Encyclopaedia Britannica > Volume 7, ETM-GOA

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noife. As their hair is always dry, it eafily gives out
.'■'“"V""""'' an ele&rical fire, which becomes vifible when rubbed
acrofs in the dark. Their eyes likewife fparkle in the
dark like diamonds.—The cat, when pleafed, purrs,
and moves its tail: when angry, it fpits, hiffes, and
ftrikes with its foot. It wafhes its face with its fore¬
foot (Linnaeus fays, at the approach of a ftorm): it al¬
ways lights on its feet: it is even proverbially tenaci¬
ous of life.
Our anceftors feem to have had a high fenfe of the
utility of this animal. That excellent prince Hod dda,
or Howel the Good, did not think it beneath him
* LWS (among his laws relating to the prices, &c. of animals* ),
IValhcs, t0 jncjuje tiiat 0f the cat. an{j to deferibe the qualities
P-347>34o* OUgjlt l0 jjavei q',jie pr;ce 0f a kitten before it could
fee was to be a penny ; till it caught a moufe, two¬
pence ; when it commenced moufer, four pence. It
was required befides, that it fhould be perfeft in its
fenfes of hearing and feeing, be a good moufer, have
the claws whole, and be a good nurfe : but if it failed
in any of thefe qualities, the feller was to forfeit to the
buyer the third part of its value. If any one Hole or
killed the cat that guarded the prince’s granary, he was
to forfeit a milch-ewe, its fleece and lamb ; or as much
wheat as, when poured on a cat fufpended by its tail
(the head touching the floor), would form a heap high
enough to cover the tip of the former. This laft quo¬
tation is not only curious, as being an evidence of the
fimplicity of ancient manners, but it almoft proves to
a demonftration, that cats are not-aborigines of thefe
iflands, or known to the earlieft inhabitants. The large
prices fet on them (if we confider the high value of
^ sinno 94$. fpecie at that timef), and the great care taken of the
improvement and breed of an animal that multiplies fo
faft, are almoft certain proofs of their being little known
at that period.
b, The Angorenfis, or cat of Angora, with hair of a
filvery whitenefs and filky texture, and very long, efpe-
cially about the neck, where it forms a fine ruff. It is a
large variety; found about Angora, thefame country which
produces the fine-haired goat. It degenerates after the
firft generation in our climate. A variety of this kind
is found in China with pendent ears, of which the Chi-
nefe are very fond, and ornament their necks with filver
collars. They are cruel enemies to rats, and fuppofed
to be the domeftic animals which the Chinefe call
fumxi.
c, The Hifpanicus, or tortoife-fhell cat, has the hair
varied with black, white, and orange.
d, The Caeruleus, or blue cat, a variety of a dun
colour, or greyiflt black. It is much cultivated in Si¬
beria on account of its fine fur; but was brought there,
as well as the other domeftic kinds, by the Ruffians.
e, The Ruber, or wild red cat of Kolben, has a
flreak of bright red running along the ridge of the back
to the tail, and lofing itfelf in the grey and white on
the fides. The Anns are faid to give eafe in the gout,
and are much valued on that account at the Cape.
Manul. XIV. The Manul, with the tail longer than that
of the domeftic cat, befet thickly with hair, and of an
equal;thicknefs in all parts; encircled with ten black
rings, the three next to the tip almoft touching one
another, the reft more remote. It is about the fize of
a fox. The limbs are very robuft ; in which, and in
colour, this animal greatly refembles a lynx, afterwards
96 ] F E L
deferibed. It inhabits all. the middle part of northern Fells.
Afia, from the Yaik, or Ural as it is now called, to the v""-"
very Amur. It loves open, vvoodlefs, and rocky coun¬
tries, and preys on the lefler quadrupeds.
XV. The Lynx is about 2^ feet long and 15 inches Lyax.
high. He has a great refemblance to the common cat;
but his ears are longer, and his tail is much (horter:
his hair is ftreaked with yellow, white, and black co¬
lours. The lynx inhabits the vaft forefts of the north
of Europe, Afia, and America. His eyes are brilliant,
his afpeft is foft, and his air is gay and fprightly. Like
the cat, he covers his urine with earth ; he howls fome-
thing like the wolf, and is heard at a confideraHe df-
ftance ; he does not run like the dog or wolf, but walks
and leaps like a cat; he purfues his prey even to the
tops of trees; neither wild cats nor fquirrels can efcape
him ; he lies in wait for flags, goats, hairs, &c; and
darts fuddenly upon them; he feizes them by the throat
and fucks their blood, then opens the head and eats
the brain; after this, he frequently leaves them, and
goes in queft of frefti prey. The colour of his Ikin
changes according to the feafon or the climate; the
winter furs are more beautiful than thofe of Tummer.
Thefe furs are valuable for their foftnefs and warmth :
numbers are annually imported from North America,
and the north of Europe and Afia ; the farther north
and eaft they are taken, the whiter they are, and the
more diftindl the fpots. Of thefe the moft elegant
kind is called irbys, whofe Ikin fells on the fpot for one
pound Sterling. The ancients * celebrated the great * Vila.
quicknefs of the lynx’s fight; and feigned that its urine viii. 8.
was converted into a precious ftone. xxviii. 8.
XVI. The Serval, has the upper part of the body Serval.
of a dufley colour, interfperfed with round black fpots;
the belly, and the orbits of the eye, are white. This ani¬
mal, which is very fierce and untameable, inhabits the
woods in the mountainous parts of India ; where it lives
in trees, and breeds in them. It fcarcely ever defeends
on the ground; but leaps with great agility from tree
to tree. It is called by the natives of Malabar the
marapute, by the Portuguefe the ferval.
XVII. The Chaus, or Cafpian Lynx, hais a round Chaus,
head, a little more oblong than that of the common
cat; fhining reftlefs eye, with a moft brilliant golden
pupil; ears eredt, oval, and lined with white hairs,
their outfide reddilh, their fummits tufted with black.
The hairs are coarfer than thofe of the cat or common
lynx, but lefs fo tlian thofe of the wolf. They are
fhorteft on the head, but on the top of the back are
above two inches long. The colour of the head and
body is ayellowifti brown: the breaft and belly of a bright
brown nearly orange. The tail reaches only to the
flexure of the leg ; is thick and cylindric; of the fame
colour with the back, tipped with black, and thrice
obfeurely annulated with black near the end. In ge¬
neral appearance it has the form of the domeftic cat.
Its length is 24- feet from the nofe to the bafe of
the tail: its tail little more than 11 inches: its
height before is 19 inches; behind, 20. It is fome-
times found larger, there being inftances of its reach¬
ing the length of 3 feet from the nofe to the
tail. This animal, which has been but lately dif-
covered, inhabits the reeds and woods in the marfhy
parts that border on the weftern fides of the Cafpian
Sea, particularly about the caftle Kiflar on the river
6 Terek,