The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1896-05-29


80 Gtrange-looking
md incomplete does II appear. for, TO
iegln with. the genuine Manx cat has
10 tail. Then, Il 10 much bigger and
stronger than the common domestic
pussy" and has a roundcr and pro-
'ortionaiely larger head, with fuller
nd hercer eyes It's hair, Also "a |
oarser and thicker. and not only are
Is hind legs much larger than the |
theirs but the hind quarters are formed |
lmost exactly like those OF hare. In
eed, at FIRST glance. the creature seems |
o be a typical hybrid. with the out
ines OF the hare predomlnaung but I.
loser inspection Of the massive head /
/ trong teeth, long sensitive whiskcr1 |
nd terrible claws tells that 10 Ia very
much a cat In its original home the
danx cat displays peculiariiies Of char
cicr which also distinguish II from IS
common brethren. Il Is not only shy
nut IA suspicious and trelcacrous. while
making iis habitatiun among men II
'ct keeps aloof from them. rejecting
III friendly or familiar advances aud
ielng apt TO bite the hand that offers
, oaress. Although domosiclicd. Il
.till remains a savage at heart aud O.
It all times addicted 10 wildne-1 and
B rowing life Existing Tor the most
'art out OF doors II acquires predatory
iabits and is In the main sef-support-
ne. II Is very swift IN its move
aents and like It's ccngcncr and mex,
{ kin, the wildcat seems utterly desil-
ute OF fear As tina natural consc-
luence OF lts habits u is the greatest OF
nousers. but Il wages war as relent-
cssly upon rats, rabbits. hares. birds
nd the smaller game as on the feeble
uouce. A writer on cats states apropos
I II the subject In Pegu. Siam and
lurmah there Is race OF cats-thc
dalay cat-with tail only OF half the
ordinary length and often coutorted In
sort Of knot so that % cannot be
Enlightened Tho true short-ialled. or
ailless, cat-the Manx has also the
lind legs relatively long. Mt J. J.
Weir tells me be has seen one which
TAD the forelcgs 80 short as TO be use
ess IN walking. and the animal sat mp
Ike a kangaroo. Taillcss cats are not.
however. the only cat 10 be found In
he Isle OF Man; some cats there have
ais ten inches long, fact probably
ne to the Introduction OF loug-,ailcd
ats from ENGLAND. Scotland or Ireland.
n cross breeding the progeny seems
generally TO resemble the father as 90
he length OF the tail, o ,allloss breed
Il eats also exists In the Climca."
Scientists have been very much puz-
led In their endeayou to account for
he absence OF tail In the Manx cat.
The consensus OF opinion sens TO be
hat the popularity originated In some
disease Of the caudal yer.cbrae. result
ng from the excessive humidity OF the
climate and the dampacss OF the soil
rhe effect OF the disease IS supposed TO
ave been that the tail rotlci on. and
hat In the course Of time Us absence
iccamc hereditary. As io ;he hind legs
II The Manx cat. q Is problblc that they
iecame longer IN obedience TO the ma
ural requirements OF The creatures
tie is environment among tho
Hills, In Businesses OF which % ancient
made It's home and 20 which O. lied
N the approach Of DANCE Nature IS
always kind to her children On adapt
ng them TO the conditions which com.
lass them. Il Is thus taat the hare
las acquired such lCngta Of hind les
which enables her 10 run mp hill when
biased ~ the hounds. and so 10 dis
ance her purluers. The history OF
he evolution OF the Marx ca,, could {,
De written, would form an Interesting
'hapter In the origin of species. !.
night sound funny 20 say that the
lrogcni,ors OF the Manx cat lost their
ais through sitting doWn In the wet
,ct such really would seem TO have
been the ease. on the actual origin OF
he Maux eat nothing IA known or can
le known. II has existed ON the islam
10 far back as history or tradition
caches, and us presence there probably
lntedg.'od the frat settlement OF Man
~ the Ccl,s 10 Is rClalnablc 20 sup
BOSE thai iia ancestor, the wildcat
, 'ound Us way to that portion Of The
earth long before the human race
p penetrated into Western Europe, and at
, 4 period when Man itself was not an
slsnd. but formed part Of the main
ana % Europe with the rest OF The
, British Isles. That there o. ample
, uound forsthls snpposltlou Is seen "a
he fact that foxes, wolves. deer. thD
,roat elk and other wild animals long
tgo extinct In the island were ono,
plentiful there. and Tint these wor,
IDENTICAL with the primitive fauna, both
D. Great Britain and ireland.