should steal or kill the Cat that guarded the Prince's granary, he was either to forfeit a milch ewe, her fleece, and lamb, or as much wheat as, when poured on the Cat, suspended by its tail, (its head touching the floor) would form a heap high enough to cover the tip of the tail.-From these circumstances we may conclude, that Cats were not originally natives of these islands; and from the great care taken to improve and preserve the breed of this prolific creature, we may with propriety suppose, that they were but little known at that period.*

When M. Baumgarten was at Damascus, he saw there, a kind of hospital for Cats: the house in which they were kept was very large, walled round, and said to be quite full of them. On enquiring into the origin of this singular institution, he was told, that Mahomet, when he once lived here, brought with him a Cat, which he kept in the sleeve of his gown, and carefully fed with his own hands. His followers in this place, therefore, ever afterwards, paid a superstitious respect to these animals, and supported them in this manner by public alms, which were very adequate to

the purpose. t The patience, craft, vigilance,

utility, and cleanliness of the Cat have also obtained for it the highest degree of protection in the Eastern mythology, so far indeed as to have it esteemed the noblest species of its genus.

*Penn. Brit. Zool. i. 83. + Baumgarten's Travels. Churchill's Coll, i. 477. D'Obsonville, So.

The following curious fact in the natural history of the Cat, is related by Dr. Anderson, in his entertaining work, the Recreations in Agriculture:A Cat belonging to Dr. Coventry, the ingenious Professor of Agriculture in Edinburgh, which had no blemish at its birth, lost its tail by accident when it was young. It had many litters of kittens, and in every one of these there was one or more that wanted the tail, either in whole or in part. "A Cat (says Browne) is a very dainty dish among the Negroes!"*

THE ANGORA CAT.†

The Angora Cat is a variety of the domestic species. When M. Sonnini was in Egypt, he had one of them in his possession for a long time. It was entirely covered with long silky hairs: its tail formed a magnificent plume, which the animal elevated, at pleasure, over its body. Not one spot, nor a single dark shade, tarnished the dazzling white of its coat. Its nose and lips were of a delicate rose colour. Two large eyes sparkled in its rounded head, one of which was a light yellow, and the other a fine blue.

This beautiful animal possessed even more loveliness of manners, than grace in its attitudes and movements. With the physiognomy of goodness, she possessed a gentleness truly interesting. How ill so ever any one used her, she never attempted

History of Jamaica, 485.

+ SYNONYMS. Angora Cat. Penn.

Felis Angorensis. Linn.-Chat d'Angora. Buffon.

to advance her claws from their sheaths.

Sensible

to kindness, she licked the hand which caressed, and even that which tormented, her. On a journey she reposed tranquilly on the knees of any of the company, for there was no occasion to confine her; and if M. Sonnini, or some other person she knew, was present, no noise whatever gave her the least disturbance.

In Sonnini's solitary moments, she chiefly kept by his side; she interrupted him frequently in the midst of his labours or meditations, by little caresses extremely affecting, and generally followed him in his walks. During his absence, she sought and called for him incessantly, with the utmost inquietude; and, if he was long before he re-appeared, she would quit his apartment, and attach herself to the person of the house where he lived; for whom, next to himself, she entertained the greatest affection. She recognized his voice at a distance, and seemed to find him again, each time, with increased satisfaction. Her advances were not oblique, her gait was frank, and her look as gentle as her character: she possessed, in a word, the disposition of the most amiable Dog, beneath the brilliant fur of a Cat.

"This animal (says M. Sonnini) was my principal amusement for several years. How was the expression of its attachment depicted upon its countenance! How many times have her tender caresses made me forget my troubles, and consoled me in my misfortunes! My beautiful and interesting companion, however, at length perished. After

several days of suffering, during which I never forsook her, her eyes, constantly fixed on me, were at length extinguished; and her loss rent my heart with sorrow."*

THE WEESELS.

THE Weesel tribe was divided by Linnæus into two genera, Viverra and Mustela; the latter of which also contained the Otters. Mr. Pennant and Dr. Shaw have, however, with great propriety, united these two, and separated from them the Otters, as possessing webbed feet, a character sufficiently discriminating: to these Dr. Shaw has appropriated the generic name of Lutræ.

The present genus, therefore, as thus corrected, contains animals which have six sharpish cuttingteeth, with the canine-teeth somewhat longer; a long and slender body, with short legs; a sharpened visage; and, in most species, a longish tail. In some of this tribe also, the tongue is smooth, and, in others, it is furnished with prickles pointing backwards.

THE ICHNEUMON.†

The Ichneumon is a native of Egypt, Barbary, and the Cape of Good Hope. Its length, from the

*Sonnini, i. 292.

+ SYNONYMS.-Viverra Ichneumon. Linn.-Egyptian Ichneumon. Kerr-Great Mangouste.-Sm. Buffon.-Ichneumon. Penn.

Shaw's

Gen. Zool. pl. 92.

tip of the nose to the end of the tail, is from twentyfour to forty-two inches, of which the tail takes near the half. Its colour is pale reddish grey, each hair being mottled with brown or mouse colour. The eyes are of a bright red, the ears almost naked, small and rounded, and the nose long and slender. The tail is very thick at the base, from whence it gradually tapers almost to a point, where it is slightly tufted. The hair is hard and coarse, and the legs are short.

In Egypt the Ichneumon is considered as one of the most useful and estimable of animals, being an inveterate enemy to the Serpents and other noxious reptiles, which infest the neighbourhood of the torrid zone. It attacks without dread that most fatal of Serpents the Cobra di Capello, or Hooded Snake,* and, when it receives a wound in the combat, instantly retires, and is said to obtain an antidote from some herb, after which it returns to the attack, and seldom fails of victory. It is a great destroyer of the eggs of Crocodiles, which it digs out of the sand, and even kills multitudes of the young of those terrible creatures. It was not, therefore, without reason, that the ancient Egyptians ranked the Ichneumon among their deities.

It is at present domesticated, and kept in houses in India and Egypt, where it is found more useful than a Cat in destroying Rats and Mice. It is easily tamed, is very active, and springs with great agility on its prey. It will glide

* Coluber Naja of Linnæus.