The daily critic., 1890-11-05

ih8n suiiCcs for most other animals
The male eat. like The male sheep, is
much softer animal than ,he fcmle.
and more C0n}naWrsl, but the latter
shows q remarkable degree of tender
ness for her young.
Her care Of her offspring Is such as
20 interest every bph1ller She tends
The little blind creatures with the ut.
most soliciude and patience. Is indie.
fatigable in supplying them with food,
aud when any one is carried away to
distant part Of the house--as boys will
sometimes do by way Of trying ner az
tcciion-she Is sure 10 come. and. TAX.
ing u mp in her mouth, she carries 10
ch, and softly deposits It beside the
rest Her whole nature seems softened
at this period ard she has beer
known, when deprived of her
own young, to eXpend her ma
iernal toudness and care with as
much zeal upon young hares, aud even
upon pups, creatures belonging 10 a
sptcies with which she Is proverbiallv
at war. The kittens very soon become
independent Of their mother, but she
generally takes care before they leave
her charge 10 give them q little instruc-
tion IN the art Of catching mice by
bringing wounded ones for them 10
spring upon, and showing them how to
watch mouse holes. The kitten is a
singularly playful creature, though all
its movements seem to bear a kind Of
sportive reference to the art Of catching
its prey.
4sa
In the manner of procuring its prey
the common cat resembles all the other
members of the same great family. II
will watch for hours with the utmost
,agerness and assiduity the peepiug Of
a mouse from its hiding place, or the
motions Of q bird on the bough Of
tree; and when the proper opportunity
arrives 1t pounces with one sudden
spring on the unfortunate object There
is no sort Of food that cats sho "
greater liking for than fish, and this has
been matter Of astonishment 10 many
who are led 10 conceive that in a state
OF nature cats could net procure such
food. IL Isl well asCertained fact how.
ever, that cats do actually take small
fishes from shallow ponds and rivers.
Many instances have been recorded Of
cats catching fish. A Mr. Moody of
desmond, near Newcastle, England, had
q cat, which bad been in his posses
sion for some years, that caught fish
with assiduity, and frequently brought
them home alive. Besides minnows
and cells, she occasionally carried home
pilchards, one Of which, about six
inches long, was found I'm her posses.
sion. She also contrived 70 teach a
neighbor's cat to fish, and the two we're
seen together watching by the us for
fish. At other times they had been seen
at opposite sides Of the river not far
from each other on the lookout for their
prey
In general however. cats show
great disinclinailon 20 moisture and
take especial care 10 keep their feet
dry. They arc also extremely cleanly,
and take much pains in brushing up
their fur especially about the face.
Every one Is aware that II cat be
taken into dark place, and rs back
gently rubbed vIyed sparks of clec.
triciiy will be ELECTED. These sparks
will be stronger In proportion 10 the
dryness Of the air and the fur Of the
animal. In fact, all animals, as well
as every substance on the earth, pos.
sesses It's portion OF electric matter, and
the reason of its being so visible 10 the
case of the cat Is In consequence OF the
perfect dryness and the soft, silky
nature Of It's fur. Cats, too, like many
other animals, seem to be exceedingly
sensitive TO atmospheric changes, hence
the cat has often been styled "the old
women's weather glass"
Like all other animals Of prey, cats
sleep much during the day and roam
about at night. They prefer warm stu
ations near the fire in winter, or hisk.
Ing I'm the sun In summer. When
highly pleased the cat emits a sound
well known by the Term purring; this
sound seems to be produced through
the nOstTils, and Is probably the ylbFa
lion of some membrane about the
palate or lower part Of the nostril it Is
quite voluntary, and can be commanded
at the pleasure Of the animal. The
hunting leopard purfs In the same man
ner, but we are unable to say whether
this power Of expressing satisfaction be
common to others Of the cat tribe
-
The NEW of the cat Is by no means
pleasing. and its noctuTal noises aud
notes Of love and war are of the most
grating description. Many persons
have so singular an antipathy 10 cats
as to sWoOn away If one happens 10 be
in the room with them. Ii is difficult
10 say If this arises from any immediate
oder Of the animal, directly affecting the
rsF 8Fn4B rbssfh haR Il EE-
not merely the recollection of DTecau
Ceiyed antipaihies. Cats themselves
seem 10 have some singular peculiarities
Of The sense of smelling. They have
dislike 10 many odOrs, while they are
attracted by the scent Of the common
yaleTian root with a pleasure almost
amounting TO fascination.
-
Mr. RhiHd has related several in
stances OF extraordinary sense aud in
genuity on the part Of the cat, and we
believe there are few persons whoc0ui
not add 10 the list The pateFnal grand
father Of the present writer had a eat
which followed him on his morning
walks like a dog Another relation,
who resided IN the Old Town Of Z iiu,
buTgb, possessed two individuals Of the
species, each of which performed very
TtmaTk8ble feais. one generally
haunted he nursery where there was Il
bed approaching very near % the door
When tbe animal wished ta leave Ihe
room It mounted the bed aud, leaning
forward as far as possible. struck down
the latch with its paw, So as % make The
rHH a. ~
family was occasionally annoyed an
-. L. Z. ----.--I II Ill. L-.-L-..-- LII