1000000030

r.ifl'OU io

r.'~"r'.

Heis lugcr than

t!~c on~e, ~nd

I f,

Ü.oo

til·!

p<~lhcr

The mAcr.crs anu

c,f~or.tlon

of the

ko ,. rd are n(·"I, the fame IViti, th,le of the

p~nther.

He' i, r,evcr t,m<d or emplo)'IJ in hUlltin;:. The pan·

thcr once, and I;npad, are inhabitants of A

rric~

and

the

~umer

regions'(lf Afia. In general, thefe animals

Gdicht in thick forelll,

~nd f~equent

the bankl of rims,

anJ the neigh)o"rhnod of folmlY "iliages, whm they

lie in wait

furprife domellic animals anIthe wild bealls

th,tt come in quefl of water. They fcidom a tack meo,

ev:n •.hen provoked. \\'ilh rcgard to their Olio!, they

are all

valu~ol., ~nd

make

excell.nt

furs .

6. The Lvs x is abnut

feet long and t5inches high.

Ht has a ¡;rcat refemhlance to lhe

cal;

but his ears are

lon"er, andhis tail is much fhorter; bishair is nreaked with

ycllow, white, and hlack colours. T he Iynx is an in·

habitant of Mufcovy, Puland, Canada,

Oc.

his eyes are

brilliant, his afpeét is foft, and his air is gay and fpright.

Iy; Itke the cat, he corers his urine with eanh; he

howls fomething like the wolf, and is heard at a confide·

rabi. dillance ; he does not run like the dog or \Volf, but

walks and leaps Itke a cal; he purfues his prey even

lhe topS of tices ; neither wild·cats nor fquirrels can e·

fcape him; he lies in wait (or nags, goats, bares,

&c.

and darts fuddenly upon them

he. feizes lhem by the

throat

~nd

fuclts their blood, lhen opens the head and

cats thc brain; afler this, he frequendy leaves them

_nd goes in quen of frefh prey ; the colour of his lkin

changcs according

the fe.fon or the climate; the wio·

ter furs are more oeauti(ul thanIhofe of fummer.

7. The Cn, is a well·known domeUic animal, and

thercfore requires no particular defcriptioo. The wild·

cal, the eat of Angora,

Vc.

diITer only in the length o(

Iheir hair, and

fom~

Cmall mieties arifing from climate

and their m.ona uf living.

Of all domenic animals, the charaller of the eat is

the mofl equivocal and Cufpicious. He is kept, nOl for

any amiahlequalitiés, but purely Wilh a view 10 baniOI

rats, mice, and other noxious animals from our houfes,

granaries,

6c.

Although eats, when young, are play(ul

and gay, they poO;'Cs al the falOe lime an innate malice

.nd perverfc difpofition, which increafes as they grow up,

and which euueation learos themtO concea!, but never tO

fubullc. ConJlamly beot IIpon the(l and rapine, thouSh

in adOOleflie flm, they are (ull of cunning a"d di/limula·

lion; they eonceal all their defigns ; feiu every oppor·

tunilYof ,Ioing mifchicf, and thtn By from punifhment.

They cafily take on lhe habils of fociety, but never its

mannC15

for they ha\'conly thcappearance of friendfhi p

anJ allachOlent. T his difingenuity of chméter is be·

m ycd by lhe obliquityof their movements, and lhe amo

bi~ui¡y

of their looks. In a word. the cal is lotally

ddlitute o( friendlhip; he Ihinks and aéts (or himfcl( a·

lone. He lo" es eaf<, Cearches for lhe fo(ten and warm·

en places tO

rcp~Ce

himfdf. T he eat is likewife eXlreme·

Iy amoClIOS ; and,' hich is very

fin~ular,

the (IOIale is

more arJent than the male; O,e nul only in,'ites, bUl

fcarches after and ealls upon him

falisfy the fUI

of her

defires; anJ. if Ihe male dilildlOs or fi,es from her, fhe

pur(lIe., b. es, anJ in a manner comrds hiOl. T his hcat

of a1icn iD

mal 's1,

oin oc l o days, anJ hap.

F E L

pens tw,ee in the year,

nam~11

in the frrin' anJ

¡Ut.m~ '

hOl'.'el'er, in (oOle it happens thriee ol ofour times

'i~

the year. The female

eo~s

wit.h

)'oun~

55 or 56 days,

and gcnerally produces four or h.e at a liuer. As ll.e

m.lle h.s an inclination to denroy the young, the fcmale

takes care tO eonceal tncm ,(rom him ; and, whco (he il

apprehenfive of a difeover)', fhe ldles lhem up in her

mO\llh one by one, and bides them in holes or inaccellible

plaees. When fhe has nurfed a (ew weeks, Ihe bnngl

themmice, fmall birds, &r. in order tOImn the0110

eat Aefh. But, i¡ is worth nOlice, that lhefe careful anJ

lender mothm fometim.s become unnaturally erutl, and

devour lheir own olrspring.

The

tal

is incapable of renraint, and conCennentl" of

being educated

any extcnt. However, \l'e 'are 10lJ,

that the Grecks in lhe iOand of Cyprus m ined thil ani.

mallo eateh and del'ollr ferpents, with whieh Ihat

iO.nd

lOas gready infened. This ho",ever lOas not the cITe/! of

obcdience, but of a general talle for Oaughter; (or he de.

lights in watching, attacking, and denr 'ying all kinds of

weak anim)ls indilrerendy. He has no dclicacyoffcent,

like the dog

he hunts only by the eye : neitl'er duel he

properlypurfue ; he onll' lies in wait. and amrks antm¡!s

by furprife: and afler he has eaught them, he fpons with

and

torm~nts

them a long limc, and al laJl kills them

(when his belly is full) purely

gratify his fanguinary

appelite.

T he eye o( the eat dilrers grmly from that of mon

other

~nimals.

The pupil is clpable of a great degree of

conmétion and dilamion; il is narrow and contra/led

like a line during the day, round and wide in the dal¡;

it is from this confornmion o( lhe eye that the cat Cm

be!1in the night, which gives him a great advanrage in

difeovering and feizing his rrey.

Ahhough éats live in our houfes, lhey can hardly

ealled domellie animals; they ma)' rather be faid 10 en·

joy (ull liberty ; (or lheynever aét but according 10 Iheir

own indinati!>n. Befides, the grea.ten part of Ihem are

half wild; they do nOl know their manCI!, and CrequCDl

onll' the barns, out.houfes,

Oc.

unleCs when prdfed with

hunger.

Cm have a natural anlipalhy al wlter, cold, and bad

(melis. T hey love ro balk in the fun, and lie in warm

places. Tbey likewi(e hareanalreétioo for

certlinarom~tic

fmells ; they are Iranfponcd Wilh the rOOI of lhe nlman.

Cm take abOUl eighleen mondts before Ihey

co~e ~o

their (ull growth; but they are capable of

propag~tlo~,o

twelve months, and rmin this (aeuhy all Ihetr "re,

which generally eXlends tO nine or ten years. Tite)'

~at

flowly, and are peculiarly (ond of 60\es They dllnk

(requently; their fleep is lighl ; and they oCten ¡lfume

the appcmnce of fleeping, "hen in reality they are me·

dilating mifchief. They walk fofdy, and WUbOUl ma·

king any noife. As Iheir hair is alo'ays drr'

11 (.

fil ,

gi,'cs out an cleétrical 6re, which becomes

vl~ble

o'hen

rubbed a·cro(s in the dark. Their eyes J.kewrfe Cparkle

the da. k like

di~mcnds.

The "ild , or

fa\'~ge

cat,

c uples with Ihe . domeO"

one, and is

confcq~endy

the

f.~.e

freciCl. Il ls not ut

u(ual for domeflie CJts, hodl

mal~

¡nO fcnule, "II hen

1;.

mUIJl J b)' Iove

repair tO Ihe woods in

of the.e

rn~:~