Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1885-03-17
SCIENTIFIC IGNORANCE.

Domestic Cat SHOWN TO lie an Entirely
Erroneous One.
Naturalists of course know more or
less about animals, but they are some
times strangely ignorant as to the most
simple and easy beasts. Take, for ex-
ample, the monkey. There is nothing
complex or difficult about the monkey.
yet not a single writer on zoology seems
to know that the monkey understands
the difference between current coins
and buttons, and that button that
might with perfect case be put on
Sunday-morning collection plat1 would
be rejected with scorn were an at
tempt made TO palm it upon a monkey
connected with the hand-organ pro
feSslon.
The ignorance of na;uralists is, how
ever, most cOnspicuously shown whoa
they attempt to describe the cat. They
learnedly inform us that the eat belongs
to the species FieiiS dOmeStica; that it is
O carnivorous mammalian quadruped,
capable OF dOmestication, and with
passion for nice. This sounds well,
but is very far from being an exhaust
i've description of the cat Indeed, it is
characterized by other errors than those
OF omission, and is in every way unsat-
isfactory.
The cat, above everything else, is
crockery-smlshing animal. Its alleged
passion for mice, which, by the way,
is never manifested except when the cal
is on the virgo of Starvation, is not tt
be named on the same day with its
passion for breaking crockery, and the
skill and perseverance which it shows
in gratifying this passion are simply
wonderful.
A gentleman whom we may call Mr..
a., and who is not habitual natural
list, Las made careful study of his pr.
vate clt in her relations to his crock.
cry. The cat in question belongs tt
the black and white variety, and is il
no respect remarkable in comparison
with otEoc cats of her species. Within
the last two years this cat has broker
Scventy-iive pieces of crockery, includ.
ing both glass and china ware, anC
ranging from small wine-glasses up tt
soup turcens. The smaller articles she
breaks in the presence of the cook
while large platters and soup tureen.
she usually breaks at midnight anG
alone. She is especially fond of COB
let's, and if the cook so much as look.
away from the table where the goblets
are standing ready to be washed, the
eat will hap up and dash two or three OF
them to tie tloor. A soup tureen weigh.
ing fifteen pounds may be placed on the
top shelf Of pantry. and the door may
be carefully closed, but sooner or latel
the cat will get up in the middle of the
night, open the pantry door, and taking
the turGen in her fore-paws, hurl il
against the wall, and irretrievably
M sh it.
Mr. a. has not, it is true, personally
OBS rved his cat in the act of breaking
crock'ry Inc ID, that deccitful ami
ma pfr ends in his prcsedce the mojt
LL,.r i'd ference tlercto. He has,
nOwcv, +, The explicit testimony of his
cook Gj 10 crocktry ravages committed
BY the cat, and as tho cook is u most
t,sp, able woman from Ireland, who
Is Jealous in protecting her employer
"a has cptire conIidonca in hor asspr
inn Tbn evidence h,onrbt forword
nv Ibis ,hl, ob.arvcr tonching tbo COTS
fonJnoss Tow Jostrov;n~ nrnsL arv Oo oon
hn corrnborated NV .imost ayerv hons.
tnennr who has a faithful onJ bonos,
a. vat not a single nat,raI;st dof;nas
tho cal "a n Observation-Disclosures an;.
mai
Thcn. aoaip. the not,rolists assnre us
;hot tbe cat ia corn;vorons This 10 truo
.s f,ras 4 COOS hnt II IL oriv a nort ~
the ,rntb ira c"t 10 aiSo naIniyosops an y"
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS and avon n;nLioivoroms
anothor nriyats Studant r. na,S whpn,
wo nav an NJ, Iaa ~ mhoro
f,ndnrss for nyaservos and wbo0o
r,nacitv for dcyorr;no tbom aro Unmo
hing wond.rful This oot moLos I'll
mr. If hreating nnort lar of Strou,
h:rry swncImrafs and Jovomr;na ;tS on
tirc contents in tho course Of on ovon
inc The animal bos even been known
r. c,nsnme A. Tho s"no t;mo and IN od
d;tion tn the nnart If sweetmaats n
l,rgc cnontitv If cato nint of orear, =
a SSint of niotlas and baIf inof -
Trad II l. cnrions foct tbot tbe oot
ia never q,'Itv Of these evcesses Wv whom
in the nresenco of her mistress brt tha
cook has again and again cangbt her in
flo act of iiniSbina an unioSfrl hanI
~n,t Anothar onriomi th;n@ l. tha,
whenever tho cool hos comnonv tho
ont IL almost s,,,o to ho soI1n5 With a
Snnror for nro,o,yo. and ,;oIIos
Whathor tho P prosoroo 80 ~ p nnn,,;,
guests irr;tatas Tho cat md rromnto ho,'
% tho comm;ss;on % o,;'~o az ,,iho,L -
~ 'n 49, n4tomt; VI I'M, y. mno' '.,I,
nov nav T v;sitors tSot sho fo AZ ,n y m,O
ho. a,n , ;nto,.'nto " ""'o" o'o.
nrassnt po r,oons ~ dooilin ,r'1 10 .ho,,iI
-ba odJnJ thnt ~, nort;omfcr o 9 -
oroatIu a,ionnJ o. tho n,iaaon JTUA 10 70
A. hnt - '"o is; eo Iu y,
bno Sntt pub pC'nS htnu-noAIlcu