The Savannah morning news., 1904-03-20
er 1t got it's sight and till 1t caught
it's first mouse tWopence.
Warranty With Cats.

w W AAh Ne-e"'
Every cat that was sold was to be
warranted perfect in sense of hearing
and seeing, it's claws whole and good
mouser. II it was deficient in any OF
these points the seller was to forfeit
to the buyer one-third of its value
Prince Howers law went further than
this, and had a clause protecting the
owner of the cat-interesting both as
giving additional proof of its value
and as showing the simple ingenuity
of those times. If any one stole or
killed the cat that guarded the prince
granary he was to forfeit a nilch-ewe,
it's fleece and lamb, or as much wheat
as would be ascertained in the follow
ing way: The cat presumably dead
was to be held suspended by the tail,
its head touching the ground, and
the wheat was then to be poured upon
it till the tip Of the tail was cover
ed.
1t is clear from this that the domes-
tic cat was at that time a very Valu-
able creature, and one may even see
the origin of the legend of Dick Whit
tington travelling about with his sin
gular pet. 1t is clear, too. that this
was not the wild cat. That animal
was plentiful enough in Prince HowePs
dominions. and all over England was
regarded as Vermin, to be killed as
a pest, and certainly not to be protect
ed as a household treasure. There is
a charter of Richard IFS time, given
by the King to the abbot of Peter
borough, authorizing the abbot TO hunt
the hare, the fox and the wild cat,
and there is a canon of Archbishop Cor
boye, dated 1927 forbidding any nun
or abbess to use more costly fur than
the fleece of lamb or the skin of a
cat. 1t would seem, therefore. that
the domestic eat and the wild cat
co-existed in England at a time when
the former was "a valuable animal
Descent from the wild.
Was it, however, a descendant of
the wild cat? The dog has been
traced UP to the jackal by removes
numerous indeed but no one Of which
in the series, while between the wild
cat and the tame cat the essential
differences do not seem very great
Moreover the house cat shows this
peculiarity--tbat there is scarcely any
domestic animal that so soon relapses
into a wild state. Londoners know
the London cat, and will find 1t hard
to credit the statement. But game
keepers and gardeners could tell a
different story. A cat who has
caught and eaten a young rabbit soor
becomes a confirmed poacher. The noe.
turnal instincts Of the creature revive
II will spend the night proving and
hunting. 1t will disdain mouse and
rat and go for ground game or pleas
ant.
Sir william Jardine found a cat thai
had kittened on the ridge OF an un-
cut corn field. on approaching her she
showed every disposition to defend hei
progeny. and beside her lay two younl
leverefs, fresh caught and killed. II
seemed not difiieuli 20 believe that IN,
wild cat might at some time have ad.
vanced toward and crossed the bOun'
dairy which separated it from the taml
animal. seeing that the domestic cal
10 soon became Wild. Another the0r,
was. however started By huppe who
during his frsf travels ln Nuba. wes
81 the hills near AWbukol. discovered
q cat q third smaller than the elif
one. spd Ia al rssDecls similar 10 ih'