The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1904-06-18
WILD CATS IN ENGLAND.
ONLY BEAST OF PREY TO BE
FOUND IN GREAT BRITAIN.
Controversy Over ito Origin-The Do.
mestic Cat Was Once a Very vaIu-
able Creatuse~(t Is Clear, Too,

mestic Cat Was Once Very VaIu
able Creature-(t Is Clear, Too
That This Was Not the Wildcat
"A peculiar interest attaches to tlt
British wildcat; In fact, 4 double in
tcrest. |, has grown rare of late
years IN Englnad, but has not yet by
any means been exterminated. and sr
1t still remains the only beast of prey
left on English coil that is dangerous
to man, No doubt its ultimate fate
Will be that Of the wolf and the wild
BOAR, and even now it is chiefly known
only to gamekeepers and poachers
A little time ago the race was com
mon enough in the woods throughout
Scotland, and is still to be found in
wales and Ireland. The Irish variety
Is larger than the British, but the
race seems to be spread all over north
ern Europe and it is also found in
northern Asia and Nepal.
Some years ago 1t was the cause
OF great controversy. The question
was as to the origin of the ordinary
cat. 1t is form of the wild cat al
tered by domestication till its fttest
qualities survived. or is the ordinary
cat distinct creature? Now. though
the domestic cat Is probably the COM
monest quadruped in Europe. there
certainly was a time when it was
rare and valuable. Shylock, indeed,
speaks of "the harmless, necessary
cat" not at all as II it were such
treasure as the monkey which his
daughter exchanged for the turquoise
ring; but we must 60 to an earlier
date than Queen Eiizabeth's time.
Pennant, the naturalist. talking OF
Howell. who ruled over southern
Wales for thirty years and died in
94s, says that that excellent prince
did not think it beneath him to ascer-
tain the value Of animals and fix the
price at which they should be bought
and sold in his dominio1s. So he de-
creed that a kitiing before it could
see was to cost a penny; but after 1t
got its sight and till it caught it's
irst mouse twopence.
Every cat that was sold was to be
perfect In sense Of hearing
and seeing, its claws whole and
good mouser. If it was deficient in
my Of these points the seller was to
'orfeit to the buyer one-third of it's
value. Prince Howels law went fur
her than this. and had clause pro-
Getting the owner OF the cat-interest-
ng both as giving-additional proof
II its value and as showing the sim
lie ingenuity Of those times.
II any one stole or killed the cat |
nat guarded the princes granary he
vas to forfeit a milch eve, its fleece
nd lamb. or as much wheat as would |
'e ascertained in the following way: |
'he cat presumably dead) was to
'e held suspended by the tail. its
Iead touching the ground, and the
vheat was then to be poured upon it
III the tip Of the tail was covered.
It is clear from this that the do
nestle cat was at that time a very
aluable creature. and one NAV even
ee the origin Of the legend Of Dick
travelling sbout with his
ingular pet. 1t is Clear. too. that
his was not the wild cat. That ami
1al was plentiful enough in Prince
towels dominions. and all over Eng
md was regarded as>vermin, to be
illed as . pest, a7d certainly not to
. protected as household trasure.
There is q charter Of Richard IFS
me. given by the King to the abbot
Peterborough, authorizing the alb
OF to hunt the hare. the fox and
,e wild cat. and there is canon Of
Corboye. dated 1927. for
ldding any nun or abbess to use
lore costly fur than the fleece of a
NIB or the skin Of cat. 1t would
.em. therefore. that the domestic
It and the wild cat co-existed in
ngland at Q time when the former
a. q valuable animal
Was It, however, a descendant Of
~ WIN So<s NO wv u~S USCl tIdCcO | 1
, 60 the Jacket by removes. numer-
- Indeed, but no one Of which is
~ remote from the previous ones
the series. while between the wild
It and the tame cat tie essential diff
ences do not seem very great More
~. the house eat shows this pecu-
there 10 scarcely any do
eotie animal that 60 soon relapses
to q wild state. Londoners know
. London cat and viii find It hard
credit the statement. But game
,spers and gardeners could tell q
ferent story. A cat that has caught
ID sAtsn q young rabbit soon be-
mss . confirmed poacher. The noe
rnal inakipcts Of th9 creature sur
~. II will spend the aight prowling
4 euntins Il will disdain mouse
d rat sud - Tor ground game or
eamnt.
Sir WulsaH Jardiae found a cat
II had kittened on the ridge of en- 9
cu& corn Geld. On approaching her 6
. showed every disposition to de-
Id her progeny, aid besides her lay
b young ievsEets. fresh caught and
led. It seemed sst difhcult to be- i
" thu thu Wild eat might at thed