The Cat Tribe

67

This charming and accurate description shows the cheeta at home. In the field he is quite another creature. He is driven as near as possible to the game, and then unhooded and given a sight of them. Sir Samuel Baker thus describes a hunt in which a cheeta was used: “The chase began after the right-hand buck, which had a start of about 110 yards. It was a magnificent sight to see the extraordinary speed of pursuer and pursued. The buck flew over the level surface, followed by the cheeta, which was laying out at full stretch, with its long, thick tail brandishing in the air. They had run 200 yards, when the keeper gave the word, and away we went as fast as our horses could carry us. The horses could go over this clear ground, where no danger of a fall seemed possible. I never saw anything to equal the speed of the buck and the cheeta; we were literally nowhere, although we were going as hard as horseflesh could carry us; but we had a glorious view. The cheeta was gaining in the course, while the buck was exerting every muscle for life or death in its last race. Presently, after a course of about a quarter of a mile, the buck doubled like a hare, and the cheeta lost ground as it shot ahead, instead of turning quickly, being only about thirty yards in rear of the buck. Recovering itself, it turned on extra steam, and the race appeared to recommence at increased speed. The cheeta was determined to win, and at this moment the buck made another double in the hope of shaking off its terrible pursuer; but this time the cheeta ran cunning, and was aware of the former game. It turned as sharply as the buck. Gathering itself together for a final effort, it shot forward like an arrow, picked up the distance which remained between them, and in a cloud of dust we could for one moment distinguish two forms. The next instant the buck was on its back, and the cheeta’s fangs were fixed like an iron vice in its throat. The course run was about 600 yards, and it was worth a special voyage to India to see that hunt.”

Berlin.

Photo by Ottomar Anschütz]

A CHEETA ON THE LOOK-OUT.

Cheetas are common to Africa and India. By the native princes of the latter country they are much used for taking antelope and other game.

68 The Living Animals of the World

THE DOMESTIC CAT.

BY LOUIS WAIN.

Of the domestication of the cat we know very little, but it is recorded that a tribe of cats was trained to retrieve—i.e. to fetch and carry game. In our own time I have seen many cats fetch and carry corks and newspapers, and on one occasion pounce upon a small roach at the end of a line and place it at its owner’s feet. Gamekeepers whom I have known agree that, for cunning, craftiness, and tenacity in attaining an object, the semi-wild cat of the woods shows far superior intelligence to the rest of the woodland denizens. It is quite a usual thing to hear of farm cats entering upon a snake-hunting expedition with the greatest glee, and showing remarkable readiness in pitching upon their quarry and pinning it down until secured. These farm cats are quite a race by themselves. Of decided sporting proclivities, they roam the countryside with considerable fierceness, and yet revert to the domesticity of the farmhouse fireside as though innocent of roving instincts. They are spasmodic to a degree in their mode of life, and apparently work out one mood before entering upon another. It will be remembered that this spasmodic tendency—the true feline independence, by-the-bye—is and has been characteristic of the cat throughout its history, and any one who has tried to overcome it has met with failure.

Watch your own cat, and you will see that he will change his sleeping-quarters periodically; and if he can find a newspaper conveniently placed, he will prefer it to lie upon, before anything perhaps, except a cane-bottomed chair, to which all cats are very partial. If you keep a number of cats, as I do, you will find that they are very imitative, and what one gets in the habit of doing they will all do in time: for instance, one of my cats took to sitting with his front paws inside my tall hat and his body outside, and this has become a catty fashion in the family, whether the object be a hat, cap, bonnet, small basket, box, or tin. If by chance one of the cats is attacked by a dog, a peculiar cry from the aggrieved animal will immediately awaken the others out of their lethargy or sleep, and bring them fiercely to the rescue. They are, too, particularly kind and nice to the old cat, and are tolerant only of strange baby kittens and very old cats in the garden as long as they do not interfere with the “catty” subject. The same quality obtains in Spain or Portugal, where a race of scavenging cats exists, which go about in droves or families, and are equal to climbing straight walls, big trees, chimneys, and mountain-sides. Long, lanky, and thin, they are built more on the lines of a greyhound than the ordinary cat, and are more easily trained in tricks than home cats.

The TORTOISESHELL has long been looked upon as the national

Photo by T. Fall] [Baker Street.

WHITE SHORT-HAIRED.

Most white cats are not albinoes—that is to say, they have ordinarily coloured and not red eyes.

Photo by T. Fall] [Baker Street.

LONG-HAIRED WHITE.

White cats with blue eyes are generally deaf, or at all events hard of hearing.

Photo by Fratdli Alinari, Florence. Photo ly L. Midland, F.Z.S., Soi-th Finchley. Photo ly E. Landor, Eiilimj.

MACKEREL-MARKED TABBY. CAT CARRYING KITTEN. BLUE LONG-HAIRED, OR PERSIAN.

Tabbies are probably the best known and the A unique photograph, showing the way in which Persian or long-haired cats are of various commonest cats in England. the cat carries its young. colours; this is one of the least common.

Photo 'by E. Landor, Eating. By permission of Lady Alexander.

ORANGE TABBY. SMOKE AND BLUE LONG-HAIRED.

A champion winner of 90 first prizes. Two pretty and valuable Persian kittens.

Photo by E. Landor, Baling. Photo by E. Landor, Ealing. Photo by E. Landor, Ealing.

LONG-HAIRED TABBY. SILVER PERSIAN. SMOKE LONG-HAIRED, OR PERSIAN.

A pretty pose. A handsome specimen. A new breed. r.n

of the World 70 The Living Animals

cat of Spain, and in fact that country is overrun with the breed, ranging from a dense black and brown to lighter shades of orange-brown and white. The pure tortoiseshell might be called a black and tan, with no white, streaked like a tortoiseshell comb if possible, and is characteristic of their with wonderful amber eyes. It intelligence that they will invariably find their way home, and will even bring that mysterious instinct to bear which guides them back long distances to the place of their birth; and, with regard to this cat, the stories of almost impossible journeys made are not one bit exaggerated. The tom-cats of this breed are very rare in England; I myself have only known of the existence of six in fifteen years, and of these but three are recorded in the catalogues of our cat shows. SHOET-HAIRED BLUE.

The BLACK CAT has many of the characteristics This champion cat belongs to Lady Alexander, by whose of the tortoiseshell, but is essentially a town cat, and kind permission it is here reproduced. is wont to dream his life away in shady corners, in underground cellars, in theatres, and in all places where he can, in fact, retire to monastic quiet. The black cat of St. Clement Danes Church was one of the remarkable cats of London. It was his wont to climb on to the top of the organ-pipes and enjoy an occasional his pride; and many people canmusical concert alone. A christening or a wedding was vouch for a lucky wedding who had the good-fortune to be patronised by the black cat of St. Clement Danes, which walked solemnly down the aisle of the church in front of the happy couples. My old pet Peter was a black-and-white cat, and, like most of his kind, was one of the recital of his accomplishmentsmost remarkable cats for intelligence I have ever known. A would, however, have very few believers a fact I find existing in regard to all really intelligent cats. There are so many cats of an opposite character, and people will rarely take more than a momentary trouble to win the finer nature of an animal into existence. Suffice it to say, that Peter would lie and die, sit up with spectacles on his nose and with a post-card also mew silentbetween his paws a trick I have taught many people's cats to do. He would meows when bid, and wait at the door for my home-coming. For a long time, too, it was customary to hear weird footfalls at night outside the bedroom doors, and visitors to the house set a watch uponwere a little more superstitious as to their cause than we were ourselves. We the supposed ghost, but sudden opening of the doors discovered only the mystic form of Peter was. however, ultimately caught in the act of lifting thesitting purring on the stairs. He corner of the door-rug and letting it fall back in its place, and he had grown quite expert in his method of raising and dropping it at regular intervals until he heard that his signals had produced the required effect, and the door was opened to admit him. call musical cats, WHITE CATS I- might for it is quite characteristic of the albinoes that noises rarely startle them out of their simpering, loving moods. The scraping of a violin, which will scare an ordinary cat out of its senses, or the thumping of a piano, which would terrorise even strong-nerved cats, photo by T. Fail] \jtakerstreet. SILVER TABBY. would only incite a white cat to a happier