, deep, and running strong; the other wider and more rapid. The Cat -must have swum these rivers, as there were no bridges; but in spite of all -obstacles, she made her way back to the house from which she had been -taken. - -In 1819 a favourite Tabby belonging to a shipmaster was left on shore, by -accident, while his vessel sailed from the harbour of Aberdour, Fifeshire, -which is about half a mile from the village. The vessel was a month -absent, and on her return, to the astonishment of the shipmaster, Puss -came on board with a fine stout kitten in her mouth, apparently about -three weeks old, and went directly down into the cabin. Two others of her -young ones were afterwards caught, quite wild, in a neighbouring wood, -where she must have remained with them until the return of the ship. The -shipmaster did not allow her, again, to go on shore, otherwise it is -probable she would have brought all her family on board. It was very -remarkable, because vessels were daily going in and out of the harbour, -none of which she ever thought of visiting till the one she had left -returned. - -In a parish in Norfolk, not six miles from the town of Bungay, lived a -clergyman, who, having a Cat, sentenced it to transportation for life -because it had committed certain depredations on his larder. But the -worthy gentleman found it far easier to pronounce the sentence than to -carry it into execution. Poor Puss was first taken to Bungay, but had -hardly got there when she escaped, and was soon at home again. Her morals, -however, had in no way improved, and a felonious abstraction of butcher's -meat immediately occurred. This time the master determined to send the -hardened culprit away to a distance, which, as he expressed it, "she would -not walk in a hurry." He accordingly gave her (generous man) to a person -living at Fakenham, distant at least forty miles. The man called for her -in the morning, and carried her off in a bag, that she might not know by -what road he went. Vain hope! She knew well enough the way home, as he -found to his cost, for directly the house-door was opened the next -morning, she rushed out and he saw no more of her. The night after a faint -mewing was heard outside the minister's dwelling, but not being so rare an -occurrence no attention was paid to it. However, on opening the door -next morning, there lay the very Cat which he thought was forty miles -away, her feet all cut and blistered, from the hardness of the road, and -her silky fur all clotted and matted together with dust and dirt. She had -her reward; however her thievish propensities might annoy him, the worthy -vicar resolved never again to send her away from the house she loved so -well, and exerted herself so nobly to regain. - -The Rev. Mr. Wood furnishes some curious particulars of two commercial -Cats of his acquaintance, which he very comically describes:-- - -"I will tell you," says he, "something about our Mincing Lane Cats. Their -home was in the cellar, and their habits and surroundings, as you may -imagine, from the locality, were decidedly commercial. We had one cunning -old black fellow, whose wisdom was acquired by sad experience. In early -youth, he must have been very careless; he then was always getting in the -way of the men and the wine cases, and frequent were the disasters he -suffered through coming into collision with moving bodies. His ribs had -often been fractured, and when nature repaired them, she must have handed -them over to the care of her 'prentice hand,' for the work was done in -rather a rough and knotty manner. This battered and suffering Pussy was at -last assisted by a younger hero, which, profiting by the teachings of his -senior, managed to avoid the scrapes which had tortured the one who was -self-educated. These two Cats, Junior and Senior, appeared to swear (Cats -will swear) eternal friendship at first sight. An interchange of good -offices was at once established. Senior taught Junior to avoid men's feet -and wine cases in motion, and pointed out the favourite hunting grounds, -while Junior offered to his Mentor the aid of his activity and physical -prowess. - -Senior had a cultivated and epicurean taste for mice, though he was too -old to catch them; he therefore entered into a solemn league and covenant -with the junior to this effect:--It was agreed between the two contracting -powers, that Junior should devote his energies to catching mice for the -benefit of Senior, who, in consideration of such service, was to -relinquish his claim to a certain daily allowance of Cat's meat in favour -of Junior. This courteous compact was actually and seriously carried out. -It was an amusing and touching spectacle, to behold young Pussy gravely -laying at the feet of his elder the contents of his game bag; on the other -hand, Senior, true to his bargain, licking his jaws and watching Junior -steadily consuming a double allowance of Cat's meat. - -Senior had the rare talent of being able to carry a bottle of champagne -from one end of the cellar to the other, perhaps a distance of a hundred -and fifty feet. The performance was managed in this wise. You gently and -lovingly approached the Cat as if you did not mean to perpetrate anything -wicked; having gained his confidence by fondly stroking his back, you -suddenly seized his tail, and by that member raised the animal bodily from -the ground--his fore feet sprawling in the air ready to catch hold of any -object within reach. You then quickly brought the bottle of wine to the -seizing point; Pussy clutched the object with a kind of despairing grip. -By means of the aforesaid tail, you carefully carried pussy, bottle and -all, from one part of the cellar to the other. Pussy, however, soon became -disgusted with this manoeuvre, and whenever he saw a friend with a bottle -of champagne looming, he used to beat a precipitate retreat. - -The reverend gentleman before quoted, had at one time in his possession a -marvellously clever little Cat, which he called "Pret," and concerning -which he relates a host of anecdotes; from them are culled the -following:-- - -Pret knew but one fear, and had but few hates. The booming sound of -thunder smote her with terror, and she most cordially hated grinding -organs and singular costumes. At the sound of a thunderclap poor Pret -would fly to her mistress for succour, trembling in every limb. If the -dreaded sound occurred in the night or early morning, Pret would leap on -the bed and crawl under the clothes as far as the very foot. If the -thunder came on by day, Pret would climb on her mistress's knees, put her -paws round her neck and hide her face between them with deliberation. - -She disliked music of all kinds, but bore a special antipathy to barrel -organs; probably because the costume of the organ-grinder was as -unpleasing to her eyes, as his doleful sounds were to her ears. But her -indignation reached the highest bounds at the sight of a Greenwich -pensioner accoutred in those grotesque habiliments with which the crippled -defenders of their country are forced to invest their battered frames. It -was the first time that so uncouth an apparition had presented itself to -her eyes, and her anger seemed only equalled by her astonishment. She got -on the window sill, and there chafed and growled with a sound resembling -the miniature roar of a lion. When thus excited she used to present a -strange appearance, owing to a crest or ridge of hair which then erected -itself on her back, and extended from the top of her head to the root of -her tail, which latter member was marvellously expanded. Gentle as she was -in her ordinary demeanour, Pret was a terrible Cat when she saw cause, and -was undaunted by size or numbers. - -She had a curious habit of catching mice by the very tips of their tails, -and of carrying the poor little animals about the house, dangling -miserably from her jaws. Apparently her object in so doing was to present -her prey uninjured to her mistress, who she evidently supposed would enjoy -a game with a mouse as well as herself, for like human beings she judged -the characters of others by her own. This strange custom of tail-bearing -was carried into the privacy of her own family, and caused rather -ludicrous results. When Pret became a mother, and desired to transport her -kittens from one place to another, she followed her acquired habit of -porterage, and tried to carry her kittens about by the tips of their -tails. As might be supposed, they objected to this mode of conveyance, and -sticking their claws in the carpet, held firmly to the ground, mewing -piteously, while their mother was tugging at their tails. It was -absolutely necessary to release the kittens from their painful position, -and to teach Pret how a kitten ought to be carried. After a while, she -seemed to comprehend the state of things, and ever afterwards carried her -offspring by the nape of the neck. At one time, when she was yet in her -kittenhood, another kitten lived in the same house, and very much annoyed -Pret, by coming into the room and eating the meat that had been laid out -for herself. However, Pret soon got over the difficulty, by going to the -plate as soon as it was placed at her accustomed spot, picking out all the -large pieces of meat and hiding them under the table. She then sat down -quietly, placing herself sentry over her hidden treasure, while the -intruding Cat entered the room, walked up to the plate, and finished the -little scraps of meat that Pret had thought fit to leave. After the -obnoxious individual had left the room, Pret brought her concealed -treasures from their hiding-place and consumed them with deliberation. - -Clever as Pret was, she sometimes displayed a most unexpected simplicity -of character. After the fashion of the Cat tribe, she delighted in -covering up the remainder of her food with any substance that seemed most -convenient. She was accustomed, after taking her meals, to fetch a piece -of paper and lay it over the saucer, or to put her paw in her mistress's -pocket and extract her handkerchief for the same purpose. This little -performance showed some depth of reasoning in the creature, but she would -sometimes act in a manner totally opposed to rational actions. Paper or -handkerchief failing, she has been often seen, after partly finishing her -meal, to fetch one of her kittens and to lay it over the plate for the -purpose of covering up the remaining food. When kitten, paper, and -handkerchief were all wanting, she did her best to scratch up the carpet -and lay the fragments over the plate. She has been known, in her anxiety -to find a covering for the superabundant food, to drag a tablecloth from -its proper locality, and to cause a sad demolition of the superincumbent -fragile ware. Please to remember that I have the above upon Mr. Wood's -authority, not my own. - -Regarding the attachment of Cats to places, the following remarks of the -late Rev. Caesar Otway, in his lecture on the Intellectuality of Domestic -Animals before the Royal Zoological Society of Ireland, some years ago, -deserve attention. "Of Cats," he says, "time does not allow me to say -much, but this I must affirm, that they are misrepresented, and often the -victims of prejudice. It is strictly maintained that they have little or -no affection for _persons_, and that their partialities are confined to -_places_. I have known many instances of the reverse. When leaving, about -fifteen years ago, a glebe-house to remove into Dublin, the Cat that was a -favourite with me, and with my children, was left behind, in our hurry. On -seeing strange faces come into the house, she instantly left it, and took -up her abode in the top of a large cabbage stalk, whose head had been cut -off, but which retained a sufficient number of leaves to protect poor Puss -from the weather. In this position she remained, and nothing could induce -her to leave it, until I sent a special messenger to bring her to my house -in town. At present I have a Cat that follows my housekeeper up and down -like a Dog; every morning she comes up at daybreak in winter to the door -of the room in which the maid servants sleep, and there she mews until -they get up." - - * * * * * - -I think I ought to conclude my chapter of Clever Cats with this story, -which, though old, is funny:--There was a lady of Potsdam, living with her -little children, one of whom, while at play, ran a splinter into her -foot, causing her to scream violently. The elder sister was asleep at the -time, but awakened by the child's cries, and while just in the act of -getting up to quiet it, observed a favourite Cat, with whom the children -were wont to play, and which was of a remarkably gentle disposition, leave -its seat by the fire, go to the crying baby, and give her a smart blow on -the cheek with one of her paws; after which, Puss walked back with the -greatest composure and gravity to her place, as if satisfied with her own -conduct, and with the hope of being able to go on with her nap -undisturbed. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - - -[Illustration: CHAPTER VIII.] - -_Of some amiable Cats, and Cats that have been good Mothers._ - - -To lead a "Cat and Dog life" means a good deal of scratching and biting; -but Dogs and Cats have been known to get on very amiably before now. - -[Illustration: CAT AND DOG LIFE. _Page 139._] - -There was a Cat which had formed a very warm friendship with a large -Newfoundland dog: she continually caressed him--advanced in all haste when -he came home, with her tail erect, and rubbed her head against him, -purring with delight. When he lay before the kitchen fire, she used him as -a bed, pulling up and settling his hair with her claws to make it -comfortable. As soon as she had arranged it to her liking, she lay down -upon him, and fell asleep. The dog bore this combing of his locks with -patient placidity, turning his head towards her during the operation, and -sometimes gently licked her. - -Pincher and Puss were sworn friends. Puss had a young family, with whom -Pincher was on visiting terms. The nursery was at the top of the house. -One day there was a storm; Puss was upstairs with the babies, and Pincher -was in the parlour. Pincher evidently was disturbed by the thunder. -Presently Puss came down-stairs mewing, went straight to Pincher, rubbed -her cheek against his, and touched him gently with her paw, and then -walked to the door, and, looking back, mewed, as though asking him go with -her. But Pincher was himself sorely afraid, and could render no -assistance. Puss grew desperate, and having renewed her application with -increased energy, but without success, at last left the room, mewing -piteously, while Pincher sat, with a guilty face, evidently knowing his -conduct was selfish. A lady, who had watched this scene, went out to -look after the Cat, when the animal, mewing, led the way to a bed-room on -the first floor, from under a wardrobe in which a small voice was heard -crying. Puss had brought one of her babies down-stairs, and was racked -with anxiety respecting its welfare while she fetched the others. It was -as clear as possible she wanted Pincher to lend a paw--that is to say, -look after this isolated infant while she brought down the rest. The lady -took up the kitten in her arms, and accompanied Puss up-stairs, then moved -the little bed from the window, through which the lightning had been -flashing so vividly as to alarm Puss for the safety of her family. She -remained with the Cat until the storm had subsided, and all was calm. On -the following morning, the lady was much surprised to find Puss waiting -for her outside her bed-room door, and she went with her down-stairs to -breakfast, sat by her side, and caressed her in every possible way. Puss -had always been in the habit of going down with the lady of the house, but -on this occasion she had resisted all her mistress's coaxing to leave the -other lady's door, and would not go away until she made her appearance. -She remained till breakfast was over, then went up-stairs to her family. -She had never done this before, and never did it again. She had shown -her gratitude for the lady's care of her little ones, and her duty was -done. - -A gentleman, residing in Sussex, had a Cat which showed the greatest -attachment for a young blackbird, which was given to her by a stable-boy -for food a day or two after she had been deprived of her kittens. She -tended it with the greatest care; they became inseparable companions, and -no mother could show a greater fondness for her offspring than she did for -the bird. - -This incongruity of attachment in animals will generally be found to arise -either from the feelings of natural affection which the mother is -possessed of, or else from that love of sociability, and dislike of being -alone, which is possessed, more or less, by every created being. - -A Horse and Cat were great friends, and the latter generally slept in the -manger. When the horse was about to be fed, he always took up the Cat -gently by the skin of the neck, and dropped her into the next stall, that -she might not be in his way while he was feeding. At other times, he was -pleased to have her near him. - -Mr. Bingley tells of a friend of his who had a Cat and Dog that were -always fighting. At last the dog conquered, and the Cat was driven away; -but the servant, whose sweetheart the dog disturbed, poisoned him, and his -body was carried lifeless into the courtyard. The Cat, from a neighbouring -roof, was observed to watch the motions of several persons who went up to -look at him, and when all had retired, he descended and crept cautiously -towards the body, then patted it with his paw. Apparently satisfied that -the dog's day was over, Puss re-entered the house and washed his face -before the fire. - -The Reverend Gilbert White, in his amusing book, tells of a boy, who -having taken three little young squirrels in their nest or "dray," put -these small creatures under the care of a Cat that had lately lost her -kittens, and found that she nursed and suckled them with the same -assiduity and affection as if they were her own offspring. This -circumstance, to some extent, corroborates the stories told of deserted -children being nurtured by female beasts of prey who had lost their young, -of the truth of which some authors have seriously vouched. Many people -went to see the little squirrels suckled by the Cat, and the foster mother -became jealous of her charge, and fearing for their safety, hid them over -the ceiling, where one died. This circumstance proves her affection for -the fondlings, and that she supposed them to be her young. In like fashion -hens, when they have hatched ducklings, are as attached to them as though -they were their own chickens. - -The first public exhibition of a "happy family" in England, was one -started at Coventry, about thirty-two years ago, and began with Cats, -Rats, and Pigeons in one cage. The proprietor of a happy family gave Mr. -Henry Mayhew some amusing particulars on the subject. Among other things, -he said that Mr. Monkey was very fond of the Cat, probably for warmth. He -would cuddle her for an hour at a time, but if Miss Pussy would not lie -still to suit his comfort, he would hug her round the neck and try to pull -her down. If then she became vexed, he would be afraid to face her, but -stealing slily behind, would give her tail end a nip with his teeth. The -Cat and Monkey were the best of friends as long as Miss Pussy would lie -still to be cuddled, and suit his convenience. The Monkey would be Mr. -Master in a happy family. For that reason the proprietor would not allow -either of his Cats to kitten in the cage, because Mr. Monkey would be sure -to want to know all about it, and then it would be open war, for if he -went to touch Miss Pussy or her babies, there would be a fight. Now a -Monkey is always very fond of anything young, such as a kitten, and he and -Miss Pussy would want to nurse the children. The Monkey liked very much to -get hold of a kitten and he would nurse it in his arms like a baby. The -Cats and the Birds were good friends indeed: they would perch on her back, -and even on her head, and peck at her fur. A strange Cat was introduced -into the cage, and the moment she made her entry, she looked round in a -scared way, and made a dart upon the animal nearest her, namely the owl; -the Monkey immediately ran behind and bit her tail, and the other Cats' -hair swelled up, and they seemed on the point of flying at the stranger. -The Rats fled in terror, and the little Birds fluttered on their perches -with fear. - -A priest of Lucerne, I don't know how many hundred years ago, taught a -Dog, Cat, Mouse and Sparrow, to eat out of the same plate. There is also a -somewhat unsatisfactory legend of a maiden lady who induced twenty-two -different animals to live together upon friendly terms. - -Lemmery shut up a Cat and several Mice together in a cage. The Mice in -time got to be very friendly, and plucked and nibbled at their feline -friend. When any of them grew troublesome, she would gently box their -ears. A German magazine tells us of a M. Hecart, who tamed a wild Cat and -placed a tame sparrow under its protection. Another Cat attacked the -Sparrow, which was at the most critical moment rescued by its protector. -During the Sparrows subsequent illness, the Cat watched over it with great -tenderness. The same authority gives an instance of a Cat trained like a -watch dog, to keep guard over a yard containing a Hare, and some Sparrows, -Blackbirds and Partridges. - -Captain Marryat, in his amusing way, relates this anecdote. A little black -spaniel had five puppies, which were considered too many for her to bring -up. As, however, the breed was much in request, her mistress was unwilling -that any of them should be destroyed, and asked the cook whether she -thought it would be possible to bring a portion of them up by hand before -the kitchen fire. In reply, the cook observed that the Cat had that day -littered, and that, perhaps, two puppies might be substituted. The Cat -made no objection, took to them kindly, and gradually all the kittens were -taken away, and the Cat nursed the two puppies only. Now the first -curiosity was, that the two puppies nursed by the Cat were, in a -fortnight, as active, forward, and playful as kittens would have been; -they had the use of their legs, basked and gambolled about; while the -other three, nursed by the mother, were whining and rolling about like fat -slugs. The Cat gave them her tail to play with, and they were always in -motion; they soon ate meat, and long before the others they were fit to be -removed. This was done, and the Cat became very inconsolable. She prowled -about the house, and on the second day of tribulation, fell in with the -little spaniel who was nursing the other puppies. - -"Oh!" says Puss, putting up her back, "it is you who have stolen my -children." - -"No!" replied the Spaniel, with a snarl; "they are my own flesh and -blood." - -"That won't do," said the Cat; "I'll take my oath, before any Justice of -the Peace, that you have my two babies." - -Thereupon issue was joined--that is to say, there was a desperate combat, -which ended in the defeat of the Spaniel, and in the Cat walking off -proudly with one of the puppies, which she took to her own bed. Having -deposited this one, she returned, fought again, gained another victory, -and bore off another puppy. Now, it is very singular that she should have -only taken two, the exact number she had been deprived of. - -A lady had a tortoiseshell Cat and a black and white one. A few years ago, -the latter was observed to carry her kitten, when two or three days old, -to her companion, who brought it up with her own kitten, though of a -different age, with all the tenderness of a mother. This was done time -after time, for several years; but last year it was reversed, the black -and white Cat taking her turn to discharge the duties of wet-nurse to the -kitten of the other. It is probable that a deficiency of milk was the -cause of the Cats not suckling their young. - -I find in the _Leisure Hour_ this story:-- - -"A lady of the writer's acquaintance was once walking amid the scenery of -the Isle of Wight, when she observed a little kitten curled up on a mossy -bank, in all the security of a mid-day nap. It was a beautiful little -creature, and the lady gently approached, in order to stroke it, when -suddenly down swooped a hawk, pounced upon the sleeping kitten, and -completely hid it from her sight. It was a kestrel: our friend was greatly -shocked, and tried to rescue the little victim; but the kestrel stood at -bay and refused to move. There he stood on the bank, firmly facing her, -and all her efforts to drive him from his prey failed. The lady hurried -on to a fisherman's cottage, which was near at hand, and told of the -little tragedy with the eloquence of real feeling. - -"But the fisher-folk were not so disconcerted, and, laughing, said-- - -"'It is always so; that hawk always comes down if anybody goes near the -kitten. He has taken to the kitten, and he stays near at hand to watch -whenever it goes to sleep.' - -"The case was so remarkable that the lady enquired further into its -history, and learned that the kitten's mother had died, and that the -fisherman's family had missed the little nurseling. After some time, they -observed a kestrel hawk loitering about the cottage: they used to throw -him scraps of meat, and they noticed that he always carried off a portion -of every meal, dragging even heavy bones away out of sight. His movements -were watched, and they saw that he carried the stores to the roof of a -cottage. A ladder was placed, some one ascended, and there, nestling in a -hole in the thatch, lay the lost kitten, thriving prosperously under the -tender care of its strange foster-father. The foundling was brought down, -and restored to civilized life, but the bandit-protector was not -disposed to resign his charge, and ever kept at hand to fly to the rescue -whenever dangerous ladies threatened it with a caress." - -The following instance of maternal courage and affection is recorded in -the _Naturalists' Cabinet_:-- - -"A Cat that had a numerous brood of kittens, encouraged her little ones to -frolic one summer day in the sunshine, at a stable-door. A hawk sailing -by, saw them: swift as lightning it darted down on one of the kittens, and -would have carried it off, but the mother, seeing its danger, sprang upon -the common enemy, which, to defend itself, let fall the prize. The battle -that followed was terrible, for the hawk, by the power of his wings, the -sharpness of his talons, and the keenness of his beak, had for awhile the -advantage, cruelly lacerating the poor Cat, and had actually deprived her -of one eye in the conflict; but Puss, no way daunted by this accident, -strove with all her cunning and agility for her little ones, till she had -broken the wing of her adversary. In this state she got him more within -the power of her claws, the hawk still defending himself apparently with -additional vigour; and the fight continued with equal fury on the side of -Grimalkin, to the great entertainment of many spectators. At length, -victory seemed to favour the nearly exhausted mother, and she availed -herself of the advantage; for, by an instantaneous exertion, she laid the -hawk motionless beneath her feet, and, as if exulting in the victory, tore -off the head of the vanquished tyrant. Disregarding the loss of her eye, -she immediately ran to the bleeding kitten, licked the wounds inflicted by -the hawk's talons on its tender sides, purring while she caressed her -liberated offspring, with the same maternal affection as if no danger had -assailed them or their affectionate parent." - -A lady writer says:-- - -"Soon after I came to Middlehill, a small tortoise-shell Cat met my -children on the road, and followed them home. They, of course, when they -saw her, petted and stroked her, and showed their inclination to become -friends. She is one of the smallest and most active of full grown Cats I -ever saw. From the first she gave evidences of being of a wild and -predatory disposition, and made sad havoc among the rabbits, squirrels, -and birds. I have several times seen her carrying along a rabbit half as -big as herself. Many would exclaim, that, for so nefarious a deed, she -ought to have been shot; but I confess to having the feelings of the -unsophisticated Arab, the descendant of Ishmael, and as she had tasted -of my salt, and taken refuge under my roof, besides being the pet of my -children, I could not bring myself to order her destruction. Before this -we had discovered her lawful owner, a poor cottager, and had sent her -back; but each time that she was sent away, she returned to our porch; so -we made her by purchase legitimately ours. She seemed to be aware of the -transaction, and from that time became perfectly at home, and adopted -civilised habits, though she still continued very frequently to indulge in -a rabbit-hunt. I had added a fine dog to my establishment, to act as a -watchman over the wood yard and stables. She and he were at first on fair -terms,--a sort of armed neutrality. In process of time, however, she -became the mother of a litter of kittens. With the exception of one, they -shared the fate of other kittens. When she discovered the loss of her -hopeful family, she wandered about looking for them, in a very melancholy -way, till, encountering the dog Carlo, it seemed suddenly to strike her -that he had been guilty of that act of barbarous spoliation. With back up, -she approached, and flew at him with the greatest fury, till blood dropped -from his nose, and though ten times her size, he fairly turned tail and -fled. Her surviving kitten was the very picture of herself, and inheriting -also all her predatory habits; when it grew up, I was obliged to give it -away. It left the house in the neighbouring town to which I sent it, -however, and was afterwards seen domesticated in a stable yard. Pussy and -Carlo now became friends again; at least, they never interfered with each -other. Pussy, however, to her cost, still continued her hunting -expeditions. The rabbits had committed great depredations in the garden, -and the gardener had procured two rabbit-traps; one had been set a -considerable distance from the house, and fixed securely in the ground. -One morning, the nurse heard a plaintive mewing at the nursery window. She -opened it, and in crawled poor Pussy, dragging the heavy iron rabbit-trap, -in the teeth of which her fore foot was caught. I was called in, and -assisted to release her; her paw swelled, and for some days she could not -move out of the basket in which she was placed before the fire. Though -suffering intense pain, she must have perceived that the only way to -release herself, was to dig up the trap, and then she must have dragged -her heavy clog up many steep paths to the room where she knew her kindest -friends, nurse and the children, for whom she had the greatest -affection, were to be found. Carlo was caught before in the same trap, and -he bit at it and at everything around, and severely injured the gardener -who went to release him, biting his arm and legs, and tearing his trousers -to shreds. Thus, Pussy, under precisely the same circumstances, showed by -far the greatest amount of sagacity and cool courage. She, however, not -many weeks afterwards, came in one day with her foot sadly lacerated, -having again got caught in a trap. So although she could reason, she did -not appear to have learned wisdom from experience. She was for long a -cripple; perhaps this last misfortune may have taught her prudence. Poor -thing! she went limping about the garden, in vain endeavouring, even in -the frosty weather, to catch birds." - -I know of a young man who was accustomed to leave home on a Monday morning -and return on the Saturday, and who had a Cat that used to come home a few -moments after him, and watch him wash and dress himself, and then sleep on -his clothes until the following Monday, when soon after the young man went -away, the Cat would go too, and not return all the week. - -I also know of a Cat that once rushed into a house, and took her seat -between the master and mistress while they were at tea; from that time she -took up her abode with them, and every afternoon a hamper in which she -slept, was heard to creak in a cellar below, and she would come up and -partake of their afternoon meal. - -You have all heard of dog-stealers selling a dog and afterwards stealing -it from the purchaser, so as to sell it again to some other person; but I -have had a story told me, upon good authority, of a certain dishonest -owner of a very curiously marked French Cat, who made quite a nice little -income by selling his feline property to the ladies in his neighbourhood. - -You see Pussy had no notion of what an un-principled ruffian he was, nor -what was the nature of the contract between him and her other owners. She -loved him very much, and fretted in her new home, waited impatiently for -an opportunity, and at last, finding the door open, returned to her robber -master rejoicing. - -He, worthy creature, also rejoiced at sight of her, and hugged her to his -manly breast. Then he gave her some nice warm milk, and a large slice of -meat. Next day he sold her again, if he got a chance. - -This little game went on very comfortably for some months, and might have -gone on longer, had it not been for an awkward mistake. An old lady, who -had been one of the purchasers of the Cat, changed her residence, and our -ingenious friend, unaware of the circumstance, called upon her again, and -tried to re-sell her the animal; thereupon, some unpleasantness occurred, -and I believe the Cat-merchant got into trouble. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - - -[Illustration: CHAPTER IX.] - -_Of Puss in Proverbs, in the Dark Ages, and in the Company of Wicked Old -Women._ - - -These are some of the best known Proverbs about Cats:-- - -"Care will kill a Cat," one says, and yet Cats are said to have nine -lives. Let us hope that poor Pussy will never be put to a worse death. - -"A muffled Cat is no good mouser." - -"That Cat is out of kind that sweet milk will not lap." - -"You can have no more of a Cat than her skin." This proverb seems to refer -to the unfitness of her flesh for food. Formerly the fur of the Cat was -used in trimming coats and cloaks. The Cat-gut used for rackets, and for -the fine strings of violins, is made from the dried intestines of the Cat, -the larger strings being from the intestines of sheep and lambs. - -"Fain would the Cat fish eat, but she is loth to wet her feet." - -"The Cat sees not the mouse ever." - -"When the Cat winketh, little wots the mouse what the Cat thinketh." - -"Though the Cat winks a while, yet sure she is not blind." - -"Well might the Cat wink when both her eyes were out?" - -"How can the Cat help it, if the maid be a fool?" Which means how can it -help breaking or stealing that which is left in its way? - -"That that comes of a Cat will catch mice." - -"A Cat may look at a king." - -"An old Cat laps as much as a young kitten." - -"When the Cat is away, the mice will play." - -"When candles are out, all Cats are grey." Otherwise, "Joan is as good as -my Lady in the dark." - -"The Cat knows whose lips she licks." - -"Cry you mercy, killed my Cat." This is spoken to those who play one a -trick, and then try to escape punishment by begging pardon. - -"By biting and scratching, Cats and Dogs come together." - -"I'll keep no more Cats than will catch mice;" or no more in family than -will earn their living. - -"Who shall hang the bell about the Cat's neck." The mice at a -consultation, how to secure themselves from the Cat, resolved upon hanging -a bell about her neck, to give warning when she approached; but when this -was resolved on, they were as far off as ever, for who was to do it? John -Skelton says:-- - - "But they are lothe to mel, - And lothe to hang the bel - About the Catte's neck, - Fro dred to have a checke" - -"A Cat has nine lives, and a woman has nine Cats' lives." - -"Cats eat what hussies spare." - -"Cats hide their claws." - -"The wandering Cat gets many a rap." - -"The Cat is hungry when a crust contents her." - -"He lives under the sign of the _Cat's foot_;" that is to say, he is -hen-pecked--his wife scratches him. - -Here are some French proverbs:-- - -"Chat echaude craint l'eau froide." (A burnt child dreads the fire.) - -"Ne reveillons pas les Chats qui dort." (Let sleeping dogs alone.) - -"La nuit tous Chats sont gris." - -Moliere says:-- - -"Vous etes-vous mis dans la tete que Leonard de Pourceaugnac soit un homme -a acheter Chat en poche." (To buy a pig in a poke.) - -"Ce n'est pas a moi que l'on vendra un Chat pour un lievre." (Don't think -you can catch an old bird with chaff.) - -"Elle est friande comme une chatte." (She's as dainty as a Cat.) - -"Payer en Chats et en rats." (To pay in driblets.) - -"Appeler un Chat un Chat." (Call a spade a spade.) - -"Avoir un Chat dans la gorge." (Something sticking in the throat.) - -Shakespeare says:-- - - "Letting 'I dare not' wait upon 'I would,' - Like the poor Cat i'the adage." - -Again:-- - - "Let Hercules himself do what he may, - The Cat will mew, and Dog will have his day." - -The wisdom of our forefathers teaches us, that if a Cat be carried in a -bag from its old home to a new house, let the distance be several miles, -it will be certain to return again; but if it be carried backward into the -new house this will not be the case. - -A Cat's eyes wax and wane as the moon waxes and wanes, and the course of -the sun is followed by the apples of its eyes. - -The brain of a Cat may be used as a love spell if taken in small doses. - -If a man swallow two or three Cat's hairs, it will cause him to faint. As -a cure for epilepsy, take three drops of blood from under a Cat's tail in -water. - -The horse ridden by a man who has got any Cat's hair on his clothing will -perspire violently, and soon become exhausted. If the wind blows over a -Cat riding in a vehicle, upon the horse drawing it, it will weary the -horse very much. - -To preserve your eyesight, burn the head of a black Cat to ashes, and -have a little of the dust blown into your eyes three times a day. - -To cure a whitlow, put the finger affected a quarter of an hour every day -into a Cat's ear. - -The fat of the wild Cat (Axungia Cati Sylvestris) is good for curing -epilepsy and lameness. The skin of the wild Cat worn as coverings, will -give strength to the limbs. - -Now about dreams:-- - -If any one dreams that he hath encountered a Cat, or killed one, he will -commit a thief to prison and prosecute him to the death, for the Cat -signifies a common thief. If he dreams that he eats Cat's flesh, he will -have the goods of the thief that robbed him; if he dreams that he hath the -skin, then he will have all the thief's goods. If any one dreams he fought -with a Cat that scratched him sorely, that denotes some sickness or -affliction. If any shall dream that a woman became the mother of a Cat -instead of a well shaped baby, it is a bad hieroglyphic, and betokens no -good to the dreamer. - -Stevens states, that in some counties of England, it used to be thought a -good bit of fun to close up a Cat in a cask with a quantity of soot, and -suspend the cask on a line; then he who could knock out the bottom of the -cask as he ran under it, and was nimble enough to escape its falling -contents, was thought to be very clever. After the first part had been -performed, the Cat was hunted to death, which finished this diverting -pastime. They were full of their fun, once upon a time, in merrie England. - -In an old-fashioned treatise upon Rat-catching, I find mentioned a means -of alluring "of very material efficacy, which is, the use of oil of -Rhodium, which, like the marumlyriacum, in the case of Cats, has a very -extraordinary fascinating power on these animals." - -Among the sympathetic secrets in occult philosophy, published in the -_Conjurors' Magazine_, in 1791, I find a recipe "to draw Cats together, -and fascinate them," which is as follows:-- - -"In the new moon, gather the herb Nepe, and dry it in the heat of the sun, -when it is temperately hot: gather vervain in the hour [Symbol: Mercury], -and only expose it to the air while [Symbol: Sun] is under the earth. Hang -these together in a net, in a convenient place, and when one of them has -scented it, her cry will soon call those about her that are within -hearing; and they will rant and run about, leaping and capering to get at -the net, which must be hung or placed so that they cannot easily -accomplish it, for they will certainly tear it to pieces. Near Bristol -there is a field that goes by the appellation of the 'Field of Cats,' from -a large number of these animals being drawn together there by this -contrivance." - -One of the frauds of witchcraft was the witch pretending to transform -herself into a Cat, and this led to the Cat being tormented by the -ignorant vulgar. - -In 1618, Margaret and Philip Flower were executed at Lincoln; their mother -was also accused, dying in goal before (probably of fright, added to old -age and infirmity). It was asserted that they had procured the death of -the Lord Henry Mosse, eldest son of the Earl of Rutland, by procuring his -right-hand glove, which, after being rubbed on the back of their imp, -named "Rutterkin," and which lived with them in the form of a Cat, was -plunged into boiling water, pricked with a knife, and buried in a -dung-hill, so that, as that rotted, the liver of the young man might rot -also, which was affirmed to have come to pass. - -Those were dreadful times for the ill-looking old ladies, and the more so -if they were unfortunate enough to have an affection for the feline -race. - - "A wrinkled hag, of wicked fame, - Beside a little smoky flame, - Sat hovering, pinched with age and frost, - Her shrivelled hands with veins embossed. - Upon her knees her weight sustains, - While palsy shook her crazy brains; - She mumbles forth her backward prayer-- - An untamed scold of fourscore year. - About her swarmed a numerous brood - Of Cats, who, lank with hunger, mewed; - Teased with their cries, her choler grew, - And thus she sputtered--'Hence, ye crew! - Fool that I was to entertain - Such imps, such fiends--a hellish train; - Had ye been never housed and nursed, - I for a witch had n'er been cursed; - To you I owe that crowd of boys - Worry me with eternal noise;-- - Straws laid across, my pace retard; - The horse-shoes nailed (each threshold's guard); - The stunted broom the wenches hide, - For fear that I should up and ride.'" - -The belief in witchcraft is a very ancient and deep-rooted one. From the -earliest times, we can trace records of supposed acts of witchcraft, and -their punishment. Pope Innocent VIII., in 1484, issued a bull, empowering -the Inquisition to search for witches and burn them. From the time of this -superstitious act, the executions for witchcraft increased. The pope had -given sanction to the belief in this demoniacal power, and had asserted -their possession of it. In 1485, forty-one poor women were burnt as -witches in Germany; an inquisitor in Piedmont burnt a hundred more, and -was proceeding so fast with others daily, that the people rose _en masse_, -and chased him out of the country. About the same time, five hundred -witches were executed at Geneva, in the course of three months. - -Among the many who counterfeited possession by the devil, for the purpose -of attracting pity or obtaining money, were Agnes Bridges and Rachel -Pinder, who had counterfeited to be possessed by the devil, and vomited -pins and rags; but were detected, and stood before the preacher at St. -Paul's Cross, and acknowledged their hypocritical counterfeiting: this -happened in 1574. - -In fifteen years, from 1580 to 1595, Remigius burnt nine hundred reputed -witches in Lorraine. In Germany, they tortured and burnt them daily, until -many unfortunates destroyed themselves for fear of a death by torment, and -others fled the country. - -Ludovicus Paramo states, that the Inquisition, within the space of 150 -years, had burnt thirty thousand of these reputed witches. - -The superstition continued on the increase, and reached its culmination in -the Puritanic time of the Commonwealth, when persons more cunning and -wicked than the rest, gained a subsistence by discovering witches (by -pretended marks and trials they used), and denouncing them to death. The -chief of these persons was MATHEW HOPKINS, _Witch Finder General_, as he -termed himself. He was a native of Manningtree, in Essex, and he devoted -his pretended powers so zealously in the service of his country, that in -1644, sixteen witches, discovered by him, were burnt at Yarmouth; fifteen -were condemned at Chelmsford, and hanged in that town and at Manningtree. -Many more at Bury St. Edmunds, in 1645 and 1646, amounting to nearly forty -in all at the several places of execution, and as many more in the country -as made up threescore. - -In this work he was aided by one John Stern, and a woman, who with the -rest, pretended to have secret means of testing witchcraft; nor was their -zeal unrewarded by the weak and superstitious parliament. Mr. Hopkins, in -a book published in 1647, owns that he had twenty shillings for each town -he visited to discover witches, and owns that he punished many: testing -them by a water ordeal, to see if they would sink or swim. He says that -he swam many, and watched them for four nights together, keeping them -standing or walking till their feet were blistered; "the reason" as he -says, "was to prevent their couching down; for indeed, when they be -suffered to couch, immediately come their familiars in the room, and -scareth the watchers, and heartneth (encourageth) the witch." - -This swimming experiment, which was deemed a full proof of guilt if any -one subjected to it did not sink, but floated on the surface of the water, -was one of the ordeals especially recommended by our king, James I., who, -in a work upon the subject, among other things, assigned this somewhat -ridiculous reason for its pretended infallibility:--"That as such persons -had renounced their baptism by water, so the water refuses to receive -them." Consequently, those who were accused of diabolical practices, were -tied neck and heels together, and tossed into a pond; if they floated or -swam they were guilty, and therefore taken out and hanged or burnt; if -they were innocent, they were drowned. Of this method of trial by water -ordeal, Scot observes: "that a woman above the age of fifty years, and -being bound both hand and foot, her clothes being upon her, and being -laid softly upon the water, sinketh not a long time, some say not at all." -And Dr. Hutchinson confirms this, by saying, not one in ten even sink in -that position of their bodies. Its utter fallacy was shown when the witch -finders themselves were thus tested; and the last quoted writer says, that -if the books written against witchcraft were tested by the same ordeal, -they would in no degree come off more safely. - -One of the most cruel cases was that of Mr. Lowes, a clergyman, who had -reached the patriarchal age of eighty. He was one of those unfortunate -ministers of the Gospel whose livings were sequestered by the parliament, -and who was suspected as malignant because he preserved his loyalty and -the homilies of the Church. It would have been well for him had this been -the only suspicion; but he was accused of witchcraft; and it was asserted -that he had sunk ships at sea by the power he possessed, and witnesses -were found who swore to seeing him do it. He was seized and _tested_. They -watched him, and kept him awake at night, and ran him backwards and -forwards about the room until he was out of breath; then they rested him a -little, and then ran him again. And thus they did for several days and -nights together, until he was weary of his life, and was scarce sensible -of what he said or did. They swam him twice or thrice, although that was -no true rule to try him by, for they sent in unsuspected people at the -same time, and they swam as well as he; yet was the unfortunate old -clergyman condemned to death and executed. - -In the book written some years after this, by Mr. Gaul, he mentions their -mode of discovering witches, which was principally by marks or signs upon -their bodies, which were in reality but moles, scorbutic spots, or warts, -which frequently grow large and pendulous in old age, and were absurdly -declared to be teats to suckle imps. Thus of one, Joane Willimot, in 1619, -it was sworn that she had two imps, one in the form of a kitten, and -another in that of a mole, "and they leapt on her shoulder, and the kitten -sucked under her right ear, on her neck, and the mole on the left side, in -the like place;" and at another time a spirit was seen "sucking her under -the left ear, in the likeness of a little white dogge." (See _The -Wonderful Discovery of the Witchcrafts of Margare and Philip Flower_, -1619). - -Another test was to place the suspected witch in the middle of a room, -upon a stool or table, cross-legged, or in some other uneasy posture, and -if she were refractory, she was tied too by cords, and kept without meat -or sleep for a space of four-and-twenty hours; all this time she was -strictly watched, because it was believed that in the course of that time -her imp would come to suck her, for whom some hole or ingress was -provided. The watchers swept the room frequently, so that nothing might -escape them; and should a fly or spider be found that had the activity to -elude them, they were assured these were the imps. In 1645 one was hanged -at Cambridge, who kept a tame frog which was sworn to be her imp; and one -at Gloucester, in 1649, who was convicted for having suckled a sow in the -form of a little black creature. In "a Tryal of Witches, at Bury St. -Edmunds, 1664," a witness deposed to having caught one of these imps in a -blanket, waiting for her child, who slept in it and was bewitched; that it -was in the form of a toad, and was caught and thrown into the fire, where -"it made a great and horrible noise, and after a space there was a -flashing in the fire like gunpowder, making a noise like the discharge of -a pistol, and thereupon the toad was no more seen nor heard." All of which -was the simple natural result of this cruel proceeding, but which was -received by judge and jury, at that time, of the poor toad being an imp! - -Hutchinson, in his essay on witchcraft, says:--"It was very requisite that -these witch-finders should take care to go to no towns but where they -might do what they would without being controlled by sticklers; but if the -times had not been as they were, they would have found but few towns where -they might be suffered to use the trial of the stool, which was as bad as -most tortures. Do but imagine a poor old creature, under all the weakness -and infirmities of old age, set like a fool in the middle of a room, with -a rabble of ten towns about her home; then her legs tied across, that all -the weight of her body might rest upon her seat. By that means, after some -hours, the circulation of the blood would be stopped, and her sitting -would be as painful as the wooden horse. Then must she continue in pain -four-and-twenty hours, without either sleep or meat; and since this was -their ungodly way of trial, what wonder was it if, when they were weary of -their lives, they confessed many tales that would please them, and many -times they knew not what." - -Hopkins' favourite and ultimate method of proof was by swimming, as -before narrated. They tied together the thumbs and toes of the suspected -person, about whose waist was fastened a cord, the ends of which were held -on the banks of the river by two men, whose power it was to strain or -slacken it. If they floated, they were witches. After a considerable -course of wicked accusation on the part of Hopkins and his accomplices, -testing all by these modes of trial, and ending in the cruel deaths of -many wretched old persons, a reaction against him took place, probably at -the instigation of some whose friends had been condemned innocently, or of -those who were too wise to believe in his tests, and disgusted with his -cold wickedness. His own famous and conclusive evidence--the experiment of -swimming--was tried _upon himself_; and this wretch, who had sacrificed so -many, by the same test, was found to be _guilty_, too. He was deservedly -condemned, and suffered death himself as a wizard. - -Dr. Harsenet, Archbishop of York, in his _Declaration of Popish -Impostures_, says, "Out of those is shap'd us the true idea of a witch, an -old weather-beaten crone, having her chin and knees meeting for age, -walking like a bow leaning on a staff, hollow ey'd, untooth'd, furrow'd on -her face, having her lips trembling with the palsy, going mumbling in -the streets--one that hath forgotten her pater-noster, and yet hath a -shrewd tongue to call a drab a drab!--if she hath learned of an old wife -in a chimney end, pax, max, fax, for a spell, or can say Sir John -Grantham's curse for a nuller's eels--'All ye that have stolen the -miller's eels, Laudate Dominum de Coelis, and they that have consented -thereto, Benedicamus Domino,' why then, beware, look about you, my -neighbours. If any of you have a sheep sick of the giddies, or a hog of -the mumps, or a horse of the staggers, or a knavish boy of the school, or -an idle girl of the wheel, or a young drab of the sullens, and hath not -fat enough for her porridge, or butter enough for her bread, and she hath -a little help of the epilepsy or cramp to teach her to roll her eyes, wry -her mouth, gnash her teeth, startle with her body, hold her arms and hands -stiff, etc. And then, when an old Mother Nobs hath by chance called her -'idle young housewife,' or bid the devil scratch her, then no doubt but -Mother Nobs is the witch, and the young girl is owl-blasted, etc. They -that have their brains baited, and their fancies distempered, with the -imaginations and apprehensions of witches, conjurors, and fairies, and all -that lymphatical chimera, I find to be marshalled in one of these five -ranks:--Children, fools, women, cowards, sick or black melancholic -discomposed wits." - -Many hundreds of poor old women, and many a Cat, were sacrificed to the -zealous Master Hopkins, for Cats and Kittens were frequently said to be -imps, who had taken that form. However, he was not the only scoundrel who -made witch-finding a trade. - -In Syke's _Local Recorder_, mention is made of a Scotchman, who pretended -great powers of discovering witchcraft, and was engaged by the townsmen of -Newcastle to practise there; and one man and fifteen women were hanged by -him. But he ultimately shared, as Hopkins did, the cruel fate he had -awarded to so many others. "When the witch-finder had done in Newcastle, -and received his wages, he went into Northumberland to try women there, -and got three pounds a-piece; but Henry Doyle, Esq., laid hold on him, and -required bond of him to answer at the Sessions. He escaped into Scotland, -where he was made prisoner, indicted, arraigned, and condemned for -such-like villany exercised in Scotland, and confessed at the gallows that -he had been the death of above two hundred and twenty women in England and -Scotland." - -Here is an account of the death of a famous witch's famous Cat:-- - - "Ye rats, in triumph elevate your ears! - Exult, ye mice! for Fate's abhorred shears - Of Dick's nine lives have slit the Cat-guts nine; - Henceforth he mews 'midst choirs of Cats divine!" - -So sings Mr. Huddesford, in a "Monody on the death of Dick, an Academical -Cat," with this motto:-- - - "Mi-Cat inter omnes." - _Hor. Carm._, Lib. i., Ode 12. - -He brings his Cat, Dick, from the Flood, and consequently through -Rutterkin, a Cat who was "cater-cousin to the -great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandmother of -Grimalkin, and first Cat in the Caterie of an old woman, who was tried for -bewitching a daughter of the Countess of Rutland, in the beginning of the -sixteenth century." The monodist connects him with Cats of great renown in -the annals of witchcraft; a science whereto they have been allied as -closely as poor old women, one of whom, it appears, on the authority of an -old pamphlet, entitled "_Mewes from Scotland_," etc., printed in the year -1591, "confessed that she took a Cat and christened it, etc., and that -in the night following, the said Cat was conveyed into the middest of the -sea by all these witches sayling in their riddles, or cives, so left the -said Cat right before the towne of Leith, in Scotland. This done, there -did arise such a tempest at sea, as a greater hath not been seen since. -Againe it is confessed that the said christened Cat was the cause of the -Kinge's majestie's shippe, at his coming forthe of Denmark, had a -contrarie winde to the rest of the shippes then being in his companie, -which thing was most straunge and true, as the Kinge's Majestie -acknowledgeth, for when the rest of the shippes had a fair and good winde, -then was the winde contrarie, and altogether against his Majestie," etc. - -All sorts of Cats, according to Huddesford, lamented the death of his -favourite, whom he calls "premier Cat upon the catalogue," and who, -preferring sprats to all other fish:-- - - "Had swallow'd down a score, without remorse, - And three fat mice slew for a second course; - But, while the third his grinders dyed with gore, - Sudden those grinders clos'd--to grind no more! - And, dire to tell! commission'd by old Nick, - A catalepsy made an end of Dick. - Calumnious Cats, who circulate _faux pas_, - And reputations maul with murderous claws; - Shrill Cats, whom fierce domestic brawls delight, - Cross Cats, who nothing want but teeth to bite; - Starch Cats of puritanic aspect sad, - And learned Cats, who talk their husbands mad; - Confounded Cats, who cough, and croak, and cry, - And maudlin Cats who drink eternally; - Fastidious Cats, who pine for costly cates, - And jealous Cats who catechise their mates; - Cat prudes who, when they're ask'd the question, squall, - And ne'er give answer categorical; - Uncleanly Cats, who never pare their nails, - Cat-gossips, full of Canterbury tales; - Cat-grandams, vex'd with asthmas and catarrhs, - And superstitious Cats, who curse their stars; - Cats of each class, craft, calling, and degree, - Mourn Dick's calamitous catastrophe! - Yet while I chant the cause of Richard's end, - Ye sympathising Cats, your tears suspend! - Then shed enough to float a dozen whales, - And use for pocket handkerchiefs your tails! - Ah! though thy bust adorn no sculptur'd shrine, - No vase thy relics rare to fame consign; - No rev'rend characters thy rank express, - Nor hail thee, Dick, 'D.D. nor F.R.S.' - Though no funereal cypress shade thy tomb, - For thee the wreaths of Paradise shall bloom; - There, while Grimalkin's mew her Richard greets, - A thousand Cats shall purr on purple seats. - E'en now I see, descending from his throne, - Thy venerable Cat, O Whittington! - The kindred excellence of Richard hail, - And wave with joy his gratulating tail! - There shall the worthies of the whiskered race - Elysian mice o'er floors of sapphire chase, - Midst beds of aromatic marum stray, - Or raptur'd rove beside the milky way. - Kittens, than eastern houris fairer seen, - Whose bright eyes glisten with immortal green, - Shall smooth for tabby swains their yielding fur, - And, to their amorous mews, assenting purr;-- - There, like Alcmena's, shall Grimalkin's son - In bliss repose,--his mousing labours done, - Fate, envy, curs, time, tide, and traps defy, - And caterwaul to all eternity." - -To conclude this Chapter, an incident which took place only a few days -ago, in Essex, at a village within forty miles of London, and which came -under the personal knowledge of the writer, may be adduced, to show that, -however witchcraft may have been laughed away--and laughter has been more -effectual to rid the world of it than rope or stake--there are still to be -found individuals who believe in the evil powers of hook-nosed crones, -black Cats, and broom-sticks. - -In a squalid hut lived a miserable dame, whose only claims to a demoniacal -connection were her excessive age and her sombre Cat. Whether the -neighbours thought the Cat was more of a witch than the woman, or whether -they had a wholesome dread of the punishment inflicted upon murderers, -it was upon the _animal_ the bewitched ones determined to wreak their -vengeance, and then it was that the true satanic nature of poor Puss -appeared. Traps were set to catch her, but she would not be caught; ropes -were purchased to hang her, but she would not bow her head to the noose; -and, finally, a blunderbuss was loaded to shoot her--loaded to the very -muzzle. By conjurations and enchantments, when that gun was fired, it -knocked the holder backwards, and never injured the black Cat. Another man -tried, with the same result, and yet another. It was evident the gun was -bewitched, so Pussy's murder was given up for the time, and, with the -exception of the tip of her tail, lost in one of the traps, passed the -remainder of her life happy and unmutilated. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - - -[Illustration: CHAPTER X.] - -_Of a certain Voracious Cat, some Goblin Cats, Magical Cats, and Cats of -Kilkenny._ - - -Of all the great big stories that have been told of Cats, that which -describes the origin of Cat's-head apples is surely the greatest biggest -one. The legend runs thus:-- - - "The Widow Tomkins had a back room, on the second floor; - Her name was on a neat brass plate on one side of the door: - Companion she had only one--a beautiful Tom Cat, - Who was a famous mouser, the dickens for a rat: - His colour was a tabby, and his skin as soft as silk, - And she would lap him every day while he lapped the milk. - One day she was disturbed from sleep with double rat-tat-tat, - And she went in such a hurry that she quite forgot her Cat. - - * * * * * - - Poor Thomas, soon as day-light came, walked up and down the floor, - And heard the dogs'-meat woman cry "Cats'-meat" at the door; - With hunger he got fairly wild, though formerly so tame-- - Another day passed slowly, another just the same. - With hunger he so hungry was--it did so strong assail, - That, although very loath, he was obliged to eat his tail. - This whetted quite his appetite, and though his stump was sore, - The next day he was tempted (sad) to eat a little more. - To make his life the longer then, he made his body shorter, - And one after the other attacked each hinder quarter. - He walked about on two fore legs, alas! without beholders, - 'Till more and more by hunger pressed, he dined on both his shoulders. - Next day he found (the cannibal!) to eating more a check, - Although he tried, and did reach all he could reach of his neck. - But as he could not bite his ear, all mournfully he cried,-- - Towards the door he turned his eyes, cocked up his nose, and died. - The widow did at last return, and oh! how she did stare, - She guessed the tale as soon as she saw Tom's head lying there. - Quite grief sincerely heart-felt as she owned his fate a hard'un, - She buried it beneath an apple-tree just down her garden. - So mark what strange effects from little causes will appear, - The fruit of this said tree was changed, and strangely, too, next year. - The neighbours say ('tis truth, for they're folks who go to chapels), - This Cat's head was the sole first cause of all the Cat's-head apples!" - -[Illustration: THE CAT AND THE CONJUROR. _Page 187._] - -Gottfried Heller, in _Die Leute von Seldwyla_, tells a droll story. This -is an abridgement of a popular author's version of it, published some -years ago:-- - -"One day, once upon a time, or thereabouts, the witch-finder of a certain -Swiss town--himself secretly a wizard--was taking his afternoon's walk, -when he came across a Tom Cat, looking very thin and miserable. This Cat -had once been the chief favourite of a rich old lady, who had trained him -up in luxurious living. Now she was dead, and Tom's happy days were over: -he was as shaggy and meagre, as he had formerly been sleek and plump. Now, -you must know that Cats' grease was, in those days, an invaluable -ingredient for certain magical preparations, provided the Cat to whom it -belonged willingly made a donation of it. This proviso rendered good -efficient Cats' grease an exceedingly rare commodity; for though there -might be no great difficulty in finding a fat Cat, to find one willing to -part with its fat was, of course, difficult enough. - -"Here, however, was an animal in desperate circumstances, who might be -accessible to reason; therefore, says the magician-- - -"'How much will you take for your fat?' - -"'Why, I haven't got any,' replied Tom, who, to tell the truth, was as -thin as a hurdle. - -"'You may have, though, if you say the word,' said the magician; 'and I'll -tell you how.' - -"You see, he knew from experience that Tom was a Cat who was capable of -making flesh, for he had known him as round as a dumpling; so he made this -bargain:--He offered Tom a whole month's luxurious living on condition -that at the expiration of that time he should voluntarily lay down his -life and yield up all the fat he had acquired during the four weeks. Of -course Tom agreed, and the contract was signed on the spot. The apartment -provided for Tom's lodging was 'fitted up as an artificial landscape. A -little wood was perched on the top of a little mountain, which rose from -the banks of a little lake. On the branches of the trees were perched -dainty birds, all roasted, and emitting a most savoury odour. From the -cavities of the mountain peered forth sundry baked mice, all seasoned with -delicious stuffing and exquisitely larded with bacon. The lake consisted -of the newest milk, with a small fish or two at the bottom. Thus, to the -enjoyment of the epicure, was added the excitement of imaginary -sportsmanship. Tom ate his fill, and more, and soon became as fat as the -magician could wish, but before long he became thoughtful. The month had -nearly expired; at the end he was to die if fat enough. Ah! a bright -thought, he would get thin again. With a wondrous strength of mind he -refrained from eating the luxuries provided, took plenty of exercise on -the house-tops, and kept himself in excellent health, but much thinner -than suited the wizard's fancy. - -"Before long, this gentleman remonstrated with Tom, pointing out to him -very plainly, that he was bound by all the laws of honour to get fat by -the month's end. To this, Tom had little to urge of any moment, and the -magician informed him that he would kill him at the appointed period, let -him be in what condition he might. Tom, therefore, would gain nothing by -being thin, and it was hoped that his good taste, unchecked by other -considerations, would induce him to make up for lost time. Time rolled on, -Tom behaved worse than ever, and when the fatal day arrived 'he looked in -worse condition than ever--a dissipated, abandoned, shaggy scamp, without -an ounce on his bones.' The wizard could not stand this, so he thrust Tom -into an empty coop and fed him by violence. In course of time, the wizard -was satisfied, and began to sharpen his knife; but no sooner did Tom -perceive this act, than he began to utter such singular expressions of -contrition, that his proprietor paused to ask him to explain them. The Cat -in wild terms alluded to a certain sum of ten thousand florins lying at -the bottom of a well, and the wizard wanted to know more about them. It -appeared then, that Tom's late mistress had thrown the sum he named to the -bottom of a well, and informed her Cat that 'should he find a perfectly -beautiful and a penniless maiden, whom a perfectly honest man was inclined -to wed in spite of her poverty, then he should empty the contents of the -well as a marriage portion.' - -"Of course this tale was false. The money existed where Tom had described, -but it had been ill-gotten gold, with a curse upon it. But the wizard -nibbled at the bait, put a chain round Tom's neck, and went to have a look -at the treasure. There it was, sure enough, shining under the water. - -"'Are you quite sure that there are exactly ten thousand florins?' asked -the magician. - -"'I've never been down to see,' replied Tom; 'I was obliged to take the -old lady's word for it.' - -"'But where shall I find a wife?' asked the wizard. - -"'I'll find you one,' said Tom. - -"'Will you?' - -"'To be sure. Tear up that contract, though, to begin with.' - -"The wizard, not without grumbling, drew from his pocket the fatal paper, -which Tom no sooner perceived than he pounced on it and swallowed it -whole, making at the same time the reflection that he had never before -tasted so delicious a morsel in his life. - -"In the neighbourhood dwelt an old woman, who was a witch--one of the -ugliest old women you ever saw, who every night flew up the chimney on a -broom-stick, and played Meg's diversions by the light of the moon. This -lady had an owl, who was a bird of loose principles, and had been an -associate of Tom's in his gay days. This bright couple consulted together -how they should persuade the ancient maiden to marry the old man. - -"'She never will,' said the owl. - -"'Then we must make her; but how?' - -"'We must catch her first, and take her prisoner, and that is to be done -easily enough, with a net, spun by a man of sixty years old, who has never -set eyes on the face of woman.' - -"'Where are we to find him?' - -"'Just round the corner: he has been blind from his birth.' - -"When the net had been procured, they set it in the chimney, and presently -caught the old lady, and after much trouble they starved her into -compliance. Then, by magical art, she put on an appearance of youth and -beauty, and the wizard married her in an ecstacy of delight; but was he -not in a fury when, evening approaching, she resumed her pristine -ugliness. And was he not disgusted at his bride, in spite of the treasure -she had brought him. As for Tom, like many bad people, he lived happy ever -afterwards." - -Here is an abridgement of the famous tale of _Puss in Boots_:-- - -"A miller died, leaving his youngest son nothing but a Cat: the poor young -fellow complained bitterly of his fate; the Cat bade him be of good cheer, -and procure a pair of boots and a bag: the youth contrived to do so. The -first attempt Puss made was to go into a warren, in which there was a -great number of rabbits. He put some bran and parsley into his bag; and -then, stretching himself out at full length, as if he were dead, he waited -for some young rabbits, who as yet knew nothing of the cunning tricks of -the world, to come and get into the bag. Scarcely had he laid down, before -he succeeded as well as could be wished. A giddy young rabbit crept into -the bag, and the Cat immediately drew the strings, and killed it without -mercy. Puss, proud of his prey, hastened directly to the palace, where he -asked to speak to the King. On being shown into the apartment of his -Majesty, he made a low bow, and said:--"I have brought you, Sire, this -rabbit from the warren of my Lord the Marquis of Carabas, who commanded me -to present it to your Majesty, with the assurance of his respects." One -day, the Cat having heard that the King intended to take a ride that -morning by the river's side with his daughter, who was the most beautiful -Princess in the world, he said to his master:--"Take off your clothes, and -bathe yourself in the river, just in the place I shall show you, and leave -the rest to me." The Marquis did exactly as he was desired, without being -able to guess at what the Cat intended. While he was bathing, the King -passed by, and Puss directly called out, as loudly as he could -bawl:--"Help! help! My Lord Marquis of Carabas is in danger of being -drowned!" The King hearing the cries, and recognising the Cat, ordered his -attendants to go directly to the assistance of my Lord Marquis of Carabas; -and the cunning Cat having hid his master's clothes under a large stone, -the King commanded the officers of his wardrobe to fetch him the -handsomest suit it contained. The King's daughter was mightily taken with -his appearance, and the Marquis of Carabas had no sooner cast upon her two -or three respectful glances, than she became violently in love with him. -The Cat, enchanted to see how well his scheme was likely to succeed, ran -before to a meadow that was reaping, and said to the reapers:--"Good -people, if you do not tell the King, who will soon pass this way, that the -meadow you are reaping belongs to my Lord Marquis of Carabas, you shall be -chopped as small as mince-meat." The King did not fail to ask the reapers -to whom the meadow belonged? "To my Lord Marquis of Carabas," said they -all at once; for the threats of the Cat had terribly frightened them. Puss -at length arrived at a stately castle that belonged to an Ogre, whom he -first persuaded to assume the form of a mouse, and then cleverly gobbled -him up before he could get back to his proper shape again. The King's -party soon after arrived. The Cat said the castle was his master's; and -the King was so much charmed with the amiable qualities and noble fortune -of the Marquis of Carabas, and the young Princess too had fallen so -violently in love with him, that when the King had partaken of a -collation, he said to the Marquis:--"It will be your own fault, my Lord -Marquis of Carabas, if you do not soon become my son-in-law." The Marquis -received the intelligence with a thousand respectful acknowledgments, -accepted the honour conferred upon him, and married the Princess that very -day. The Cat became a great lord, and never after pursued rats, except for -his own amusement. - -I think, too, that the famous story of the _White Cat_ should also find a -place in this little volume:-- - -There once was a King, the legend says, who was growing old, and it was -told to him that his three sons wished to govern the kingdom. The old -King, who did not wish to give up his power just yet, thought the best way -to prevent his sons from taking his throne was to send them out to seek -for adventures; so he called them all around him, and said:-- - -"My sons, go away and travel for a year; and he of you who brings me the -most beautiful little dog, shall have the kingdom, and be King after me." - -Then the three Princes started on the journey; but it is of the youngest -of the three that I have now to tell. He travelled for many days, and at -last found himself, one evening, at the door of a splendid castle, but -not a man or woman was to be seen. A number of hands, with no bodies to -them, appeared: two hands took off the Prince's cloak, two others seated -him in a chair, another pair brought a brush to brush his hair, and -several pairs waited on him at supper. Then some more hands came and put -him to bed in a fine chamber, where he slept all night, but still no one -appeared. The next morning, the hands brought him into a splendid hall, -where there sat on a throne a large White Cat, who made him sit beside -her, and expressed herself glad to see him. Next day, the Prince and the -White Cat went out hunting together: the Cat was mounted on a fine -spirited monkey, and seemed very fond of the Prince, who, on his part, was -delighted with her wit and cleverness. - -Instead of dogs, Cats hunted for them. These creatures ran with great -agility after rats, and mice, and birds, catching and killing a great -number of them; and sometimes the White Cat's monkey would climb a tree, -with the White Cat on his back, after a bird, a mouse, or a squirrel. This -pleasant life went on for a long time: every day the White Cat became more -fond of the Prince, while, on his part, the Prince could not help loving -the poor Cat, who was so kind and attentive to him. At last, the time drew -near when the Prince was to return home, and he had not thought of looking -for a little dog; but the Cat gave him a casket, and told him to open this -before the King, and all would be well; so the Prince journeyed home, -taking with him an ugly mongrel cur. When the brothers saw this, they -laughed secretly to each other, and thought themselves quite secure, so -far as their younger brother was concerned. They had, with infinite pains, -procured each of them a very rare and beautiful little dog, and each -thought himself quite sure to get the prize. When the day came on which -the dogs were to be shown, each of the two elder Princes produced a -beautiful little dog, on a silk velvet cushion: no one could judge which -was the prettier. The youngest now opened his casket, and found a walnut: -he cracked this walnut, and out of the walnut sprang a little tiny dog, of -exquisite beauty. Still the old King would not give up his kingdom. He -told the young Princes they must bring him home a piece of cambric so fine -that it could be threaded through the eye of a needle; and so they went -away in search of such a piece of cambric. Again the youngest Prince -passed a year with the White Cat, and again the Cat gave him a walnut -when the time came for him to return home. The three Princes were summoned -before their father, who produced a needle. The first and second Princes -brought a piece of cambric which would almost, but not quite, go through -the needle's eye. The youngest Prince broke open his walnut-shell: he -found inside it a small nut-shell, and then a cherry-stone, and then a -grain of wheat, and then a grain of millet, and in this grain of millet a -piece of cambric four hundred yards long, which passed easily through the -eye of the needle. But the old King said:-- - -"He who brings the most beautiful lady shall have the kingdom." - -The Prince went back to the White Cat, and told her what his father had -said. She replied:-- - -"Cut off my head and my tail." - -At last he consented: instantly the Cat was transformed into a beautiful -Princess; for she had been condemned by a wicked fairy to appear as a Cat, -till a young Prince should cut off her head and tail. The Prince and -Princess went to the old King's court, and she was far more beautiful than -the ladies brought by the other two Princes. But she did not want the -kingdom, for she had four of her own already. One of these she gave to -each of the elder brothers of the young Prince, and over the other two she -ruled with her husband, for the young Prince married her, and they lived -happily together all their lives. - -In Mr. Morley's _Fairy Tales_, there is a funny passage:--"'I wonder,' -said a sparrow, 'what the eagles are about, that they don't fly away with -the Cats? And now I think of it, a civil question cannot give offence.' So -the sparrow finished her breakfast, went to the eagle, and said:-- - -"'May it please your royalty, I see you and your race fly away with the -birds and the lambs that do no harm. But there is not a creature so -malignant as a Cat; she prowls about our nests, eats up our young, and -bites off our own heads. She feeds so daintily that she must be herself -good eating. She is lighter to carry than a bird, and you would get a -famous grip in her loose fur. Why do you not feed upon Cat?' - -"'Ah!' said the eagle, 'there is sense in your question. I had the worms -to hear this morning, asking me why I did not breakfast upon sparrows. Do -I see a morsel of worm's skin on your beak, my child?' - -"The sparrow cleaned his bill upon his bosom, and said:--'I should like -to see the worm who came with that enquiry.' - -"'Come forward, worm,' the eagle said. But when the worm appeared, the -sparrow snapped him up, and ate him. Then he went on with his argument -against the Cats." - -Everybody has heard of the Kilkenny Cats, and how they fought in a saw-pit -with such ferocious determination, that when the battle was over, nothing -was remaining of either combatant except his tail. Of course, we none of -us suppose that the tale is true, but some writers think that the account -of the mutual destruction of the contending Cats was an allegory designed -to typify the utter ruin to which centuries of litigation and embroilment -on the subject of conflicting rights and privileges tended to reduce the -respective exchequers of the rival municipal bodies of Kilkenny and -Irishtown--separate corporations existing within the liberties of one -city, and the boundaries of the respective jurisdiction of which had never -been marked out or defined by an authority to which either was willing to -bow. The desperate struggles for supremacy of these parish worthies began -A.D. 1377, and they fought, as only vestrymen can fight, a little over -three hundred years, by the end of which time there was, as you may -suppose, very little left of them but their tails, for, of course, there -was a disinterested third person to whom the affairs were referred for -arbitration, in the old way that the Cats appealed to the monkey upon the -great cheese question--who swallowed his huge mouthful. In the end it -would appear that all the property of either side was mortgaged, and -bye-laws were passed by each party that their respective officers should -be content with the dignity of their station, and forego all hope of -salary till the suit at law with the other "pretended corporation" should -be terminated. - -Let this be as it may, one thing is certain: Kilkenny Cats are quite as -amiable now-a-days as the Cats of any other city in Great Britain. - -But there is another story of a great Cat fight in the same neighbourhood. -One night in the summer time, all the Cats in the city and county of -Kilkenny were absent from their homes, and next morning a plain near the -city was strewn with thousands of slain Cats; and it was reported that -almost all the Cats in Ireland had joined in the fight, as was shown by -the collars of some of the dead bearing the names of places in all -quarters of the island. The cause of the quarrel is not stated, but there -are yet men alive who knew persons since dead, who actually inspected the -field--at least so they say. - -Time out of mind the Cat has figured largely in our nursery annals--from -the days of _Heigh Diddle-Diddle_ and the _House that Jack Built_ to the -present moment. There is some waggishness, by the way, in Mr. Blanchard's -version of the second mentioned rhyme, printed, as a sort of argument, in -the book of the Drury Lane Pantomime:-- - - "Anon, with velvet foot and Tarquin strides, - Subtle Grimalkin to his quarry glides; - Grimalkin grim, that slew the fierce Rodent, - Whose tooth insidious Johann's sackcloth rent. - Lo! how the deep-mouthed canine foe's assault, - That vest th' avenger of the stolen malt - Stored in the hallowed precincts of that hall - That rose complete at Jack's creative call. - Here stalks th' impetuous cow with crumpled horn, - Thereon th' exacerbating hound was torn, - Who bayed the feline slaughter-beast that slew - The rat predacious, whose keen fangs ran through - The textile fibres that involved the grain - That lay in Han's inviolate domain." - -The Cat is one of the principal of the _dramatis personae_ in Mr. D'Arcy -Thompson's droll _Nursery Nonsense_; and some of the most ingenious -pictures Charles Bennett ever drew are to be found in his _Nine Lives of a -Cat_. There is some good fun for little folks in a small book called -_Tales from Catland_, with some masterly pictures from the graceful pencil -of Mr. Harrison Weir; and there is another work called _Cat and Dog_, -which I would recommend to all young readers. Of some other children's -books, in which Pussy takes a prominent part, it behoves not the writer of -this volume to say very much, for obvious reasons. I may, however, remark, -that though a great admirer of the feline race, the artist who illustrated -the works in question and this, has very limited notions concerning the -way in which a Cat should be drawn, and has found, after all his trouble, -that under his hand Pussy transferred to wood is very wooden indeed. It is -some consolation to that artist, however, to reflect that Hogarth's Cats -are anything but good ones. By the way, I always wonder when I look at -that picture of the "Actress's Dressing Room" in the barn, whether poor -strollers were ever driven to such an expedient as that of cutting a Cat's -tail for the blood, and if so, how was it used? In George Cruikshank's -"Bottle," do you remember in the first scene how happily the Cat and -Kittens are playing on the hearth, and how in the next the kitten has -disappeared, and the Cat, a poor half-starved wretch, is sniffing -wistfully at an empty plate upon the table? The change in Pussy's -fortune is a clever touch; but of all Cat pictures, one of the same -artist's illustrations to the Brothers Mayhew's _Greatest Plague of Life_ -is that to be remembered; I mean the one called "The Cat did it," in the -chapter about Mrs. Burgess's Tom. There are a score and more of wonderful -Cat stories in the _Muenchener Bilderboegen_, and in other German books; and -who of those who have seen them can forget Grandville's extraordinary -animals, so like Cats, and yet so human. There were some pictures that -Charles Bennett drew, showing the gradual change of a human face into that -of a beast, in which it was astonishing to note how easy and with what a -few lines the transformation could be effected. - -I might make this book a great deal longer (and more wearisome, perhaps) -if I gave even the briefest outline of all the stories I have come upon -during my long search; but I believe that those to be found in these pages -are among the best extant. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - - -[Illustration: CHAPTER XI.] - -_Of Pussy Poorly, and of some Curiosities of the Cats'-meat Trade._ - - "So sickly Cats neglect their fur attire, - And sit and mope beside the kitchen fire." - _Bombastes Furioso._ - - -A writer on Cats, when speaking of the necessity of administering physic -in certain cases, says that the bare thought of so doing is sufficient to -daunt at least nine-tenths of the lady Cat-owners of the kingdom; and -gives these directions to assist the timid fair one in her arduous -task:-- - -"Have ready a large cloth and wrap the patient therein, wisping the cloth -round and round her body, so that every part of her, except the head, is -well enveloped. Any one may then hold it between their knees, while you -complete the operation. Put on a pair of stout gloves, and then with a -firm hand open the animal's mouth wide!" - -Poor Pussy! From the formidable nature of these preparations, one would -almost fancy that it was a full-grown tigress about to be doctored, and -its iron mouth required a firm hand to wrench apart the jaws. To such -inexperienced ladies as could require these directions, the writer's -further advice not to pour down the Cat's throat too much at a time, comes -very seasonably, but I am not too sure that Pussy will not be choked for -all that. When properly managed, says he, "a sick Cat may be made to take -pills or any other drug without risk of a severe scratching on your part, -and danger of a dislocated neck on the part of suffering Grimalkin." - -I can readily understand that there is small fear of the Cat's claws -penetrating through five or six folds of stout calico, but about the -safety of its neck I have my doubts. One, indeed, feels almost inclined to -add, as a further safeguard for the trembling doctor, a suit of chain-mail -or a diver's dress, such as the man wears who braves the dangers of the -tank at the Polytechnic. - -Seriously speaking, a lady who is kind to her domestic pets will have no -trouble in giving them medicine. When they are Kittens, they should be -taught to lie upon their backs, and in this attitude, with the head -raised, the physic is easily enough administered. A sick Cat, too, does -not fly from those for whom it has an affection; on the contrary, I have -always known Cats to come for sympathy to those who nurse and feed them. -Administer the physic with a teaspoon, if liquid, and be most careful when -the dose has been given, to gently wash from the Cat's face or breast any -drop of the stuff that may have fallen there, so that she may not find the -nasty taste lingering about her when she goes to clean herself, as -otherwise she has the unpleasantness of the physic long after the doses -have been discontinued. - -These are some of the complaints from which Cats suffer, and the best -methods to be adopted for their cure:-- - -A cat is sometimes affected by a sort of distemper which attacks it -between the first and third month of its life. The Cat or Kitten, when -thus suffering, refuses its food, seems to be sensitive of cold, and -creeps close to the fire or hides itself in any warm corner. A mild -aperient--small doses of brimstone, for instance--should be administered. -Whilst ill, feed the Cat upon light biscuit spread with butter. A little -manna is a good thing if the Cat will eat it, and the animal should be -kept warm and quiet. If, however, you see the sick Cat frequently -vomiting, the vomit being a bright yellow frothy liquid, be very careful -of the animal should she be a pet, for then the distemper is taking an -ugly turn, and requires special attention. Probably before long the -sickness will change to diarrhoea, which in the end will turn to dysentery -if prompt measures be not taken. When the vomiting first comes on, give -the Cat half a teaspoonful of common salt in about two teaspoonsful of -water, as an emetic, for the purpose of clearing the stomach. Then to stop -the sickness, give half a spoonful of melted beef marrow free from skin. -If this is not found sufficient, the dose may be repeated. - -Cats just reaching their full growth are liable to have fits. Male cats -almost always have, at this time, a slight attack of delirium. When coming -on, it may easily be known by an uneasy restlessness and a wildness of the -eyes. In bad cases, the Cat, when seized with delirium, will rush about -with staring eyes, sometimes fly at the window, but more often fly from -your presence and hide itself in the darkest place it can find. If it have -a regular fit, with frothing at the mouth, quivering limbs, etc., as in a -human being so attacked, Lady Cust recommends that one of the ears be -slightly slit with a sharp pair of scissors in the thin part of the ear. -You must then have some warm water ready and hold the ear in it, gently -rubbing and encouraging the blood to flow, a few drops even will afford -relief. During the attack, the Cat does not feel, nor does it resist in -the least, therefore the most timid lady might perform this little -operation without fear. But where the symptoms are not so violent, a -gentle aperient may do all that is required. A good alterative for them is -half a teaspoonful of common salt in two teaspoonfuls of water, as -mentioned above, though in this case it will not cause vomiting. Female -Cats, Lady Cust says, are less subject to fits of delirium, and never have -them after they have once nursed young ones, unless frightened into them, -which all Cats easily are. In this, however, I think she is mistaken, for -I have had a Cat so affected when nursing her second litter of Kittens. -Another Cat of mine was seized with delirium, rushed suddenly out of the -kitchen, and disappeared mysteriously for three days. At the end of that -time, the servant going to light the fire under the copper, the animal -crawled forth from the copper hole very thin and weak, but otherwise -seemingly cured of its strange complaint. All cats are subject to -diarrhoea, and the signs of their so suffering are to be found in dull -eyes, staring coat and neglected toilet, and the animal is very likely to -die of the complaint unless the proper remedies be applied. As soon as it -is discovered, give the Cat some luke warm new milk, with a piece of fresh -mutton suet (the suet the size of a walnut to a teacupful of milk) melted, -and mixed in it. If the patient be too ill to lap, administer the mixture -a teaspoonful every two hours. Take care not to give it too much so as to -make it sick. If there is no bile, you should give the Cat (full grown) a -grain and a half of the grey powder used in such cases. If the diarrhoea -still continue, Lady Cust suggests that a teaspoonful of the chalk mixture -used by human beings, be tried, with seven or eight drops of tincture of -rhubarb, and four or five of laudanum, every few hours until the complaint -ceases. Cats will continue ill, her Ladyship says, for a few days, their -eyes even fixed, but still with watching and care they may be cured. A -teaspoonful at a time of pure meat gravy should be given now and then, -but not until nearly two hours after medicine, to keep up the strength, -until appetite returns. - -There is a disease resembling the chicken-pox, which appears in the shape -of eruptions upon a Cat's head and throat. It is, in these cases, -advisable to rub the bad places with flour of brimstone mixed with fresh -hog's lard, without salt. The Cat will lick some of this ointment off, and -swallow it, which operation will assist the cure. Much of the necessity -for physic is, however, avoided when the Cat is able to get some grass to -eat, without which, I believe, it can never be in good health. I have a -Tom Cat, which seems to be particularly partial to ribbon grass, but this, -I should say, is quite an epicurean taste of his. According to Lady Cust, -who is the greatest, indeed, the only authority on such matters, the hair -swallowed by the Cat in licking itself, and conveyed into the stomach and -intestines, where it remains in balls or long rolls, causing dulness and -loss of appetite, is digested easily by adhering to the long grass; or if -the mass is too large, as is often the case in the moulting season, -especially with Angora Cats, it will be seen thrown up: long rolls of hair -with grass; perfectly exclusive of any other substance. But, again, the -Cat itself seems to know that grass is very needful for the preservation -of its health. The food and prey it eats often disorder the stomach. On -such occasions, it eats a little grass, which, however, goes no further -than the commencement of the oesophagus; this is irritated by the jagged -and saw-like margins of the blades of grass, and this irritation is, by a -reflex action, communicated to the stomach, which, by a spasmodic action, -rejects its vitiated secretion. - -It is very cruel and injurious to the mother to destroy the whole litter -of kittens at once, unless it has some feline friend or relation to -relieve it of its milk: one of its grown-up children, or its husband, will -generally do so, without much persuasion. If deprived of this resource, -however, the frequent destruction of the kittens will, in all probability, -cause cancers, and in the end kill the Cat. If the mother die, and the -kittens be left orphans, they may be easily reared by hand. Feed them with -new milk, sweetened with brown sugar--plain milk is too astringent. To -imitate the Cat's lick, wipe the kittens with a nearly dry sponge, and -soap and water. A good way to feed them is to use a well-saturated fine -sponge, which the kittens will suck. The most common way, however, is to -pour the milk gently down the throat from a pointed spoon. I knew a lady -who fed a pet kitten from her mouth, and it grew up extraordinarily -affectionate and sagacious. But I have seen many cases where a Cat has -conceived a strong affection towards a person who has never fed it, and -scarcely ever noticed it. - -I lately heard, on good authority, of a case of a lady, one of whose Cats -came every morning to her bed-room door, at six o'clock precisely, making -so much noise mewing, that it would awaken every one in the house, if she -did not hasten to get up, open the door, and shake hands with it, after -which ceremony it went quietly away. But, as a rule, these animals do not -tax their masters' good nature to such an extent: a pat on the head now -and then, a kind word now and again, nothing more is required. - -Mr. Kingston says:--"I was calling on a delightful and most clever kind -old lady, who showed me a very beautiful Tabby Cat, coiled up on a chair -before the fire. - -"'Seventeen years ago,' said she, 'that Cat's mother had a litter: they -were all ordered to be drowned, with the exception of one; the servant -brought me that one; it was a tortoiseshell. 'No,' I said, 'that will -always be looking dirty; I will choose another;' so I put my hand into -the basket, and drew forth this tabby. The tabby has stuck by me ever -since. When she came to have a family, she disappeared, but the rain did -not, for it came pouring down through the ceiling, and it was discovered -that Dame Tabby had made a lying-in hospital for herself in the thatched -roof of our house. The damage she did cost us several pounds; so we asked -a bachelor friend, who had a good cook, fond of Cats, to take care of -tabby the next time she gave signs of having a family, as we knew that she -would be well fed. We sent her in a basket, well covered up, and she was -carefully shut into a room, where she soon was able to exhibit a progeny -of young mewlings. More than the usual number were allowed to survive; and -it was thought that she would remain quietly where she was; but, at the -first opportunity, she made her escape, and down she came all the length -of the village; and I heard her mewing at my bed-room door, early in the -morning, to be let in. When I had stroked her back, and spoken kindly to -her, off she went to look after her nurselings. From that day, every -morning down she came regularly to see me, and would not go away till she -had been spoken to and caressed. Having satisfied herself that I was -alive and well, back she would go again. She never failed to pay me that -one visit in the morning, and never came twice in the day, till she had -weaned her kittens, and then every day she came back, and nothing would -induce her to go away again: I had not the heart to force her back. From -that day to this she has always slept at the door of my room.' Never was -there more evident affection exhibited in the feline race." - -With respect to a Cat's food, I think it should not have too much meat; -and I should prefer feeding it on scraps that have come from the table, to -buying Cats' meat. If their taste be consulted upon the subject, almost -all Cats are passionately fond of lights, particularly as they grow old; -and one elderly red-haired gentleman in particular, with whom I had once -the honour of being acquainted, was in the habit of watching the pot -whilst the lights boiled, with lively interest, sniffing the steam when -the saucepan-lid was raised, and licking his lips in anticipation of joys -to come, when he could gorge himself to his heart's content. As he was a -very old gentleman, and enjoyed the privileges of age, he had unlimited -lights supplied to him; and it was his habit to eat as much as he could -possibly swallow, and then lie down within sight of the plate, and catch -uneasy snatches of sleep, waiting until he could go on again with his -orgie, but racked meanwhile by horrid fears lest anyone else should get at -his food, and only dozing off, as the saying is, one eye at a time. This -same red Cat one day, when the servants were out, and I was alone in the -garden, came to me mewing in a strange sort of way, looking, as I thought, -very anxious, and running backwards and forwards between me and the house. -At last, following him as he seemed to wish me to do, I accompanied him to -the street-door, where I found the butcher's boy waiting with the lights. - -In giving a Cat the scrapings of dirty plates, it is as well, if you value -the animal's life, to remove the fish bones, should there be any among the -leavings. Very frequently, as most Cats bolt their food, they get a bone -sticking in their mouth or throat, of which they are unable to relieve -themselves, and suffer much pain without their owner's guessing at the -cause of their discomforture. A lady in a house I was staying at, had a -Cat that got what was afterwards supposed to be a fish bone sticking in -its mouth, far at the back, in such a way that it was unable to close its -jaws. For two or three days it remained in this state, refusing all food, -and looking in a woeful plight; indeed, we afterwards supposed that it -could not even lap; but at the time, although we made several examinations -of the sufferer, we could not discover what ailed it. At last, some one -suggested seeking the aid of a veterinary surgeon, whose dignity seemed -just a little bit ruffled by being called in for a Cat, and who, when he -did come, did not bring his instruments with him. Nevertheless, he found -out what was wrong, and forcing open the Cat's jaws, put in his finger to -loosen what he called a fish-bone. Being rather fearful of getting a bite, -he was somewhat hasty, and the bone jerked out, flew into the air, as he -released his hold of the Cat's head, whereupon the Cat caught the bone as -it fell, and instantly swallowed it, leaving us until this day in the dark -as to the size and nature of the bone, and indeed, rather doubtful whether -it was a bone at all. - -In cases where the Cat is accidentally crippled, or should be so ill that -it were better to put it out of its misery at once, the best plan is to -send for a chemist, who for a small sum would administer the poison upon -your own premises. I have known cases where men servants entrusted to take -the animal to the chemist's shop, have thrown it down in the street, or -killed it with unnecessary torture themselves, and pocketed the money -they should have paid for the poisoning. - -To administer the poison yourself is by no means a wise course, as -probably you may give too much or too little, and in either case defeat -your object. I know for a fact, that two medical students once barbarously -practising experiments with poison on an unhappy Cat, twice poisoned the -animal, as they supposed, and once actually buried it, of course not very -deeply, after which it recovered again, and crawled into the house, rather -to their alarm, as you may suppose, as on the second occasion it happened -in the dead of night. - -Those unable to procure the assistance of a doctor or chemist, can easily -drown a Cat by putting it into a pail of water, and pressing another pail -down upon it, care being taken of course to handle the Cat gently, so as -not to alarm it before the last moment. - -Concerning the Cats'-meat trade, Mr. Henry Mayhew gives many curious -particulars, of which the following are some of the most amusing:-- - -"The Cats'-meat carriers frequently sell as much as ten pennyworth to one -person, and there has been a customer to the extent of sixteen pennyworth. -This person, a black woman, used to get out on the roof of the house, -and throw it to the Cats on the tiles, by which conduct she brought so -many stray Cats round about the neighbourhood, that the parties in the -vicinity complained of the nuisance. The noise of about a hundred strange -Cats, a little before feeding-time, about ten in the morning, was -tremendous; and when the meat was thrown to them, the fighting and -confusion was beyond description. - -"There was also a woman in Islington who used to have fourteen pounds of -meat a-day. The person who supplied her was often paid two and three -pounds at a time. She had often as many as thirty Cats at a time. Every -stray Cat that came she would take in and support. - -"The carriers give a great deal of credit; indeed, they take but little -ready money. On some days they do not come home with more than 2_s._ One -with a middling walk, pays for his meat 7_s._ 6_d._ per day; for this he -has half-a-hundred weight: this produces him as much as 11_s._ 6_d._, so -that his profit is 4_s._, which, I am assured, is about a fair average of -the earnings of the trade. One carrier is said to have amassed L1,000 at -the business: he usually sold from 1-1/2 to 2 cwt. every morning, so that -his profits were generally from 16_s._ to L1 per day. But the trade is -much worse now: there are so many at it, they say, that there is barely a -living for any." - -A carrier assured Mr. Mayhew he seldom went less than thirty, and -frequently forty miles, through the streets every day. The best districts -are among the houses of tradesmen, mechanics, and labourers. The coachmen -in the mews at the back of the squares are very good customers. - -"'The work lays thicker there,' said one carrier. 'Old maids are bad, -though very plentiful customers: they cheapen the carriers down so that -they can scarcely live at the business: they will pay one half-penny, and -owe another, and forget that after a day or two.' The Cats'-meat dealers -generally complain of their losses from bad debts: their customers require -credit frequently to the extent of L1. - -"'One party owes me 15_s._ now,' said a carrier, 'and many 10_s._; in -fact, very few people pay ready money for the meat.' - -"The best days for the Cats'-meat business are Mondays, Tuesdays, and -Saturdays. A double quantity of meat is sold on the Saturday; and on that -day and Monday and Tuesday, the weekly customers generally pay." - -"The supply of food for Cats and Dogs is far greater than may be generally -thought. - -"'Why, sir,' said one of the dealers, 'can you tell me how many people's -in London?' On Mr Mayhew's replying, upwards of two millions; 'I don't -know nothing whatever,' said the man, 'about millions, but I think there's -a Cat to every ten people, aye, and more than that; and so, sir, you can -reckon.'" - -Mr. Mayhew told him this gave a total of 200,000 Cats in London, but the -number of inhabited houses in the Metropolis was 100,000 more than this, -and though there was not a Cat to every house, still, as many lodgers as -well as householders kept Cats, he added, "that he thought the total -number of Cats in London might be taken at the same number as the -inhabited houses, or 300,000 in all." - -"'There is not near half so many Dogs as Cats; I must know, for they all -knows me, and I serves about 200 Cats and 70 dogs. Mine's a middling -trade, but some does far better. Some Cats has a hap'orth a day, some -every other day; werry few can afford a penn'orth, but times is inferior. -Dogs is better pay when you've a connection among 'em.' - -"A Cats'-meat carrier who supplied me with information," says the same -writer, "was more comfortably situated than any of the poorer classes that -I have yet seen. He lived in the front room of a second floor, in an -open and respectable quarter of the town, and his lodgings were the -perfection of comfort and cleanliness in an humble sphere. It was late in -the evening when I reached the house; I found the 'carrier' and his family -preparing the supper. In a large morocco leather easy chair sat the -Cats'-meat carrier himself; his blue apron and black shiny hat had -disappeared, and he wore a 'dress' coat and a black satin waistcoat -instead. His wife, who was a remarkably pretty woman, and of very -attractive manners, wore a 'Dolly Varden' cap, placed jauntily on the back -of her head, and a drab merino dress. The room was cosily carpeted; and in -one corner stood a mahogany 'crib,' with cane-work sides, in which one of -the children was asleep. On the table was a clean white table-cloth, and -the room was savoury with the steaks and mashed potatoes that were cooking -on the fire. Indeed, I have never yet seen greater comfort in the abodes -of the poor. The cleanliness and wholesomeness of the apartment were the -more striking from the unpleasant associations connected with the calling. - -"It is believed by one who has been engaged at the business for 25 years, -that there are from 900 to 1,000 horses, averaging 2 cwt. of meat each, -little and big, boiled down every week; so that the quantity of cats' -and dogs' meat used throughout London is about 200,000 lbs. per week, and -this, sold at the rate of 2-1/2_d._ per lb., gives L2,000 a-week for the -money spent in cats' and dogs' meat, or upwards of L100,000 a-year, which -is at the rate of L100 worth sold annually by each carrier. The profits of -the carriers may be estimated at about L50 each per annum. The capital -required to start in this business varies from L1 to L2. The stock-money -needed is between 5_s._ and 10_s._ The barrow and basket, weights and -scales, knife and steel, or blackstone, cost about L2 when new, and from -15_s._ to 4_s._ second hand. - -Mr. Mayhew also states the London dogs' and cats' meat carriers to number -at least one thousand. "The slaughtermen," he says, "are said to reap -large fortunes very rapidly. Many of them retire after a few years and -take large farms. One after twelve years' business retired with several -thousand pounds, and has now three large farms. The carriers are men, -women, and boys. Very few women do as well at it as the men. The carriers -are generally sad drunkards. Out of five hundred it is said three hundred -at least spend L1 a head a-week in drink. One party in the trade told me -that he knew a carrier who would spend 10_s._ in liquor at one sitting. -The profit the carriers make upon the meat is at present only a penny per -pound. In the summer time the profit per pound is reduced to a halfpenny, -owing to the meat being dearer, on account of its scarcity." - -The following are, as well as I can remember, the words of an old song, to -the tune of "Cherry Ripe," that were sung in some play:-- - - "Cats'-meat, Cats'-meat--meat, I cry, - On a skewer--come and buy; - From Hyde Park Corner to Wapping Wall, - All the year I Cats'-meat bawl; - Cats'-meat, Cats'-meat--meat, I cry, - On a skewer--come and buy." - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - - -[Illustration: CHAPTER XII.] - -_Of Wild Cats, Cat Charming, etc._ - - -Without entering into any very lengthened details, I will here make room -for a few natural history notes, collected from various sources:-- - -The Cat belongs to the same family as the lion, tiger, panther, leopard, -puma, serval, ocelot, and lynx. The tribe is, perhaps, one of the best -defined in zoology, all its members having characteristics of structure -and habit not to be confounded with those of other animals. The rounded -head and pointed ears, the long, lithe body, covered with fine silky hair, -and often beautifully marked; the silent, stealthy step, occasioned by -treading only on the fleshy ball of the foot; the sharp, retractile claws, -the large, lustrous eyes, capable, from the expansive power of the pupil, -of seeing in the dark; the whiskered lip, the trenchant, carnivorous -teeth, and the tongue covered with recurved, horny prickles, are common to -all. - -In their habits and manners of life they are equally akin: they inhabit -the forest and the brake, sleeping away the greater part of their time, -and only visiting the glade and open plain when pressed by hunger. They -are for the most part nocturnal in their habits, being guided to their -prey by their peculiar power of vision, by their scent, and by their -hearing, which is superior to that of most other animals. Naturally, they -are strictly carnivorous, not hunting down their prey by a protracted -chase, like the wolf and dog, but by lying in wait, or by moving -stealthily with their supple joints and cushioned feet till within spring -of their victims, on which they dart with a growl, as if the muscular -effort of the moment were painful even to themselves. Whether the attack -be that of a tiger on a buffalo, or that of a Cat on a helpless mouse, -the mode of action is the same--a bound with the whole body from the -distance of many yards, a violent stroke with the fore foot, a clutch with -the claws, which are thrust from their sheaths, and a half-tearing, -half-sucking motion of the jaws, as if the animal gloated in ecstacy over -the blood of its victim. - -This mode of life has gained for these animals the common epithets of -"cruel, savage, and blood-thirsty," and has caused them to be looked upon -by the uninformed as monsters in creation. When its natural instincts -shall die out, then also will the tiger cease to exist; and were the whole -world peopled and cultivated equally with our own island, the feline -family would be limited to a single genus--namely, the humble Cat. But as -things are at present constituted, the valleys and plains of the tropics -are clothed with an extensive vegetation, supporting numerous herbivorous -animals, which could only be kept within due limits by the existence of -carnivora, such as the lion, tiger, leopard, and panther. - -The distribution of the feline animals is governed by those conditions to -which we have alluded; and thus the puma inhabits the North American -prairie; the jaguar the savannahs of South America; the lion the arid -plains of Africa and Asia; the tiger and panther the tropical jungles of -the old world; the minor species, as the ocelot and lynx, have a wider -range in both worlds, while the domestic Cat associates with man in almost -every region. With the exception of the latter, none of the other genera -have been tamed or domesticated, so that they are strictly "wild beasts," -against which man wages a ceaseless war of extirpation. It is true that, -in the East, one species of leopard is trained for hunting, but this only -very sparingly, and even then he does not follow the game by scent, but is -carried by the hunters, and only let loose when he is within a few bounds -of the animal. It must not be inferred, however, that they are untameable, -for every creature is capable, more or less, of being trained by man, -provided it receives due attention; and we have sufficient evidence in the -wonderful feats performed by the lions and tigers of Mr. Carter and Van -Amburgh, that the felinae are by no means destitute of intelligent -docility. The truth is, there is no inducement to tame them, and thus the -Cat, the most diminutive of the family, and the only one of direct utility -to civilise, is likely to continue, as it ever has been, the sole -domesticated member. - -The wild Cat is more plentiful in the wooded districts of Germany, -Prussia, and Hungary than in any other part of Europe. It is found also in -the north of Asia and in Nepaul. Besides the true wild Cat, there are -other species of felis which, on account of their resemblance to the -tiger, are called "Tiger-Cats": they are found in all parts of the world, -with the exception of Europe. The largest of this family is the -Rimau-Dahan, an inhabitant of Sumatra. When full grown, it measures over -seven feet from the nose to the tip of its tail, which appendage, however, -monopolises three feet six of the whole. It is nearly two feet high at the -shoulders: its colour is light grey, striped and spotted with jet black. -One of the first specimens of this Tiger-Cat seen in England was brought -here by Sir Stamford Raffles, who procured two of them from the banks of -the Bencoolen River. - -"Both specimens," writes this gentlemen, "while in a state of confinement, -were remarkable for good temper and playfulness; no domestic kitten could -be more so; they were always courting intercourse with persons passing by, -and in the expression of their countenance, which was always open and -smiling, showed the greatest delight when noticed, throwing themselves on -their backs, and delighting in being tickled and rubbed. On board the -ship there was a small dog, who used to play round the cage and with the -animals; and it was amusing to observe the playfulness and tenderness with -which the latter came in contact with their inferior sized companion. When -fed with a fowl that died, they seized the prey, and after sucking the -head, and tearing it a little, amused themselves for hours in throwing it -about and jumping after it, in the manner that a Cat plays with a mouse -before it is quite dead. This species of Cat never seems to look on man or -children as his prey; and the natives assert that, when wild, it lives -chiefly on poultry, birds, and small deer." - -The colour of the wild Cat is more uniform than that of the domestic -species. On a ground colour of pale reddish-yellow are dark streaks -extending over the body and limbs, forming pretty much the sort of pattern -exhibited on the tiger's robe. From the back of the neck to the spine, a -line of very dark spots extends to the tail, which is short and bushy, and -has a black tip. The feet and insides of the legs are yellowish grey. In -the female, which is smaller than the male, the colours are not as -distinct. The medium size of a full-grown male wild Cat is as -follows:--Length of head and body, 1 foot 10 inches; length of head, -3-1/2 inches; length of ears, 2-1/8 inches; length of tail, 11 inches. The -wild Cat affects rocky and densely-wooded districts, living in holes or in -hollow trees. According to Mr. St. John, a wild Cat will sometimes take up -its residence at no great distance from a house, and, entering the -hen-houses and outbuildings, carry off fowls or even lambs, in the most -audacious manner. Like other vermin, the wild Cat haunts the shores of -lakes and rivers, and it is, therefore, easy to know where to lay a trap -for it. Having caught and killed one of the colony, the rest of them are -sure to be taken, if the body of their slain relative be left in some -place not far from their usual hunting-ground, and surrounded with traps, -as every wild Cat which passes within a considerable distance of the place -will to a certainty come to it. - -America has several Tiger-Cats, foremost amongst which may be mentioned -the Ocelot. Two of these animals were kept at the Tower of London, at the -time when that ancient fortress counted a menagerie among its other -attractions; and of one of these Mr. Bennett gives the following -description:-- - -"Body when full grown nearly 3 feet in length; tail rather more than 1 -foot; medium height about 18 inches. Ground colour of fur grey, mingled -with a slight tinge of fawn, elegantly marked with numerous longitudinal -bands, the dorsal one continuous and entirely black, the lateral (six or -seven on each side) consisting for the most part of a series of elongated -spots, with black margins, sometimes completely distinct, sometimes -running together. The centre of each spot is of a deeper fawn than the -ground colour external to it; this deeper tinge is also conspicuous on the -head and neck, and on the outside of the limbs, all of which parts are -irregularly marked with full black lines and spots of various sizes. From -the top of the head, between the ears, there pass backwards towards the -shoulders, two or more, frequently four, uninterrupted diverging bands, -which enclose a narrow fawn-colour space, with a black margin; between -these there is a single longitudinal, somewhat interrupted, narrow black -line, occupying the centre of the neck above. Ears short and rounded, -externally margined with black, surrounding a large central whitish spot: -under parts of the body whitish, spotted with black, and the tail, which -is of the same ground colour with the body, also covered with black spots. -This animal is a native of Mexico and Paraguay: its home is the -gloomiest depths of the forest, where all day long it lies quiet, but, -as night advances, comes out to prey on birds and small quadrupeds. It is -said to be a particularly cunning creature, and sometimes, when other -stratagems to replenish his larder have failed, to stretch himself all -along the bough of a tree and sham death. The monkeys of the neighbourhood -have no greater enemy than the Ocelot, therefore it is only natural that, -when they find him dead, they would be much rejoiced, and call together -their friends and relations to see the pretty sight. The treacherous -ocelot is, however, meanwhile keeping sharp watch through a tiny chink of -his eyelids, and when the rejoicing is at its highest, up he jumps, and, -before the monkey-revellers can recover from their fright, at least a -couple will feel the fatal weight of his paw. There are several ocelots, -the painted, the grey, and the common, among others. In captivity, few -animals are more surly and spiteful, until they grow thoroughly well -acquainted with their keepers or others who court their notice. There is, -however, one weapon keener than the sharpest sword, more potent than the -Armstrong gun, more powerful than all the gunpowder and bullets ever made, -and yet so simple, that the boy yet in pinafores may direct it: to this -weapon the suspicious tiger-cat succumbs, and the name of this weapon -is--_Kindness_! So armed, the Rev. J. G. Wood conquered a body of Ocelots -exhibited at the menagerie. He says:-- - -"Several of these animals, when I first made their acquaintance, were -rather crabbed in disposition, snarled at the sound of a strange step, -growled angrily at my approach, and behaved altogether in a very unusual -manner, in spite of many amicable overtures. After a while, I discovered -that these creatures were continually and vainly attempting the capture of -certain flies, which buzzed about the cage; so I captured a few large -bluebottle flies, and poked them through a small aperture in the cage, so -that the Ocelot's paw might not be able to reach my hand. At first the -ocelots declined to make any advance in return for the gift, but they soon -became bolder, and at last freely took the flies as fast as they were -caught. The ice was now broken, and in a very short time we were excellent -friends, the angry snarl being exchanged for a complacent composed -demeanour. The climax to their change of character was reached by giving -them a few leaves of grass, for which they were, as I thought they would -be, more anxious than for the flies. They tore the green blades out of my -hand, and enjoyed the unaccustomed dainty undisturbed. After this, they -were quite at their ease, and came to the front of the cage whenever I -passed." - -The Colocolo is another tiger-cat: it is an inhabitant of Guiana, and -though not more than a third the size of the Rimau-Dahan, is a most -formidable enemy to the smaller animals of the forests which it inhabits. -It is related by Mr. Wood that a specimen of this creature was shot on the -banks of a river, in Guiana, by an officer of rifles, who stuffed it, and -placed the skin to dry on the awning of his boat. As the vessel dropped -down the river, it passed under overhanging boughs of large trees, on -which rested numerous monkeys. Generally when a boat passed along a river, -the monkeys, which inhabit the trees that border its banks, displayed -great curiosity, and ran along the boughs, so as to obtain a close view of -the strange visitant. Before the Colocolo had been killed, the passage of -the boat had been attended, as usual, by the inquisitive monkeys, but when -the stuffed skin was exhibited on the awning, the monkeys were horribly -alarmed, and instead of approaching the vessel, as they had before done, -trooped off with prodigious yells of terror and rage. From this universal -fear which the sight of the animal occasioned to the monkeys, it may be -conjectured that the Colocolo is in the habit of procuring its food at the -expense of the monkey tribes. Of the tiger-cat in Africa, the Serval may -be taken as the type: it is about two feet long, exclusive of the tail, -which measures nine inches, and is a foot in height at the shoulders. Its -upper parts are clear yellow, and its under parts white, and its entire -body is spotted with black. Among the Dutch settlers it is known as -"Bosch-katte," or "Bush-cat." It is an inoffensive creature, _not_ easily -irritated, and behaving generally like our own familiar grimalkin. - -The wild Cat of Ireland would seem to be quite as savage a fellow as his -Scotch cousin. In Maxwell's "_Wild Sports of the West_," is a story of one -of these animals, which was killed after a severe battle: it was of a -dirty grey colour, double the size of the common house Cat, and with -formidable teeth and claws. It was a female, and was tracked to its burrow -under a rock, and caught with a rabbit-net. So flimsy an affair, however, -was scorned by the fierce brute, which speedily rent a hole with its teeth -and claws, and was about to run off, when the lad who had set the snare -seized it by the neck. It was finally dispatched by a blow of an iron -spade. The lad, however, was so terribly wounded as to necessitate his -removal to an hospital, where he for some time remained, in peril of -lock-jaw. - -The following narrative is furnished by Mr. St. John:-- - -"Once, when grouse shooting, I came suddenly, in the rough and rocky part -of the ground, upon a family of two old and three half-grown wild Cats. In -the hanging birch-woods that bordered some of the highland streams and -rocks, the wild Cat is still not uncommon; and I have heard their wild and -unearthly cries echo afar in the quiet night as they answer and call to -each other. I do not know a more harsh and unpleasant cry than the cry of -the wild Cat, or one more likely to be the origin of superstitious fears -in the mind of an ignorant Highlander. These animals have great skill in -finding their prey; and the damage they do to the game must be very great, -owing to the quantity of food which they require. When caught in a trap, -they fly, without hesitation, at any person who approaches them, not -waiting to be assailed. I have heard many stories of their attacking and -severely wounding a man, when their retreat has been cut off. Indeed, a -wild Cat once flew at me in a most determined manner. I was fishing in a -river in Sutherlandshire, and in passing from one pool to another, had -to climb over some rocky and broken ground. In doing so, I sank through -some rotten moss and heather up to my knees, almost upon a wild Cat, who -was concealed under it. I was quite as much startled as the animal herself -could be when I saw the wild looking beast rush out so unexpectedly from -between my legs, with every hair on her body standing on end, making her -look twice as large as she really was. I had three small sky-terriers with -me, who immediately gave chase, and pursued her till she took refuge in a -corner of a rock, where, perched in a kind of recess, out of reach of her -enemies, she stood with her hair bristled out, and spitting and growling -like a common Cat. Having no weapon with me, I laid down my rod, cut a -good sized stick, and proceeded to dislodge her. As soon as I came within -six or seven feet of the place, she sprang right at my face, over the -dogs' heads. Had I not struck her in mid-air, as she leapt at me, I should -probably have got some severe wound. As it was, she fell, with her back -half broken, among the dogs, who, with my assistance, dispatched her. I -never saw an animal fight so desperately, or one so difficult to kill. If -a tame Cat has nine lives, a wild Cat must have a dozen." - -That a long course of domestic drill is insufficient to win a Cat from its -native savagery, is proved by the following scrap, lately culled from the -_Swansea Herald_:-- - -"A fight of more than ordinary interest took place on the bank of the -canal, near Kidwelly Quay, a few days ago. A domestic Cat, making her -usual walk in search of prey along the embankment, was attacked by an -otter of no small dimensions, and was in an instant tossed into the middle -of the canal, and there had to fight, not for the 'belt,' but for her -life, in an uncongenial element. But very soon they were observed by some -sailors and shippers, employed not far from the scene of contest, who -hastened to witness the strange occurrence. Either from fear of the men, -or of its formidable antagonist, the otter relinquished its hold, and poor -Puss safely landed, amidst hearty cheers and congratulations. But Puss, -not being content with the laurels she had won in the first contest, went -out again on the following day, and, strange to say, the old combatants -met again, and the otter, with undiminished pluck, attacked the Cat on -land. The contest became very severe, but ultimately the otter was glad to -regain its watery refuge, and leave Puss the victor the second time, -without suffering very considerably from an encounter with such a -formidable foe." - -A writer on the subject of wild cats says:-- - -"When a domesticated creature is no longer found in the wild state -anywhere, like the camel and the lama, or when a reasonable scepticism may -be entertained respecting the species assumed to be its savage ancestor, -as is the case with the dog and the fowl, the steps of all our reasonings -march straight into a blind alley, from which there is no issue, except by -turning back. I believe that there never was such an animal as a really -wild Pussy. The supposition involves an absurdity. Whose legs could she -rub in a state of nature? On whose arrival could she set up her back, and -arch her tail, and daintily tread on the same little spot? From what -carpet, Kidderminster or Brussels, could she gently pull the threads with -her claws? In what dairy could she skim the cream? From what larder could -she steal cold roast pheasant? And if she did not do these things, or some -of them, would she be a genuine Puss? No, no! I believe that Adam and Eve -had a nice little tortoiseshell to purr between them, as they sat chatting -on a sunny bank, and that a choice pair of tabbies slumbered, with -half-shut eyes, and their feet turned under them, before the fire, which -was the centre of Noah's family circle on board the Ark!" - -_Apropos_ of Cat-charming or Cat-taming, here are two anecdotes from Mr. -Beeton's book:-- - -"I have," says the writer, "a vivid recollection of once charming a Cat to -within an inch of getting myself thoroughly well thrashed. There lived in -our neighbourhood a kind-hearted old gentleman, who was good enough to -take a fancy to my ungrateful self, and would frequently invite me (he was -a bachelor) to dine with him. The dining part of the business I had not -the least objection to; but after dinner, when we had chatted till he fell -into a doze, it became, to a boy nine years old, rather tedious. It was on -one such occasion that I behaved so disgracefully. The old gentleman was -nodding, with his slippered feet crossed lazily before the fire, and a fat -tortoiseshell Cat, his property, lay along the rug, placidly asleep, too. -Had I been a good boy, I should have sat still, and turned the leaves of -Fox's _Book of Martyrs_ till my friend awoke; but I was not a good boy: I -felt myself like a martyr, doomed to the dreadful torture of sitting -still. I felt in my pocket for a top-string I had there, and for a minute -or so amused myself by bobbing the button at the end of the string on to -the nose of the tortoiseshell Cat, till I had aroused that lazy animal -to a state of extreme irritability. This sport, after a while, grew tame, -so I shifted the string, and allowed it to dangle within an inch of my -host's feet. Really, it was done with scarce a thought, but the result was -rather astonishing. The Cat, who all the time kept her eye on the -tormenting string, no sooner saw it at a distance convenient to spring at, -than she made a bound, and, missing the cord, fiercely embraced one of the -slippered members with ten of her talons. For the moment I was too -frightened to weigh the possible consequences of laughing, and laughed -outright, which, with the sudden bound the old gentleman gave, so alarmed -the tortoiseshell Cat, that she flew towards the door like a mad Cat. I -doubt, however, whether its utmost agility would have saved it from the -tongs, with which its outraged master pursued it, had I not ashamedly -explained the matter, and begged forgiveness." - -"I have certainly, in my time, made the acquaintance of some queerish -Cats. When quite a little boy, there was attached to our house, a quaint -black and white Cat whose sole recommendation was that he was a -magnificent mouser; nay, to such lengths would he carry his passion for -hunting, as regularly to haunt a ditch that existed in the neighbourhood -for the purpose of pursuing and capturing water-rats, which class of -vermin he despatched in a manner that at once secured the death of the -rat, and himself immunity from the rat's teeth. Seizing the animal by the -back of the neck, the Cat, by a sudden wriggle, threw himself on his back, -and at once transferred the custody of the rat from his mouth to his -fore-paws, holding it neatly behind the shoulders, while with his hind -talons he cruelly assailed the unlucky animal's loins and ribs till it -ceased to struggle. I have stated that the Cat in question was attached to -our house, and that certainly was the extent of his intimacy, for he was -attached to nobody residing there. Myself, he particularly disliked, and -although he never considered it beneath his dignity to steal any article -of food from me, would never accept my overtures of friendship. I have -reason to believe that his special dislike to me arose out of a pair of -boots possessed by me at that period. They were creaking boots, and -fastened with laces. Whether it was that their loud creaking as I moved -about the room in them, reminded him of the squeak of rats, or whether, -not being a particularly tidy boy, the before-mentioned laces were -sometimes allowed to trail rats'-tail-wise, aggravatingly heightened the -illusion, I can't say; I only know that as sure as I happened to allow -my small feet to swing loosely while seated at breakfast or dinner, so -surely would the black and white Cat, if he were in the room, make a -sudden dash at the hated boots, giving my leg a severe wrench in his -endeavour to fling himself on his back for the purpose of tearing the life -out of them after his own peculiar mode. - -"My enemy was, however, finally subdued, and in a rather curious way. Some -one brought me one of those difficult musical instruments known as a mouth -organ, and delighted with my new possession, I was torturing it as I sat -on a seat in the garden. Suddenly there appeared in a tree just above my -head, my foe, the black and white Cat, with his tail waving from side to -side, his eyes staring, and his mouth twitching in an odd sort of way. I -must confess that I was rather alarmed, and in my nervous condition, I -might be excused if I construed the expression of the Cat's countenance to -intimate, "Here you are then with another hideous noise, a noise that is -even more suggestive of rat squeaking than your abominable boots; however, -I've caught you by yourself this time, so look out for your eyes." I did -not, however, cease playing my organ; my enemy's green eyes seemed to -fascinate me, and my tremulous breath continued to wail on the organ -pipes. Slowly the black and white Cat descended the tree, and presently -leapt at my feet with a bound that thrilled through me, and expelled a -scream-like note from my instrument. But to my astonishment, my enemy did -not attack me; on the contrary, he approached the offending boots humbly, -and caressed them with his head. Still I continued to play, and after -every inch of my Bluchers had received homage from the Cat's hitherto -terrible muzzle, he sprang on the seat beside me, and purred and gently -mewed, and finally crept on to my shoulders and lovingly smelt at the -mouth-organ as I played it. From that day hostilities ceased between us. -He would sit on my shoulders for half an hour together, and sing, after -his fashion, while I played, and I had only to strike up to lure him from -any part of the premises where he might happen to be. - -"There used to come to our house a young man who played the trombone, and -having heard the story, insisted that there was nothing in it,--that all -Cats like music, and that savage as was our Cat to strangers, he would be -bound to conquer him with a single blast of his favorite instrument. Next -time he came armed with the terrible-looking trombone, which our Cat no -sooner saw than, (as I had predicted, for I knew his nature better than -anyone else could) he took a violent dislike to it. A blast on the -trombone; the effect was as he prognosticated instantaneous, though not -perfectly satisfactory; the brazen note was immediately responded to by -one equally loud from our Cat, who appeared to regard it as a challenge to -combat, and thickened his tail and bared his teeth accordingly, at the -same time swearing and spitting dreadfully. I need not say that the -trombone-player was discomfited, while my fame as a Cat-charmer was -considerably augmented." - -Poor Pussy! her character is not often properly understood, as we read -elsewhere:-- - -"One or two common errors about Cats may be noticed. Many persons will -destroy them when anything is the matter with them, whereas, in many cases -they would recover with a little care. Some think they do not drink much, -which is a mistake. Water should always be placed within their reach. As -to their want of attachment, there is no doubt that is generally owing to -the neglect (if not worse treatment) they often experience. Every animal -will ordinarily return kindness for kindness; and, if persons will only -try, they will not find Cats an exception. But to knock an animal about, -or hardly ever to notice it, and to punish severely any fault it may -commit, are not ways to attach it to you. The writer has heard of more -than one instance in which, on its master's death, a favourite Cat has -gone away and not been seen again. There is a great diversity of character -in Cats, as, indeed, in all animals. As to the colour, this is not of such -importance as the shape. She should be well rounded, compactly formed, -with small ears and fur of fine texture. It sometimes happens that -ordinary-looking Cats have some very good qualities. Cats are very much -afraid of each other: two of them will often look at one another over a -plate for a long time, neither venturing to move or to take anything. At -other times they are great bullies. One will get close up to another, and -scream into his ear until the other gradually shrinks back and runs off -when he has got clear." - -"The Chinese, it seems," says another writer, "learn the hour of the day -by looking into the eyes of their Cats; but I imagine that if Cats could -speak Chinese, they would tell us, not only what o'clock it is, but also -what is the day of the week. When a boy, I was a great pigeon-keeper: -pigeon-keeping in a town leads to excursions on the roofs. Excursions over -roofs lead sometimes to neck-breaking, sometimes to strange discoveries. -Our neighbour at the back was a large coach-builder, and the nearest -buildings were his forges. On week days, I beheld, during my airy rambles, -nothing but the blacksmiths hammering away at bolt, and spring, and tire, -and nail; but on Sundays, except in case of inclement weather, the warm -tiles that covered the forges were tenanted by numerous parties of Cats. -There they sat, all day long, admiring one another, holding silent -deliberations, determining in their minds which partner they should select -for the evening's concert and ball. While daylight lasted, it was a -Quaker's meeting, silent and sober; but after dark--the darker the -better--leaps and friskings were audible, with vocal effects of -long-swelling notes, such as called forth Peter Pindar's Ode to the Jewish -Cats of Israel Mendez, whose opening line is-- - - "Singers of Israel! O, ye singers sweet!" - -From Monday morning till Saturday night not a Cat was to be seen: they -knew when Sunday came round, as well as I did, from the low temperature of -the tiles. - -It is very common for Cats to select one member of a family on whom they -lavish all their fondness, while towards the others they comport -themselves with the utmost indifference. "I remember," says a lady, "there -was a Cat with her Kittens found in a hole in the wall, in the garden of -the house where my father-in-law lived. One of the kittens, being a very -beautiful black one, was brought into the house, and almost immediately -attached himself in a very extraordinary way to me. I was in mourning at -the time, and, perhaps, the similarity of the hue of my dress to his sable -fur, might first have attracted him; but, however this may have been, -whenever he came into the room, he constantly jumped into my lap, and -evinced his fondness by purring and rubbing his head against me in a very -coaxing manner. He continued thus to distinguish me during the rest of his -life; and though I went with my father-in-law's family every winter to -Dublin, and every summer to the country, the change of abode (to which -Cats are supposed to be averse) never troubled my favourite, provided he -could be with me. Frequently, when we have been walking home, after -spending the evening out, he has come running down half the street to meet -us, testifying the greatest delight. On one occasion, when I had an -illness, which confined me for upwards of two months to my room, poor Lee -Boo deserted the parlour altogether, though he had been always patted and -caressed by every one there. He would sit for hours mewing disconsolately -at my door; and when he could, he would steal in, jump upon the bed, -testifying his joy at seeing me by loud purring and coaxing, and sometimes -licking my hand. The very day I went down, he resumed his regular -attendance in the parlour." - -Another lady describes how her Cat awoke her in the middle of the night. -It sat down by the bed-side and mewed, while it rubbed itself backwards -and forwards against the bedposts. The lady had no idea what was the -matter, but felt sure there was something, and lighting the candle, found -a dead mouse quite close to her. Satisfied that the lady had examined its -capture, Puss took it off, and after playing with it for an hour, ate it -up, leaving, as usual, the tail and paws. In the country or in farmhouses, -the Cat will never fail to bring home birds and mice, and, in Southern -climes, lizards and even snakes. She does this, however, very much in -proportion to the amount of kindness bestowed upon her at home, and if -this be altogether lacking, the prey is only shown to other Cats living in -the same house, or to her own young, if she happens to have any; often -indeed, she brings her trophy immediately and only to her young. - -There was a gentleman who had a tortoiseshell Cat, which, though he never -fed it, or paid much attention to it, formed an attachment for him equal -to that of a dog. It knew his ring at the bells, and at whatever time he -came home, it was rubbing against his legs long before the servant came, -saw him into the sitting-room, and then walked off. It was a very active -animal, and usually went bird-catching during the night; but when its -master rose, which was generally early in the morning, the Cat was always -ready to receive him at the door of his room, and accompany him in his -morning walk in the garden, alternately skipping to the tops of the trees, -and descending and gambolling about him. When he was in his study, it used -to pay him several visits in the day, always short ones; but it never -retired till he had recognized it. If rubbing against his legs had not the -desired effect, it would mount the writing-table, nudge his shoulder, and -if that would not do, pat him on the cheek; but the moment he had shaken -it by the paw, and given it a pat or two on the head, it walked off. When -he was indisposed, it paid him several visits every day, but continued in -the room; and although it was fond of society generally, and also of its -food; it never obtruded its company during meals. Its attachment was thus -quite disinterested, and no pains whatever had been taken to train it." - -Here is a curious anecdote, culled from another source:-- - -"I have at the present time about my house a Cat that came into my -possession under rather singular circumstances. Before we knew her, we had -a Cat that gave perfect satisfaction, was a good mouser, and an -affectionate mother. In the rear of our house, there is a shed, commonly -used as a wood store, and frequented, at least, once a day. It is by no -means a secluded place, and the door, through a weakness in its hinges, is -constantly ajar. - -"One morning there was discovered in the shed, not only a strange Cat, but -a strange Kitten, with its eyes open, plump, and about a fortnight old. -The strange Cat made no attempt to stir when the maid entered, but lay -suckling her baby, and looking up with an expression that said as plainly -as Cat language could,-- - -"'A persecuted Cat and her Kitten at your service; don't drive us out, -that's a good creature.' - -"More singular still, before the person appealed to could consider the -case, our own Cat peeped into the shed, and after deliberately walking up -to the refugees, and giving them a kindly touch with her nose, walked -back to the servant and commenced to rub against her, purring the while, -as though to manifest her goodwill towards the strangers, and to recommend -a favourable consideration of their case, so they were taken in. - -"As soon, however, as the novelty of the affair wore off, it began to dawn -on us that we did not require a 'house-full' of Cats, though for that -matter the four lived happily together. Which should we get rid of? The -strange Cat's kitten was too big to drown and too little to send adrift; -our own 'Topsy' and her daughter must, of course, be retained, so there -was nothing left but to send away the strange she-Cat. She was rather a -good-looking Cat, and that, coupled with her known cleverness, gave us -good ground for supposing that she would soon find another home. It -appeared, however, that we did not give her credit for being nearly so -clever as she was. - -"It was arranged that she should be conveyed in a basket to a certain -square, about a quarter-of-a-mile distant, and there left to seek her -fortune. To the best of everybody's belief, this arrangement was carried -out to the letter, therefore the amazement of the entire household may be -easily imagined when, on reference being made to the Cat-cupboard, to see -how Topsy and her two young charges were getting on, to find no Topsy at -all,--only the strange Cat and the two Kittens. How the cheat had been -accomplished, it was impossible to say. That Topsy was not the Cat placed -in the basket was vouched for by two witnesses--one of them had held the -basket-lid open while the other pushed the animal in. - -"Perhaps, in my own mind, I have little doubt how the business was so -mulled, but I know that in certain quarters there exists a belief, either -that by some sort of witchery the strange Cat put on so Topsical an -appearance as to deceive her would be smugglers, or that, after she was -basketed, she managed to sneak out, and either by persuasion or force -induced the unlucky Topsy to take her place. - -"However it came about, the result is that the strange Cat alone reigns at -our house, to the jealous exclusion of all her species. No one, I believe, -has any particular affection for her, but that circumstance is not -observed to prey on her mind or to interfere with her appetite. She -devours her rations with the air of a Cat that is conscious that she has -earned them, and as though she is aware, and rather gloried than -otherwise, in the knowledge that she is regarded as a cunning and -manoeuvring beast, that first, by hypocritical representations, induced an -honest Cat to obtain for her a situation, and afterwards ungratefully -contrived to push out her benefactress and progeny, and install herself in -their place." - -From the _Autobiography of Miss Cornelia Knight_, Lady Companion to the -Princess Charlotte of Wales, I take the following scrap:-- - -"An old woman, who died a few years ago, in Ireland, had a nephew, to whom -she left by will all she possessed. She happened to have a favourite Cat, -which never left her, and even remained by the corpse after her death. -After the will was read, in the adjoining room, on opening the door the -Cat sprang at the lawyer, seized him by the throat, and was with -difficulty prevented from strangling him. This man died about eighteen -months after this scene, and, on his death-bed, confessed that he had -murdered his aunt to get possession of her money." - -The oft-quoted lines by Gray should not be omitted from _The Book of -Cats_:-- - - "ON THE DEATH OF A FAVOURITE CAT, - - "_Drowned in a Tub of Gold Fishes_. - - "'Twas on a lofty vase's side, - Where China's gayest art had dyed - The azure flowers that blow, - Demurest of the tabby kind, - The pensive Selima reclined, - Gazed on the lake below. - - "Her conscious tail her joy declared-- - The fair round face, the snowy beard, - The velvet of her paws, - Her coat, that with the tortoise vies, - Her ears of jet, and emerald eyes-- - She saw and purred applause. - - "Still had she gazed, but 'midst the tide, - Two angel forms were seen to glide, - The genii of the stream; - Their scaly armour's Tyrian hue, - Though richest purple to the view, - Betrayed a golden gleam. - - "The hapless nymph, with wonder saw, - A whisker first, and then a claw; - With many an ardent wish - She stretched in vain to reach the prize;-- - What female heart can gold despise? - What Cat's averse to fish? - - "Presumptuous maid, with looks intent, - Again she stretched, again she bent, - Nor knew the gulf between; - (Malignant Fate sat by and smiled)-- - The slippery verge her feet beguiled, - She tumbled headlong in. - - "Eight times emerging from the flood, - She mewed to every watery god - Some speedy aid to send; - No dolphin came, no nereid stirred, - No cruel Tom, no Susan heard,-- - Favourite has no friend. - - "From hence, ye beauties, undeceived, - Know one false step is ne'er retrieved, - And be with caution bold-- - Not all that tempts your wandering eyes - And heedless hearts is lawful prize-- - Not all that glitters gold." - -These verses are well known, but those which follow are less often met -with: they are attributed to George Tuberville, and written somewhere -about the beginning of the sixteenth century:-- - - "THE LOUER, - - "Whose mistresse feared a mouse, declareth that he - would become a Cat if he might haue his desire. - - "If I might alter kind, - What, think you, I would bee? - Not Fish, nor Foule, nor Fle, nor Frog. - Nor Squirril on the Tree; - The Fish the Hooke, the Foule - The lymed Twig doth catch, - The Fle the Finger, and the Frog - The Bustard doth dispatch. - - "The Squirrill thinking nought, - That feately cracks the Nut; - The greedie Goshawke wanting pray, - In dread of Death doth put; - But scorning all these kindes, - I would become a Cat, - To combat with the creeping Mouse, - And scratch the screeking Rat. - - "I would be present, aye, - And at my Ladie's call, - To gard her from the fearfull mouse, - In Parlour and in Hall; - In Kitchen, for his Lyfe, - He should not shew his hed; - The Peare in Poke should lie untoucht - When shee were gone to Bed. - - "The Mouse should stand in Feare, - So should the squeaking Rat; - All this would I doe if I were - Converted to a Cat." - -But I think George must have been very far gone when he wrote that piece -of poetry, for I should think that, even with the advantage of nine lives -to lose, a Cat's existence is rather too hazardous; and, by the way, that -reminds me of some instances where Pussy's natural prey have turned upon -her in a most unpleasant manner; thus:-- - -A Cat was observed on the top of a paled fence, endeavouring to get at a -blackbird's nest, which was near it. The hen left the nest at her -approach, and flew to meet her in a state of alarm, and uttered a wild -cry. The cock bird, on perceiving the danger, showed signs of distress by -sometimes settling on the fence just before the Cat, who was unable to -make a spring in consequence of the narrowness of her footing. After a -little while, the cock bird flew at the Cat, settled on her back, and -pecked her head with so much violence that she fell to the ground, -followed by the blackbird, who succeeded in driving her away. A second -time the same scene occurred; the blackbird was again victorious; and the -Cat became so intimidated at the attacks made upon her, that she gave over -the attempts to get at the young ones. After each battle, the blackbird -celebrated his victory with a song, and for several days afterwards he -would hunt the Cat about the garden whenever she left the house. There is -also an instance of a pair of blackbirds following a boy into a house, and -pecking at his head, while he was conveying one of their young into it. - -Here is another case:-- - -A lady who kept a tame Jack Hare, in giving an account of it, says, that -if a Cat approached him he would sit upright, "square himself," as it -were, and rub his paws together like a pugilist preparing for an -encounter. With one stroke of his soft but strong paws, the hare would -tear a strip of the hair, and often even the skin, from the Cat's back; at -other times he would make his sharp-cutting teeth meet in her neck; and so -formidable at last was the "timid hare" to the little "domestic tiger," -that no sooner did Pussy spy her conqueror than she would fly in terror -from his presence. - -In these two anecdotes, as in many others, Pussy is exhibited in a very -unamiable light; but I hope that a few of the good traits I have been able -to relate in the foregoing pages may weigh the balance in her favour with -those inclined to judge her fairly. As a cruel destroyer of smaller and -weaker animals she is most often painted, and so identified is she with -that character, that it is difficult to make those personally unacquainted -with her many good qualities to believe that any exist. In this way an -actor, famous for his villains, becomes so very villainous, that even in a -virtuous character we suspect him of hypocrisy, and expect that presently -he will throw off the mask and assume his proper colours. By the way of -allusion to a Cat on the stage, I think I can quote one of the most -effective pieces that have been spoken. - -Do any of my readers remember Robson acting in the burlesque of Medea? -Upon the night of its production Ristori went to the Olympic to see his -travestie of her great character. One of the finest passages in the -tragedy is that in which Medea describes how like a tigress she will -spring upon her intended victim. In Robert Brough's version the tigress is -turned into a Cat, and Robson, with one of his intensely passionate -bursts, used words, as well as I can recollect (I have not got a book by -me), something after this fashion:-- - - "How will I, eh? The way the Cat jumps - Upon a simple unsuspecting mouse - Loose in the pantry,--no one in the house,-- - Nibbling away, with confidence unshaken, - Eating his cheese up first to save his bacon. - She's in no hurry. With dilating eyes, - And undulating tail, she crouching lies, - Till his enjoyments crises he is at, - Then pounce! she makes a spring, and has him--pat. - To a short game of pitch and toss she treats him-- - Tears him to pieces slowly--SCRUNCH--then eats him." - -While upon the subject of the theatre, I might add that it is a rule -behind the scenes--a rule, however, very seldom enforced, if I am properly -informed--that a Cat which crosses the scene when the curtain is raised -shall be put to death. Such an unappropriate appearance has, before now, -spoilt the finest tragedy. I think there is a story by Colonel Addison -bearing upon an incident of this kind. - -The Old Catch:-- - - "When a good housewife sees a rat - In a trap in the morning taken, - With pleasure her heart goes pitte-pitte-pat, - For revenge of loss of bacon; - Then she throws it to the Dog or Cat, - To be worried, eat, or shaken," - -tolerably well indicates the popular notion of a Cat's duties, and the -idea of keeping one for a pet, as birds are kept, would be thought by many -a monstrous absurdity. By the way, it is said that the best way to get rid -of English rats is not to get a Dog or Cat to kill them, but to purchase -two or three Australian rats, and let them loose among them. They are to -be purchased in London, and realise a high price from those who have faith -in their frightening propensities, which I confess I have not. - -With respect to Pussy's mouse-catching qualities, etc., a writer in a -periodical says:-- - -"Most persons have heard of the beautiful contrivance by which the claws -of these animals are preserved constantly sharp; being drawn, when not -used, by certain tendons, within a sheath or integument, while only the -soft parts of the foot come in contact with the ground, thus enabling the -animal to tread noiselessly. The roughness of the Cat's tongue is due to a -multitude of horny papillae (much stronger, of course, in lions and -tigers), by which it is materially helped to keep itself clean,--a most -important point, for cleanliness is a necessity to Cats, inasmuch, as if -they had the slightest smell about them, their prey would detect their -presence, and never come within their reach. As it is, the Cat is so free -from smell that she may sit close to the holes of mice without their being -aware of it, although they possess a fine sense of smell. A Cat never eats -a morsel of anything, whatever it is, without afterwards sitting down to -clean and wipe its face and lips. The caution for which it is so -remarkable is likewise evinced in its choice of secluded spots for -bringing up its offspring; very often some hole or corner little thought -of by the inmates of the house. If the young be removed and placed -elsewhere, the mother will frequently take them again and again to the -place chosen by herself. Another characteristic of the domestic Cat is an -instinctive knowledge of the presence of danger. Even a chimney on fire, -or the presence of strange workmen in the house, will make it very -restless and uneasy, and on such occasions it will sometimes not go to -rest even during the night. Every animal is endowed with peculiar means of -self-defence; and as the Cat cannot trust, like the hare, to speed, on the -approach of danger, it watches its enemy, occasionally taking side -glances, or looking round for a place of refuge. On these occasions, -notwithstanding its natural nervousness, it maintains great coolness. If a -hole or shelter be near, it waits for an opportunity, or until its enemy -looks away, and then rushes under cover, or runs up a tree or a wall, and -immediately sits down and watches its enemy. If driven to an actual -encounter, the smallness of its mouth and jaws preclude the use of its -teeth to any great extent, but it can inflict considerable injury and -acute pain with its sharp claws, which, perhaps, no dog, except a bulldog, -can bear; indeed, few dogs like to attack a Cat at bay, though they all -run after them. It is curious, too, that once in a place of safety, it -never seeks to leave it, or loses sight of its enemy. A Cat on the safe -side of an area railing will sit down and coolly watch a dog barking -furiously at it. - -"Its care and solicitude for its offspring are excessive and touching. If -attacked while rearing them, it will not run away, but stand and defend -them against any odds; like the hare in similar circumstances, the Cat -evinces immense power and courage, no matter how formidable the enemy may -be. Of course the females of all animals possess more or less of this -quality." - -Cats have a much better time of it in France than here. A year or two -since, the budget of the Imperial Printing Office in France, amongst other -items, contained one for Cats, which caused some merriment in the -Legislative Chamber during its discussion. According to the _Pays_, these -Cats are kept for the purpose of destroying the numerous rats and mice -which infest the premises, and cause considerable damage to the large -stock of paper which is always kept there. This feline staff is fed twice -a day, and a man is employed to look after them, so that for Cats'-meat -and the keeper's salary no little expense is annually incurred, -sufficient, in fact, to form a special item in the national expenditure. -Of these animals a somewhat interesting anecdote is related. It appears -that near to the Imperial Printing Office is situated the office of the -Director of the Archives, and the gardens of the two establishments are -adjacent. In that belonging to the latter gentleman, were kept a number of -choice aquatic birds, for whose convenience a small artificial river had -been constructed. Their owner suddenly discovered, one day, that his -favourites were diminishing in a mysterious manner, and set a watch to -ascertain the reason. Soon it was discovered who were the marauders--the -Cats! The enraged director, acting in the spirit of the law, thought he -had a perfect right to shoot and otherwise destroy these feline burglars, -whenever he found them on his grounds, and accordingly did so. Traps were -set, and soon half-a-dozen Cats paid the penalty of their crimes. The -keeper of the Cats, also, by this time, found that the muster at -meal-times was much scantier than usual, and reported to his superior, the -director of the printing office. At first the workmen were suspected of -killing them; but the appearance, one day, of a Cat with a broken snare -round its neck, put the keeper on a fresh scent, and ultimately led to -the discovery of the truth. The director thereupon complained to his -brother official, who only replied by pointing to the thinly-tenanted -pond, and saying that he would not have his birds destroyed if he could -help it. The result was that a fierce hostility reigned between the two -establishments, until an arrangement was made by their respective heads. -By this treaty it was stipulated that the Director of the Imperial -Printing Office should, on his part, cause every outlet by which the Cats -gained access to the gardens of the Director of the Archives to be -carefully closed, and every means taken to prevent such a contingency; -while, on the other hand, Monsieur, the Director of the Archives, agreed -never to molest any Cat belonging to the Imperial Printing Office, who -should, by some unforeseen accident, obtain admittance into his garden. -And thus, by this famous treaty, the horrors of civil war were averted! - -Perhaps as curious an instance as any on record, where Puss's powers as a -watchman have been called into requisition, may be found in a fact just -communicated to me. There is, it appears, a family now residing near -Richmond, who have a black Cat nicknamed Snow Ball, which, during sowing -time, every morning, punctually and dutifully presents himself to his -owners, for the purpose of being fastened up by a cord, near the spot -where the peas or other seed may have been newly sown; and whilst thus -keeping guard, woe betide any bird that might attempt to commit a -depredation within Puss's reach. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - - -[Illustration: CHAPTER XIII.] - - -Mention has already been made of a Cat concert in Paris, but we should not -forget that we once had an English actor of the name of Harris, who took -part in the entertainments given by Foote at "the little Theatre," who was -called Cat Harris, in consequence of the talent he displayed in imitating -the mewing of the feline race. He burlesqued scenes from Italian operas, -and probably at that time the squalling of a Cat was thought to be a very -severe satire on the foreign singers. Only a year or two ago, however, I -remember a music hall singer, since dead, who sang a song called the -_Monkey and the Nuts_,--he being dressed something like a monkey;--with a -peculiarly comic mewing and jabbering chorus. The since popular _Perfect -Cure_ is the air of this song, slightly altered, in the same way that the -_Whole Hog or none_ is altered from _Love's young Dream_. - -The imitations of the singer I allude to (I think his name was McGown) -were very good, and there was no occasion for him to tell you which was -meant for the monkey and which the Cat, by no means superfluous -information sometimes, when a young gentleman gives his notion of the -voices of popular actors. By the way, do any of my readers remember the -great Von Joel's celebrated "plack purd" and "trush," and how hard it was, -occasionally, to tell which was "te trush" or which was "te plack purd"? - -In talking of a Cat's fondness for fish (see page 73), I might also have -mentioned the great liking these animals seem to have for the ends of -asparagus, which I have often observed them devour with great eagerness. - -Talking of fish-catching, an officer on board an Australian packet tells -me that he has seen a Cat watch for hours on a windy night for flying -fish, which jump on board if they see a light. From the same source I -have learnt some curious facts relating to Puss at sea. "There are," he -says, "generally two kinds of rats on board a ship, one kind going out, -another coming home. While we were in the East India Docks, the -rat-catcher caught twenty-five rats in his traps on board our ship, which -we purchased and let loose in a malt bin extending the width of the ship. -A Cat which we put among them killed all the brown rats, but did not touch -the black ones, of which there were three. When she came in contact with a -black rat she drew back, and made no attempt to harm it, although the -black rats were much the smallest. Our ship, coming home from Sydney, was -swarming with black rats, but I never knew a Cat to kill one, or even go -near it. The reason of this I cannot explain. - -"I have seen a Cat imitate a monkey in climbing up a loose-hanging rope. -Of course it took a longer time to do it, but it did do it in the end." - -Aboard ship it would seem sometimes as though Pussy required to have all -her nine lives at her disposal, and yet runs some risk of being killed -even then. Upon the vessel in which this gentleman served there was a -black Cat that had lost its tail in rather a singular manner. - -"A squall came on one night, and I gave the order to let go the -main-top-gallant halyard. The Cat was in the coil of rope, and in whizzing -through the leading block the rope cut off its tail. She remembered the -place which she had found so dangerous, and could never afterwards be -induced to venture abaft the foremast. - -"In Sydney we had hauled out from Campbell's Wharf to the stream, previous -to sailing next day for England, and found, when the men had gone to bed, -that the tailless black Cat was missing. It could not be below, as the -hatches were battened down. About 3 A.M. next morning, the two men who -kept anchor watch heard a piteous cry at the bows, and looking over saw a -black object clinging to the chain cable, trying to get in at the -hawse-pipe. One of them lowered himself down by a bowline, and handed up -poor Pussy in an awful plight. She had swum off to the ship,--about three -hundred yards. It took three or four days of nursing before she recovered, -but she got round at last, and remained in the ship for more than five -years afterwards. - -"Sailors have the greatest objection to a Cat being thrown overboard. The -captain one day found a Cat sitting on his chronometer in his cabin, and -in a passion flung the Cat into the sea, although this cruel act was -protested against by the man at the wheel and other men at work on the -poop, who said that we should have an unlucky passage of it. This proved -to be the case. We lost three men and a boy, besides our jibboom and -fore-top-gallant mast, and we also ran short of water. All this the -sailors--(they were North country men)--ascribed to the Cat's murder. - -"As a rule, sailors treat Cats well, as they are sources of great -amusement on board. One of the boys once took a Cat to the fore royal -mast-head, and left it there. In about half-an-hour it was on deck again. -It came down backwards, crying pitifully all the time. It never allowed -the boy to touch it afterwards." - -The same gentleman tells me that in Coburg, Canada West, he knew a widow -lady who had a Cat two feet in height, and beautifully marked. It was -supposed to be a cross-breed between a wild and a domestic Cat. His -youngest brother has often ridden on it when eight years old. It was very -docile. It had been fed highly when young, and never showed the least -desire to hunt mice or birds, or to leave the house. - -With regard to the origin of the name "Cat-o'-nine tails," referred to in -a former chapter, a writer in _Notes and Queries_ says:-- - -"As there appears to be some uncertainty about the number of cords or -tails attached to this whip, it may be a question whether, like its -namesake, the animal, it did not originally commence by having only _one_ -tail, and in course of time or fashion increase to _nine_, the number of -lives proverbially allotted to our domestic friend Pussy. - -"According to the Talmudists (_Maccoth_ iii. 10), the Jews, in carrying -out their sentences of scourges, employed for that purpose a whip which -had three lashes (Jahn's Arch. Biblica, page 247), and it is stated in the -_Merlinus Liberatus_, or _John Partridge's Almanack for 1692_, that in -"May, 1685, Dr. Oates was whipt," and "had 2,256 lashes with a whip of six -thongs knotted, which amounts to 13,536 stripes." Sir John Vanbrugh, -moreover, in the prologue to his play of the _False Friend_ (written A.D. -1702), alludes to this scourge in these words:-- - - "You dread reformers of an injurious age, - You awful cat-o'-nine tails of the stage." - -"In _James's Military Dictionary_, the cat, etc., is described as "a whip -with nine knotted cords, with which the public soldiers and sailors are -punished. Sometimes it has only _five_ cords." The following passage -occurs in Mr. Sala's _Waterloo to the Peninsula_:--"A Dutch king, they -say, introduced the cat-o'-nine tails in the British army: ere the -Nassauer's coming the scourge had _three_ thongs." - -There is a little story of feline affection for which I should have found -a place in an earlier chapter. A lady had a Cat which she called "the -Methodist Parson." It used for years regularly to go away every Sunday -morning, and return to its home on the next (the Monday) morning. It was -never known to miss for a series of years, going away on the Sunday -morning, except upon one occasion, when it stopped at home on the Sunday, -and went away on the Monday morning. After this it never returned. In the -same lady's house upon a certain occasion, for some reason or other, the -water was turned off. It was in the evening, and she had the tap of the -water-butt turned on, with a tub under it, thinking they would get water -when they wanted it. The family went to bed, forgetting that the water-tap -was left turned on. In the course of the night the Cat came to the lady's -bedroom door, making a great noise, mewing. Her husband got up several -times, and drove it away, but it returned again, and would go to the -corner of the stairs, and then turn round, as if to see whether he was -following it. At last he followed it down-stairs, and found the whole of -the lower premises inundated, the water having been turned on from the -main. - -Here, too, is a facetious story, which should not be omitted:-- - -One night, some hours after a certain family had retired to rest, there -arose a most extraordinary and unaccountable noise in the lower part of -the house. Had thieves broken in? If so they must have been very noisy -thieves, and quite careless as to the noise they made. You can imagine -Paterfamilias sitting up in bed, and listening with suspended breath; -Materfamilias suggesting that he had better get up, and see what was the -matter; Paterfamilias of the contrary opinion, and inclined to wait -a-while, and see what happened next. Then a group of white figures, with -whiter faces, at the head of the stairs, and the mysterious noise below -growing louder and louder. - -But the explanation of all this was simple enough, when some venturesome -spirit summoned up courage to creep down-stairs and enquire into the -cause. The servant, when she had gone to bed, had left a strong brown jug -on the dresser, with a drain of milk in the bottom of it. After everyone -had retired, Puss commenced prowling about, and, attracted by the milk in -the bottom of the jug, put her head into it. Now, though the top of the -jug was wide enough for the Cat to put her head through, it was not so -wide but what it required a slight pressure for her to get her head into -it. When the milk was lapped, however, she could not get her head out -again, for it required some one to hold the jug, to enable her to do so. -In the meantime, all being in bed and asleep, the Cat in her terror jumped -about, knocking its head, with the jug on it, against the tables and -chairs, and upon the kitchen floor. Hence the alarming and unaccountable -disturbance. - -I clip this from an American paper:-- - -"During the progress of the war I was sitting one day in the office of -Able and Co.'s wharf-boat at Cairo, Illinois. At that time a tax was -collected on all goods shipped south by private parties, and it was -necessary that duplicate invoices of shipments should be furnished to the -collector before the permits could be issued. The ignorance of this fact -by many shippers frequently caused them much annoyance, and invoices were -ofttimes made out with great haste, in order to ensure shipment by boats -on the eve of departure. A sutler, with a lot of stores, had made out a -hasty list of his stock, and gave it to one of the youngest clerks on the -boat to copy out in due form. The boy worked away down the list, but -suddenly he stopped, and electrified the whole office by exclaiming, in a -voice of undisguised amazement,--'What the dickens is that fellow going to -do with four boxes of Tom Cats?' An incredulous laugh from the other -clerks was the reply, but the boy pointed triumphantly to the list, -exclaiming, 'That's what it is--T-o-m C-a-t-s--Tom Cats, if I know how to -read!' The entrance of the sutler at that moment explained the mystery. - -"'Why, confound it!' said he, 'that means four boxes Tomato Catsup! Don't -you understand abbreviations?'" - -Here is a bit of my own experience:-- - -I once had in my possession a very life-like engraving of a remarkably -ugly bulldog, which hung in a frame over a piano in the drawing-room. With -some surprise I noticed, upon several occasions, that a favourite cat -would climb upon the top of the piano, and sitting close underneath the -picture, fix its eyes upon the dog's face, and putting back its ears, -remain thus, with a wild and terrified expression, for as long as an hour -at a time. This was remarked by other persons in the house, and we could -not in any way satisfactorily account for Puss's behaviour. Two dogs -formed part of the household, and with these she was on friendly terms, -and they being of a very meek and harmless nature, she treated them with -contempt, as a general rule, boxing their ears now and then, when their -presence annoyed her. We came to the conclusion, however, that she must -have taken the picture for another dog of a different and higher order, -more terrible in its motionless silence than if it had growled or barked -ever so fiercely. Its eyes were drawn in that particular angle which made -them seem to be fixed upon you in whatever part of the room you might be -in. Many of us recollect in our childhood some gaunt-featured -oil-painting, with hungry eyes, which thus pursued us. I remember one in a -scrap-book, which it wanted some courage to face all by onesself, when -twilight was gathering. With much of the same shrinking dread Puss seemed, -whilst hating, to be unable to break the spell this picture had over her, -to the contemplation of which she returned again and again, though -frequently sent away. During the time that we noticed this conduct on the -Cat's part, she was with Kitten, and when the four Kittens were born they -were dead, and one of them, strange to say, had a bulldog-shaped head, -marked almost exactly like the picture. - -I need not tell a kind master or mistress to use every precaution when -drowning a Cat's kittens, to keep their mother in ignorance of the fact. -It can easily be imagined that the poor creature will be in great distress -if the slaughter be committed before her eyes; and I know of a case where -the Cat having found her young ones which had been drowned and thrown -carelessly in the corner of a yard, brought the bodies back to her nest, -and mewing and licking them, seemed to use every endeavour to restore them -to life. A friend of mine, too, once passing along the bank of a river one -moonlight night found a Cat mewing piteously among the long grass at the -water's edge. He came to a stand-still a dozen yards from the spot, and -looked on curiously. At sight of him, the Cat turned round, and came -running to his feet, looking-up appealingly into his face, and running -back to the water side and then back again to him, seemingly to be -entreating his assistance. Presently the moonlight showed him three or -four kittens being borne away by the stream, and crying in small weak -voices for their mother's help. He did everything in his power to reach -them, but they were too far away from the bank, and very soon they came to -a place where the current was stronger, and swept them out of sight. The -mother's cries were then most heart-rending, and he was unable to induce -her to come away. Indeed, having taken her in his arms, and carried her -some distance, she struggled and fought violently to regain her liberty, -and ran back again to the water's edge. This took place at some distance -from any habitation, but he concluded that somebody must have thrown the -kittens into the water, and that the Cat had followed them, and seen the -deed done. - -[Illustration: TO THE RESCUE. _Page 286._] - -There are some children who will not cry, however much they are beaten; it -is as difficult to make a Cat cry out when you chastise it. It will -shrink; sometimes growl; but rarely cry: yet when beaten by another Cat, -it will howl loudly. A dog on the contrary, very often cries at the bare -sight of the whip, and screams at the lightest blow. - -Some people say all Cats are thieves. I will not deny that a good many -are: indeed, so are dogs. Neither will steal much if they are well fed, as -they only take food when they are hungry. Here, however, is a plan by -which, I think, you can generally ascertain whether or not a Cat is of a -thievish disposition. Give the Cat a piece of meat an inch square, and if -he is a dishonest rascal, he will not lay it down on the floor to pick it -up again as is the usual way with his species, but keep tight hold of it -with his teeth, and jerk it down his throat, sometimes using his paws to -prevent its falling. - -There is one ridiculous accusation brought against poor Pussy, which I -have not yet referred to, namely, that she is in the habit, when the -opportunity offers, of suffocating young babies by sucking their breath. -Now, since the world began, I beg emphatically to state, no baby was ever -so suffocated, and I say this in the face of numerous newspaper -paragraphs, and a thousand old women's stories:-- - -For instance, the "_Annual Register_," January 25, 1791, says:-- - -A child of eighteen months old, was found dead near Plymouth; and it -appeared, on the coroners inquest, "that the child died in consequence of -a Cat sucking its breath, thereby occasioning a strangulation." - -My friend Mr. Burrows, surgeon, of Westbourne Park Place, who is a great -lover of animals, gives me this note:-- - -"It is quite impossible for a Cat to suck a child's breath, as the -anatomical formation of the Cat's mouth would prevent it. No doubt in some -remote country places, among the ignorant, a popular superstition to that -effect may exist, but when a child has been found dead from suffocation, -in many cases the Cat may have lain on the infant's mouth, in the cot or -cradle near the fire, for the sake of warmth--not with the slightest -criminal intent of course, but purely for the sake of obtaining the latent -caloric from the warm body and clothing of the infant, who would probably -not possess sufficient muscular power to disencumber itself, or even to -make any resistance." - -But it is not only in remote country places that the superstition -prevails, but here in London, among most of the upper middle classes. And -after all, are not more ridiculous notions to be met with every day? Only -a few months ago, a lady was seriously informed by a poor woman in a -village near Bath, that a mother should never cut her child's nails before -it is a year old. She should always bite them, otherwise the children -would grow up thieves. - -In Ireland, the following cure for warts is practised by even the most -intelligent classes:--"Take a small stone, less than a boy's marble for -each wart, and tie them in a clean linen bag, and throw it out on the -highway. Then find out a stone in some field or ditch with a hollow in -which rain or dew may have lodged (such stones are easily found in rural -districts), and wash the warts seven times therein, and after this -operation, whoever picks up the bag of stones will have a transfer of the -warts." - -Here again is a little bit of Devonshire Folk-lore which has its -believers:--"When you see the new moon in the new year, take your stocking -off from one foot, and run to the next stile; when you get there, between -the great toe and the next, you will find a hair which will be the colour -of your lover's." This must be rare sport while there is snow on the -ground. - -There is also a vulgar superstition to the effect that a Cat left in the -room with a dead body will fly at and disfigure the face of the corpse. -Some of my readers may remember the old man's death in "Bleak House," and -how the Cat was carefully shut out of the room where the body lay. From -what I recollect, Cats are not great favourites of Mr. Dickens', though -"Dickens' Dogs," a small collection from his canine heroes, published some -years ago, showed him to be a great lover and close observer of that -animal. - -Pope says:-- - - "But thousands die without or this or that-- - Die and endow a college or a Cat." - -The latter case, however, is rather rare I should think. When Pussy's good -master and mistress die, the wide world is often enough left for it to -roam in at its will, seeking its living as it can--a wide world full of -cruel kicks and cuffs. Justin's Cat was lucky to die of old age in a good -home, and have such a fine epitaph written over his remains:-- - - Worn out with age and dire disease, a Cat, - Friendly to all save wicked mouse and rat, - I'm sent at last to ford the Stygian lake, - And to the infernal coast a voyage make. - Me Proserpine received, and smiling said, - "Be bless'd within these mansions of the dead; - Enjoy among thy velvet-footed loves, - Elysium's sunny banks and shady groves." - "But if I've well deserved (O gracious Queen)-- - If patient under suffering I have been, - Grant me at least one night to visit home again, - Once more to see my home and mistress dear, - And purr these grateful accents in her ear. - 'Thy faithful Cat, thy poor departed slave, - Still loves her mistress e'en beyond the grave.'" - -Stray Cats, I am afraid, have a bad time of it before they find a new -home. Cats were recently said to be in great demand at Lucerne, in -Switzerland, and to be selling at a high price, in consequence of a malady -which had greatly thinned their numbers. According to the account in the -newspaper, the head of the animal swelled rapidly; the Cat refused all -nourishment, and very soon dropped down dead. - -It is true, that in some quarters of the globe, the feline race is still -held of some value. _Vide_ Lady Duff Gordon's Article in _Macmillan's -Magazine_, which gives us a glimpse of a strange superstition in Thebes. -She says:-- - -"Do you remember the German story of the lad who travelled 'um das gruseln -zu lernen' (to learn how to tremble)? Well, I who never 'gruselte' -(quaked) before, had a touch of it a few mornings ago. I was sitting here -quietly drinking tea, and four or five men were present, when a Cat came -to the door. I called 'bis! bis!' and offered milk; but puss, after -looking at us, ran away. - -"'Well, dost thou, Lady,' said a quiet sensible man, a merchant here, 'to -be kind to the Cat, for I daresay he gets little enough at home; _his_ -father, poor man, cannot cook for his children every day;' and then in an -explanatory tone to the company: 'That's Alee Nasseeree's boy, Yussuf; it -must be Yussuf, because his fellow-twin, Ismaeen, is with his uncle at -Negadeh.' - -"'Mir gruselte' (I shuddered), I confess; not but what I have heard things -almost as absurd from gentlemen and ladies in Europe, but an -'extravagance' in a kuftan has quite a different effect from one in a -tail-coat. - -"'What! My butcher-boy who brings the meat--a Cat?' I gasped. - -"'To be sure, and he knows well where to look for a bit of good cookery, -you see. All twins go out as Cats at night, if they go to sleep hungry; -and their own bodies lie at home like dead, meanwhile, but no one must -touch them or they would die. When they grow up to ten or twelve they -leave it off. Why, your own boy, Achmet, does it. Ho, Achmet!' - -"Achmet appears. - -"'Boy, don't you go out as a Cat at night?' - -"'No,' said Achmet tranquilly, 'I am not a twin. My sister's sons do.' - -"I enquired if people were not afraid of such Cats. - -"'No, there is no fear; they only eat a little of the cookery; but if you -beat them, they tell their parents next day. 'So and so beat me in his -house last night,' and show their bruises. No, they are not afreets; they -are beni-Adam. Only twins do it, and if you give them a sort of onion -broth and some milk, the first thing when they are born, they do not do it -at all.' - -"Omar professed never to have heard it, but I am sure he had, only he -dreads being laughed at. One of the American missionaries told me -something like it, as belonging to the Copts; but it is entirely Egyptian, -and common to both religions. I asked several Copts, who assured me it was -true, and told it just the same. Is it a remnant of the doctrine of -transmigration? However, the notion fully accounts for the horror the -people feel at the idea of killing a Cat." - -Ah, heaven help those whom we love and cherish when we are dead and gone! -The soft, delicate hands that never were made to work--the gentle hearts -untried--the pretty, thoughtless heads, pillowed so softly, slumbering so -placidly, all unconscious that there is a rough, unsympathising crowd -surging round the castle gates, whose hoarse murmur has never yet reached -our darlings' ears. And our dumb pets, where shall they find a home, and -kind hands to wait upon them? It is a thousand times better when we die -that they should die too; and you, whose roof has sheltered a Cat, should -you change your home, and be unable to take the creature with you, would -act a more humane part by having it killed at once than leave it to the -questionable mercy of the new comer. The too often carelessly uttered -words of "Oh, the Cat will get on well enough," have sealed the poor -dependant's fate, and it has been left to shift for itself, with what fate -its late owners have but rarely troubled themselves to enquire. What fate -would many of us meet with were not a helping hand stretched forth in time -of need? To how many of our poor brothers and sisters is the help never -tendered! - -There is a hospital for dogs, which is, I am told, in a flourishing -condition; and a lady of the name of Deen established a sort of asylum for -lost Cats at Rottingdean, in consequence of the large number which she saw -lying dead upon the beach, and, indeed, offered premiums to anyone who -would bring animals of the feline species to her city of refuge. But such -kind friends are scarce, and Pussy, going upon her travels, will find -many dangers upon the road, and but few doors opened to receive her. -Therefore, in conclusion, I would advise all Cats to stay at home when -they have a good home to stay at. One word, too, I would fain say to those -who do not like Cats, because they do not know them. Having long observed -these animals carefully, and, I sincerely believe, without prejudice, I am -sure that when kindly treated they will be found gentle and attached, and -little, if at all, inferior in intelligence to their much-vaunted rival, -the dog. One last word to those who have followed me thus far. I hope I -have not been very prosy, and I hope, in the somewhat large collection of -Cat anecdotes here brought together, "the only one worth the trouble of -relating" has not been omitted. If this has been the case, allow me to -assure you it has not been because I have spared any trouble in gathering -together my materials. - - -[Illustration: THE END.] - - - - -Transcriber's Notes: - -Passages in italics are indicated by _italics_. - -The original text includes symbols that are represented as [Symbol: -description] in this text version. - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Book of Cats, by Charles H. 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