THE CAT
This animal, which is chiefly known in a domestic state, was originally wild, and is still found in that condition in the forests of Europe and Asia. It was not a native of the American continent, but was brought hither by the European settlers. The quadruped found in our woods, and sometimes called by the name of wild-cat, is a lynx. In a domestic state, the savage habits of the cat are exchanged for a soft, gentle, and confiding character, which renders her a favorite around every fireside. Nor is puss to be admired only for these winning qualities, and her utility as a mouser. She possesses considerable genius, and the memoirs of her race are scarcely less remarkable than those of her natural rival, the dog.
Miscellaneous Anecdotes.– The following story is furnished by a correspondent of the Penny Magazine: "I was once on a visit to a friend in the country, who had a favorite cat and dog, who lived together on the best possible terms, eating from the same plate and sleeping on the same rug. Puss had a young family, and Pincher was in the habit of making a daily visit to the kittens, whose nursery was at the top of the house. One morning, there was a tremendous storm of thunder and lightning. Pincher was in the drawing-room, and puss was attending to her family in the garret. Pincher seemed annoyed by the vivid flashes of lightning; and, just as he had crept nearer to my feet, some one entered the room followed by puss, who walked in with a disturbed air, and mewing with all her might. She came to Pincher, rubbed her face against his cheek, touched him gently with her paw, walked to the door, stopped, looked back, and mewed, – all of which said, as plainly as words could have done, 'Come with me, Pincher;' but the dog was too much alarmed himself to give any consolation to her, and took no notice of the invitation.
"The cat then returned, and renewed her application, with increased energy; but the dog was immovable, though it was evident that he understood her meaning, for he turned away his head with a half-conscious look, and crept closer to me; and puss soon left the room. Not long after this, the mewing became so piteous, that I could no longer resist going to see what was the matter. I met the cat at the top of the stairs, close by the door of my chamber. She ran to me, rubbed herself against me, and then went into the room, and crept under the wardrobe. I then heard two voices, and discovered that she had brought down one of her kittens, and lodged it there for safety; but her fears and cares being so divided between the kitten above and this little one below, I suppose she wanted Pincher to watch by this one, while she went for the other; for, having confided it to my protection, she hastened up stairs. Not, however, wishing to have charge of the young family, I followed her up, taking the kitten with me, placed it beside her, and moved the little bed farther from the window, through which the lightning flashed so vividly as to alarm poor puss for the safety of her progeny. I then remained in the garret till the storm had passed away.
"On the following morning, much to my surprise, I found puss waiting for me at the door of my apartment. She accompanied me down to breakfast, sat by me, and caressed me in every possible way. She had always been in the habit of going down to breakfast with the lady of the house; but on this morning she had resisted all her coaxing to leave my door, and would not move a step till I had made my appearance. She had never done this before, and never did it again. She had shown her gratitude to me for the care of her little ones, and her duty was done."
The editor of the "Edinburgh Evening Courant" gives us the following extraordinary story: "A country gentleman of our acquaintance, who is neither a friend to thieves nor poachers, has at this moment, in his household, a favorite cat, whose honesty, he is sorry to say, there is but too much reason to call in question. The animal, however, is far from being selfish in her principles; for her acceptable gleanings she regularly shares among the children of the family in which her lot is cast. It is the habit of this grimalkin to leave the kitchen or parlor, as often as hunger and an opportunity may occur, and wend her way to a certain pastrycook's shop, where, the better to conceal her purpose, she endeavors slyly to ingratiate herself into favor with the mistress of the house. As soon as the shopkeeper's attention becomes engrossed in business, or otherwise, puss contrives to pilfer a small pie or tart from the shelves on which they are placed, speedily afterwards making the best of her way home with her booty.
"She then carefully delivers her prize to some of the little ones in the nursery. A division of the stolen property quickly takes place; and here it is singularly amusing to observe the sleekit animal, not the least conspicuous among the numerous group, thankfully munching her share of the illegal traffic. We may add, that the pastrycook is by no means disposed to institute a legal process against poor Mrs. Puss, as the children of the gentleman to whom we allude are honest enough to acknowledge their fourfooted playmate's failings to papa, who willingly compensates any damage the shopkeeper may sustain from the petty depredations of the would-be philanthropic cat."
In the month of July, 1801, a woman was murdered in Paris. A magistrate, accompanied by a physician, went to the place where the murder had been committed, to examine the body. It was lying upon the floor, and a greyhound, who was standing by the corpse, licked it from time to time, and howled mournfully. When the gentlemen entered the apartment, he ran to them without barking, and then returned, with a melancholy mien, to the body of his murdered mistress. Upon a chest in a corner of the room a cat sat motionless, with eyes, expressive of furious indignation, steadfastly fixed upon the body. Many persons now entered the apartment; but neither the appearance of such a crowd of strangers, nor the confusion that prevailed in the place, could make her change her position.
In the mean time, some persons were apprehended on suspicion of being the murderers, and it was resolved to lead them into the apartment. Before the cat got sight of them, when she only heard their footsteps approaching, her eyes flashed with increased fury, her hair stood erect, and so soon as she saw them enter the apartment, she sprang towards them with expressions of the most violent rage, but did not venture to attack them, being probably afraid of the numbers that followed. Having turned several times towards them with a peculiar ferocity of aspect, she crept into a corner, with a mien indicative of the deepest melancholy. This behavior of the cat astonished every one present. The effect which it produced upon the murderers was such as almost amounted to an acknowledgment of their guilt. Nor did this remain long doubtful, for a train of accessory circumstances was soon discovered, which proved it to a complete conviction.
A cat, which had a numerous litter of kittens, one summer day in spring, encouraged her little ones to frolic in the vernal beams of the noon, about the stable door, where she dwelt. While she was joining them in a thousand tricks and gambols, a large hawk, who was sailing above the barn-yard, in a moment darted upon one of the kittens, and would have as quickly borne it off, but for the courageous mother, who, seeing the danger of her offspring, sprang on the common enemy, who, to defend itself, let fall the prize. The battle presently became severe to both parties. The hawk, by the power of his wings, the sharpness of his talons, and the strength of his beak, had for a while the advantage, cruelly lacerating the poor cat, and actually deprived her of one eye in the conflict; but puss, no way daunted at the accident, strove, with all her cunning and agility, for her kittens, till she had broken the wing of her adversary. In this state, she got him more within the power of her claws, and, availing herself of this advantage, by an instantaneous exertion she laid the hawk motionless beneath her feet; and, as if exulting in the victory, tore the head off the vanquished tyrant. This accomplished, disregarding the loss of her eye, she ran to the bleeding kitten, licked the wounds made by the hawk's talons in its tender sides, and purred whilst she caressed her liberated offspring.
In the summer of 1792, a gentleman who lived in the neighborhood of Portsmouth, England, had a cat, which kittened four or five days after a hen had brought out a brood of chickens. As he did not wish to keep more than one cat at a time, the kittens were all drowned, and the same day the cat and one chicken were missing. Diligent search was immediately made in every place that could be thought of, both in and out of the house, to no purpose; it was then concluded that some mischance had befallen both. Four days afterwards, however, the servant, having occasion to go into an unfrequented part of the cellar, discovered, to his great astonishment, the cat lying in one corner, with the chicken hugged close to her body, and one paw laid over it, as if to preserve it from injury. The cat and adopted chicken were brought into a closet in the kitchen, where they continued some days, the cat treating the chicken in every respect as a kitten. Whenever the chicken left the cat to eat, she appeared very uneasy; but, on its return, she received it with the affection of a mother, pressed it to her body, purred, and seemed perfectly happy. If the chicken was carried to the hen, it immediately returned to the cat. The chicken was by some accident killed, and the cat would not eat for several days afterwards, being inconsolable for its loss.
"I had," says M. Wenzel, "a cat and dog which became so attached to each other, that they would never willingly be asunder. Whenever the dog got any choice morsel of food, he was sure to divide it with his whiskered friend. They always ate sociably out of one plate, slept in the same bed, and daily walked out together. Wishing to put this apparently sincere friendship to the proof, I, one day, took the cat by herself into my room, while I had the dog guarded in another apartment. I entertained the cat in a most sumptuous manner, being desirous to see what sort of a meal she would make without her friend, who had hitherto been her constant table companion. The cat enjoyed the treat with great glee, and seemed to have entirely forgotten the dog. I had had a partridge for dinner, half of which I intended to keep for supper. My wife covered it with a plate, and put it into a cupboard, the door of which she did not lock. The cat left the room, and I walked out upon business. My wife, meanwhile, sat at work in an adjoining apartment.
"When I returned home, she related to me the following circumstances: The cat, having hastily left the dining-room, went to the dog, and mewed uncommonly loud, and in different tones of voice, which the dog, from time to time, answered with a short bark. They then went both to the door of the room where the cat had dined, and waited till it was opened. One of my children opened the door, and immediately the two friends entered the apartment. The mewing of the cat excited my wife's attention. She rose from her seat, and stepped softly up to the door, which stood ajar, to observe what was going on. The cat led the dog to the cupboard which contained the partridge, pushed off the plate which covered it, and, taking out my intended supper, laid it before her canine friend, who devoured it greedily. Probably the cat, by her mewing, had given the dog to understand what an excellent meal she had made, and how sorry she was that he had not participated in it; but, at the same time, had given him to understand that something was left for him in the cupboard, and persuaded him to follow her thither. Since that time I have paid particular attention to these animals, and am perfectly convinced that they communicate to each other whatever seems interesting to either."
A cat belonging to an elderly lady in Bath, England, was so attached to her mistress, that she would pass the night in her bedchamber, which was four stories high. Outside of the window was the parapet wall, on which the lady often strewed crumbs for the sparrows that came to partake of them. The lady always sleeping with her window open, the cat would pounce upon the birds, and kill them. One morning, giving a "longing, lingering look" at the top of the wall, and seeing it free from crumbs, she was at a loss for an expedient to decoy the feathered tribe, when, reconnoitring, she discovered a small bunch of wheat suspended in the room, which she sprang at, and succeeded in getting down. She then carried it to the favorite resort of the sparrows, and actually threshed the corn out, by beating it on the wall, then hiding herself. After a while, the birds came, and she resumed her favorite sport of killing the dupes of her sagacity.
A cat belonging to a gentleman of Sheffield, England, carried her notions of beauty so far, that she would not condescend to nourish and protect her own offspring, if they happened to be tinted with colors different from what adorned her own figure, which was what is usually denominated tortoise-shell. She happened, on one occasion only, to produce one kitten, of a jet black. The cruel mother drew the unfortunate little creature out of the bed in which it lay, and, refusing to give it suck, it perished on the cold ground. Some time after, she gave birth to three more, one of which had the misfortune not to be clad in the same colors as the mother. It was therefore ousted by the unnatural parent; and, although again and again replaced in its bed, it was as frequently turned out again. The owner of the cat, finding it useless to persist in what puss had determined should not be, in humanity consigned the kitten to a watery grave, – the victim of a parent's pride and cruelty.
"I once saw," says De la Croix, "a lecturer upon experimental philosophy place a cat under the glass receiver of an air-pump, for the purpose of demonstrating that very certain fact, that life cannot be supported without air and respiration. The lecturer had already made several strokes with the piston, in order to exhaust the receiver of its air, when the animal, who began to feel herself very uncomfortable in the rarefied atmosphere, was fortunate enough to discover the source from which her uneasiness proceeded. She placed her paw upon the hole through which the air escaped, and thus prevented any more from passing out of the receiver. All the exertions of the philosopher were now unavailing: in vain he drew the piston; the cat's paw effectually prevented its operation. Hoping to effect his purpose, he let air again into the receiver, which as soon as the cat perceived, she withdrew her paw from the aperture; but whenever he attempted to exhaust the receiver, she applied her paw as before. All the spectators clapped their hands in admiration of the wonderful sagacity of the animal, and the lecturer found himself under the necessity of liberating her, and substituting in her place another, that possessed less penetration, and enabled him to exhibit the cruel experiment."
A lady at Potsdam, in Prussia, tells an anecdote of one of her children, who, when about six years old, got a splinter of wood into her foot, early one morning, and, sitting down on the floor of the chamber, cried most vehemently. Her elder sister, asleep in the same apartment, was in the act of getting up to inquire the cause of her sister's tears, when she observed the cat, who was a favorite playmate of the children, and of a gentle and peaceable disposition, leave her seat under the stove, go up to the crying girl, and, with one of her paws, give her so smart a blow upon the cheek as to draw blood; and with the utmost gravity resume her seat under the stove, and relapse into slumber. As she was otherwise so harmless, the conclusion was, that she intended this as a chastisement for being disturbed, in hopes that she might enjoy her morning nap without interruption.
A lady residing in Glasgow had a handsome cat sent her from Edinburgh. It was conveyed to her in a close basket, and in a carriage. She was carefully watched for two months; but having produced a pair of young ones, at 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 in Edinburgh, deploring her loss, and the cat was supposed to have strayed away.
About a fortnight, however, after her disappearance from Glasgow, her well-known mew was heard at the street door of her old mistress in Edinburgh, and there she was with both her kittens! they in the best condition – but she very thin. It is clear that she could only carry one kitten at a time. The distance from Edinburgh to Glasgow being forty miles, she must have travelled one hundred and twenty miles at least! Her prudence must likewise have suggested the necessity of journeying in the night, with many other precautions for the safety of her young.
ORDER IV.
AMPHIBIA,
AMPHIBIOUS ANIMALS
This order embraces several species of the seal kind, which are found in all seas, but chiefly in those of the polar regions. Their structure is admirably adapted to their mode of life; the nostrils and ears both closing when the animal dives. Its hind feet alone are used for swimming. Its movements on land are slow and painful, dragging itself along like a reptile.
THE SEAL
Miscellaneous Anecdotes.– Mr. Brown furnishes us with the following account: About twenty-five years ago, a seal was so completely domesticated that it remained with a gentleman, whose residence was but a short distance from the sea, without attempting to escape. It knew all the inmates of the family, and would come to its master when he called it by name. It was usually kept in the stable, but was sometimes permitted to enter the kitchen, where it seemed to take great delight in reposing before the fire. It was taken to the sea every day, and allowed to fish for itself, in which it was very dexterous; but when unsuccessful, fish was bought for it. When tired of swimming, it came up to the boat, holding up its head to be taken in.
A farmer in Fifeshire, Scotland, while looking for crabs and lobsters, among the rocks, caught a young seal about two feet and a half long, and carried it home. He fed it with pottage and milk, which it ate with avidity. He kept it for three days, feeding it on this meal, when, his wife being tired of it, he took it away, and restored it to its native element. He was accompanied by some of his neighbors. On reaching the shore, it was thrown into the sea; but, instead of making its escape, as one would have expected, it returned to the men. The tallest of them waded to a considerable distance into the sea, and, after throwing it as far as he was able, speedily got behind a rock, and concealed himself; but the affectionate animal soon discovered his hiding-place, and crept close up to his feet. The farmer, moved by its attachment, took it home again, and kept it for some time.
Seals are said to be delighted with music. Mr. Laing, in his account of a voyage to Spitzbergen, mentions that the son of the master of the vessel in which he sailed, who was fond of playing on the violin, never failed to have a numerous auditory, when in the seas frequented by seals; and they have been seen to follow a ship for miles when any person was playing on the deck.
It is a common practice in Cornwall, England, for persons, when in pursuit of seals, as soon as the animal has elevated its head above water, to halloo to it till they can approach within gunshot, as it will listen to the sound for several minutes.
The bottlenose seal is in general very inactive, but when irritated, is exceedingly revengeful. A sailor, who had killed a young one, was in the act of skinning it, when its mother approached him unperceived, and, seizing him in her mouth, bit him so dreadfully that he died of the wound in three days.