FELIS, the CAT, a genus of quadrupeds belonging to the order of ferae, the characters of which are these: The fore-teeth are equal; the molars or grinders have three points; the tongue is furnished with rough sharp prickers, and pointing backwards; and the claws are sheathed, and retractile. This genus comprehends seven genera, viz.

1. The Leo, or LION. The largest lions are from eight to nine feet in length, and from four to six feet high; those of a smaller size are generally about five feet long, and about three feet high. His head is very thick, and his face is befit on all sides with long bushy yellowish hair; this shaggy hair extends from the top of the head to below the shoulders, and hangs down to his knees: the belly and breast are likewise covered with long hair. The rest of the body is covered with very short hair, excepting a bush at the point of the tail. The ears are roundish, short, and almost entirely concealed under the hair of his front. The shagginess of the fore-part of his body makes the hinder part have a naked appearance. The tail is long and very strong; the legs are thick and fleshy; and the feet are short; the length of the claws is about an inch and a quarter, are of a whitish colour, very crooked, and can be extended or retracted into the membranous sheath at pleasure: their points are seldom blunted, as they are never extended but when he seizes his prey.

The females, or lionesses, has no mane, or long hair about her head or shoulders; in her we see distinctly the whole face, head, ears, neck, shoulders, breast, &c. all these parts being in some measure concealed under the long hair of the male, give the female a very different appearance: besides, she is considerably less than the male. The hair of both male and female is of a yellowish colour, and whitish on the sides and belly.

In warm countries, quadrupeds in general are larger and stronger than in the cold or temperate climates. They are likewise more fierce and hardy; all their natural qualities seem to correspond with the ardour of the climate. The lions nourished under the scorching sun of Africa or the Indies, are the most strong, fierce, and terrible. Those of mount Atlas, whose top is sometimes covered with snow, are neither so strong nor so ferocious as those of Biledulgerid or Zaara, whose plains are covered with burning sand. It is in these hot and barren deserts, that the lion is the dread of travellers, and the scourge of the neighbouring provinces. But it is a happy circumstance that the species is not very numerous: they even appear to diminish daily. The Romans, says Mr. Shaw, brought many more lions out of Libya for their public shows, than are now to be found in that country. It is likewise remarked, that the lions in Turkey, Persia, and the Indies, are less numerous than formerly. As this formidable and courageous animal makes a prey of most other animals, and is himself a prey to none, this diminution in the number of the species can be owing to nothing but an increase in the number of mankind: for it must be acknowledged, that the strength of this king of animals is not a match for the dexterity and address of a negro or Hottentot, who will often dare to attack him face to face, and with very flight weapons.

The ingenuity of mankind augments with their number; that of other animals continues always the same. All the noxious animals, as the lion, are reduced to a small number, not only because mankind have become more numerous, but likewise because they have become more ingenious, and have invented weapons which nothing can resist. This superiority in the numbers and industry of mankind, at the same time that it has broke the vigour of the lion, seems likewise to have enervated his courage. This quality, though natural, is excited or lowered according to the good or bad success with which any animal has been accustomed to employ his force. In the vast deserts of Zaara, in those which seem to separate two very different races of men, the Negroes and Moors, between Senegal and the boundaries of Mauritania; in those uninhabited regions above the country of the Hottentots; and, in general, in all the meridional parts of Africa and Asia, where mankind have disdained to dwell, lions are still as numerous and as ferocious as ever. Accustomed to measure their strength by that of all other animals which they encounter, the habit of conquering renders them haughty and intrepid. Having never experienced the strength of man, or the power of his arms, instead of discovering any signs of fear, they disdain and set him at defiance. Wounds irritate, but do not terrify them; they are not even disconcerted at the sight of numbers. A single lion of the desert has been known to attack a whole caravan; and if, after a violent and obstinate engagement, he found himself weakened, he retreats fighting, always keeping his face to the enemy. On the other hand, the lions which live near the villages or huts of the Indians or Africans, being acquainted with man and the force of his arms, are so dastardly as to fly and leave their prey at the sight of women or children.

This softening in the temper and disposition of the lion, shows that he is capable of culture, and susceptible, at least to a certain degree, of the impressions that he receives: accordingly, history informs us of lions yoked in triumphal chariots, trained to war, or the chase; and that, faithful to their masters, they never employed their strength or courage but against their enemies. It is, however, certain, that a lion taken young, and brought up among domestic animals, will easily be accustomed to live and sport with them; that he is mild and careful to his master, especially when he is young; and that, if his natural ferocity sometimes breaks out, it is rarely turned against those who have been kind to him. But, as his passions are impetuous and vehement, it is not to be expected that the impressions of education will at all times be sufficient to balance them; for this reason it is dangerous to let him suffer hunger long, or to vex him by ill-timed teazings: bad treatment not only irritates him, but he remembers it long, and meditates revenge. On the the other hand, he is exceedingly grateful, and seldom forgets benefits received. He has been often observed to disdain weak or insignificant enemies, to despise their insults, and to pardon their offensive liberties. When led into captivity, he will discover symptoms of uneasiness, without anger or peevishness; on the contrary, his natural temper softens, he obeys his master, cares for the hand that gives him food, and sometimes gives life to such animals as are thrown to him alive for prey: by this act of generosity he seems to consider himself as far ever bound to protect them; he lives peaceably with them; allows them a part, and sometimes the whole, of his food; and will rather submit to the pangs of hunger, than fill his stomach with the fruit of his beneficence. We may likewise observe, that the lion is not a cruel animal: he kills rather from necessity than choice, never destroying more than he eats; and whenever his appetite is satisfied, he is mild and peaceable.

The aspect of the lion does not detract from the noble and generous qualities of his mind. His figure is respectable; his looks are determined; his gait is stately; and his voice is tremendous. In a word, the body of the lion appears to be the best model of strength joined to agility. The force of his muscles is expressed by his prodigious leaps and bounds, often 20 feet at once; by the brisk motion of his tail, a single sweep of which is sufficient to throw a man to the ground; by the ease with which he moves the skin of his face, and particularly of his forehead; and, lastly, by the faculty of erecting and agitating the hair of his main when irritated.

Lions are very ardent in their amours: when the female is in season, she is often followed by eight or ten males, who rear incessantly, and enter into furious engagements, till one of them completely overcomes the rest, takes peaceable possession of the female, and carries her off to some secret recess. The lioness brings forth her young in the spring, and produces but once every year.

All the passions of the lion, the soft passion of love not excepted, are excessive; the love of offspring is extreme: the lioness is naturally weaker, less bold, and more gentle than the lion; but she becomes perfectly rapacious and terrible when she has young. Then she exhibits more courage than the male; she regards no danger; she attacks indifferently men and all other animals, kills them, and carries them to her young ones, whom she thus early instructs to suck their blood and tear their flesh. She generally brings forth in the most secret and inaccessible places; and, when afraid of a discovery, she endeavours to conceal the traces of her feet, by returning frequently on her steps, or rather by effacing them with her tail; and, when the danger is great, she carries off her young, and conceals them somewhere else. But, when an actual attempt is made to deprive her of her young, she becomes perfectly furious, and defends them till she be torn to pieces.

The lion seldom goes abroad in the middle of the day; he goes round in the evening and night, in quest of prey. He is afraid of fire, and never approaches the artificial fires made by the shepherds for the protection of their flocks; he does not trace other animals by the scent, but is obliged to trust to his eyes. Many historians have even misrepresented him as incapable of finding out his prey; but that he is obliged to the jackal, an animal of exquisite scent, in order to provide for him, and that this animal either accompanies or goes before him for this purpose. The jackal is a native of Arabia, Libya, &c., and, like the lion, lives upon prey; perhaps sometimes he follows the lion, but it is with a view to pick up what he leaves behind, not to provide for him; for, being a small and feeble animal, he ought rather to fly from than to serve the lion.

The lion, when hungry, will attack any animal that presents itself; but he is so very formidable, that all endeavour to avoid his encounter; this circumstance often obliges him to conceal himself, and lie in wait till some animal chances to pass. He lies squat on his belly in a thicket; from which he springs with such force and velocity, that he often seizes them at the first bound. He endures hunger longer than thirst; he seldom passes water without drinking, which he does by lapping like a dog. For his ordinary subsistence, he requires about 15 pounds of raw flesh each day.

The roaring of the lion is so strong and loud, that it resembles the rumbling of distant thunder. His roaring is his ordinary voice; but when he is irritated, his cry is shorter, repeated more suddenly, and is still more terrible than the roaring: besides, he beats his sides with his tail, stamps with his feet, erects and agitates the hair of his head and main, moves the skin of his face, shows his angry teeth, and rolls out his tongue.

The gait of the lion is stately, grave, and slow, though always in an oblique direction. His movements are not equal or measured, but consist of leaps and bounds; which prevents him from stopping suddenly, and makes him often overleap his mark. When he leaps upon his prey, he makes a bound of 12 or 15 feet, falls above it, seizes it with his fore-feet, tears the flesh with his claws, and then devours it with his teeth.

The lion, however terrible, is hunted by large dogs, well supported by men on horseback: they dislodge him, and oblige him to retire. But it is necessary that both the dogs and horses be trained beforehand; for almost every animal frets and flies as soon as he feels the very smell of a lion. His skin, although hard and firm, does not resist either a ball or a javelin; however, he is seldom killed by a single stroke; and is more frequently taken by address than force. They put a live animal above a deep pit covered with light substances, and thus decoy him into the snare.

II. The Tigri, or Tiger. The size of this animal, according to some authors, is larger, and, according to others, somewhat less, than the lion. M. de la Landemagon affirms us, that he has seen a tiger in the East-Indies 15 feet long, including undoubtedly the length of the tail, which, supposing it to be four feet, makes the body of the tiger about 10 feet in length. The skeleton preserved in the cabinet of the French king, indicates that the animal was about seven feet long from the point of the muzzle to the origin of the tail; but then it must be considered that he was caught young, and lived all his days in confinement. The head of the tiger is large and roundish; and the ears are short, and at a great distance from each other. The form of the body has a great resemblance to that of the panther. The skin is of a darkish yellow colour, striped with long black streaks; the hair is short. excepting on the sides of the head, where it is about four inches long. The point of the tail is black, and the rest of it is interpersed with black rings. His legs and claws resemble those of the lion, only the legs are much shorter in proportion to the size of the animal.

The Tiger. The tiger is more ferocious, cruel, and savage than the lion. Although gorged with carnage, his thirst for blood is not appeased; he seizes and tears in pieces a new prey with equal fury and rapacity, the very moment after devouring a former one; he lays waste the country he inhabits; he neither dreads the aspect nor the weapons of men; puts to death whole troops of domestic animals; and attacks young elephants, rhinoceroses, and sometimes even braves the lion himself. The tiger seems to have no other instinct but a constant thirst after blood, a blind fury which knows no bounds or distinction, and which often stimulates him to devour his own young, and to tear the mother in pieces for endeavouring to defend them. He lies in wait on the banks of rivers, &c., where the heat of the climate obliges other animals to repair for drink. Here he seizes his prey, or rather multiplies his massacres; for he no sooner kills one animal, than he flies with equal fury upon the next, with no other view but to plunge in his head into their bodies and drink their blood. However, when he kills a large animal, as a horse or a buffalo, he sometimes does not tear out the entrails on the spot; but, to prevent any interruption, he drags them off to the wood, which he performs with incredible swiftness. This is a sufficient specimen of the strength of this capacious animal.

Neither force, restraint, or violence, can tame the tiger. He is equally irritated with good as with bad treatment: he tears the hand which nourishes him with equal fury as that which administers blows: he roars and is enraged at the sight of every living creature. Almost every natural historian agrees in this horrible character.

It is happy for other animals, that the species of the tiger is not numerous, and that they are confined to the warm climates. They are found in Malabar, Siam, Bengal, the interior parts of Africa, and, in general, in all the regions that are inhabited by the elephant and rhinoceros.

The tiger has always been a more rare animal than the lion; and yet brings forth an equal number of young, namely, four or five at a litter. The female is furious at all times; but, when her young are attempted to be taken from her, her rage is redoubled: she braves every danger; she pursues the ravishers, who are obliged, when hard pressed, to drop one of the young in order to retard her motion; she stops, takes it up, and carries it into some secret part of the forest; but she instantly returns and pursues the hunters into their villages or boats.

The tiger moves the skin of his face, grinds his teeth, and roars, like the lion; but the sound of his voice is different.

III. The Pardus, or Panther.—It is about the size of a large dog, and has a great resemblance to a domestic cat. The tongue is rough, and remarkably red; the teeth are strong and sharp; the skin is exceedingly beautiful, being of a yellow colour, variegated with roundish black spots, and the hair is short.

The panther inhabits Africa, from Barbary to the remotest parts of Guinea. It has a cruel and ferocious aspect; his motions are brisk and lively; his cry resembles that of an enraged dog, but is more shrill and rough. He is not so perfectly ungovernable as the tiger; but, notwithstanding all attempts to render him obedient and tractable, he may rather be said to be subdued than tamed; for he never entirely loses his natural ferocity. Accordingly, when kept with a view to the hunting of bucks, goats, or other animals, great care is necessary in training him, and still greater in conducting him. When leading out to the field, they put him in a cage and carry him on a cart. When the game is sprung, they open the door of the cage; he instantly springs towards the animal, often seizes him in a few bounds, throws him to the ground, and strangles him. But, if he happens to miss his aim, he becomes mad with rage, and sometimes falls upon his master, who, in order to prevent accidents of this kind, generally carries along with him pieces of flesh, or perhaps a lamb or a kid, which he throws to him in order to appease his fury.

The panther, according to Buffon, is nowhere to be found but in Africa, and the regions of the Indies.

The ancients were well acquainted with these animals. There, and the leopards, were the Varia and Pardi of the old writers: one should think that the Romans would have exhausted the deserts of Africa by the numbers they drew from thence for their public shows. Scaurus exhibited at one time 150 panthers; Pompey the Great, 410; Augustus, 420. Probably they thinned the coasts of Mauritania of these animals, but they still swarm in the southern parts of Guinea. Oppian describes two species of panthers, a large species and a small one; the first of which has a shorter tail than the latter, and may possibly be this kind. An animal of this species is found in Bucharia, called there Babr: it is seven feet long, very destructive to horses, and even camels; the skin is fine, and valued in Russia at 1l. Sterling. In China there is a most remarkable kind, called there Louchu, whose skins sell for 6l. Sterling a-piece. It must here also be observed, that there are in the furriers shops in London, skins in most respects resembling those of the panther; which, they assure us, come from the Spanish settlements in the West Indies: These skins equal those of the old continent in beauty and size.

Though Mr. Buffon denies the panther to be an inhabitant of America, yet Mr. Pennant is of opinion that the same, or a variety at least, inhabits that country. 1. The figure of the species described by Faber, (Hist. Am. Nov. Hist. p. 498,) under the name of Tigris Mexicana, agrees exactly with that of the panther, as does also the description in general. 2. Every other animal of this genus, which has yet been discovered in America, is far inferior in size and strength to this; whose common height, Faber says, is four or five feet, and whose prey is wild cattle, horses, &c. M. Comdamine, and Le Pere Cajetan Cattanes, speak of the tigers (i.e. the panthers) of America, as equal, and even superior in size to those of Africa, and the colour as bright as gold; and Ulloa describes them as big as little horses. 3. Notwithstanding the vendors of furs are not entirely to be relied on as to the countries their goods come from, yet the general opinion of the whole trade, that these skins were the product of Spanish America, is a further proof of their being common to both IV. The Onca, or Oscar, is less than the panther; the tail is longer; the hair is likewise longer, and of a whitish grey colour. The onca is easily tamed; and is employed in hunting in several parts of Asia, where dogs are very scarce. He has not the delicate scent of a dog; does not trace other animals by the smell; neither can he run them down in a fair chase; but lies in wait for their approach, and then darts upon them unawares. He leaps so nimbly, that he easily clears a ditch or a wall several feet high; besides, he often climbs trees, waits till some animal passes, and instantly leaps upon them. This method of catching their prey, is practised by the panther and leopard, as well as by the onca.—The onca inhabits Barbary, Persia, Hyrcania, and China; from which last place the skins are brought into Russia, and sold for 20s. a-piece.

V. The Pardalis, or Leopard, differs from the panther and the onca, in the beauty of his colour, which is a lively yellow, with smaller spots than those of the two latter, and disposed in groups. He is larger than the onca, and less than the panther. The leopard inhabits the East Indies; one kept some years ago in the Tower, seemed a good-natured animal.—A variety called the hunting leopard, is about the size of a large greyhound; of a long make, narrow chest, legs very long. He inhabits India, where he is tamed and trained for the chase of antelopes: carried in a small kind of waggon, hood-winked and chained, till it approaches the herd; when first unchained, does not make its attempt, but winds along the ground, stopping and concealing itself, till it gets a proper advantage; then darts on the animals with surprising swiftness; overtakes them by the rapidity of its bounds; but if it does not succeed in its first efforts, consisting of five or six amazing leaps, misses its prey: losing its breath, and finding itself unequal in speed, it stands still, gives up the point for that time, and readily returns to its master.

VI. The Lynx is about 2½ feet long and 15 inches high. He has a great resemblance to the cat; but his ears are longer, and his tail is much shorter; his hair is streaked with yellow, white, and black colours. The lynx is an inhabitant of Muscovy, Poland, Canada, &c. His eyes are brilliant, his aspect is soft, and his air is gay and sprightly: like the cat, he covers his urine with earth; he howls something like the wolf, and is heard at a considerable distance; he does not run like the dog or wolf, but walks and leaps like a cat; he pursues his prey even to the tops of trees; neither wild cats nor squirrels can escape him; he lies in wait for hares, goats, hares, &c., and darts suddenly upon them; he seizes them by the throat and sucks their blood, then opens the head and eats the brain; after this, he frequently leaves them, and goes in quest of fresh prey. The colour of his skin changes according to the season or the climate; the winter-furs are more beautiful than those of summer. These furs are valuable for their softness and warmth; numbers are annually imported from North America, and the north of Europe and Asia; the farther north and east they are taken, the whiter they are, and the more distinct the spots. Of these the most elegant kind is called irbis, whose skin sells on the spot for one pound Sterling.

VII. The Catus, or Cat, wild, and domestic.

1. The wild cat differs not specifically from the tame; the latter being originally of the same kind, but altered in colour, and in some other trifling accidents, as are common to animals reclaimed from the woods and domesticated.

The cat in its savage state is three or four times as large as the house-cat; the head larger, and the face flatter. The teeth and claws are tremendous: its muscles very strong, as being formed for rapine: the tail is of moderate length, but very thick, marked with alternate bars of black and white, the end always black: the hips and hind part of the lower joints of the leg, are always black: the fur is very soft and fine. The general colour of these animals is of a yellowish white, mixed with a deep grey: these colours, though they appear at first sight confusedly blended together, yet on a close inspection will be found to be disposed like the flecks on the skin of the tiger, pointing from the back downwards, rising from a black line that runs from the head along the middle of the back to the tail.

This animal may be called the British tiger; it is the fiercest and most destructive beast we have; making dreadful havoc among our poultry, lambs, and kids. It inhabits the most mountainous and woody parts of these islands, living mostly in trees, and feeding only by night. It multiplies as fast as our common cats; and often the females of the latter will quit their domestic mates, and return home pregnant by the former.

They are taken either in traps, or by shooting: in the latter case, it is very dangerous only to wound them; for they will attack the person who injured them, and have strength enough to be no despicable enemy. Wild cats were formerly reckoned among the beasts of chase; as appears by the charter of Richard II. to the abbot of Peterborough, giving him leave to hunt the hare, fox, and wild cat. The use of the fur was in lining of robes; but it was esteemed not of the most luxurious kind; for it was ordained, "that no abbeys or nun should use more costly apparel than such as is made of lambs or catskins." In much earlier times it was also the object of the sportsman's diversion.

2. The tame or domestic cat is so well known, that it requires no description. It is an useful, but deceitful domestic. Although when young they are playful and gay, they possess at the same time an innate malice and perverse disposition, which increases as they grow up, and which education learns them to conceal, but never to subdue. Constantly bent upon theft and rapine, though in a domestic state, they are full of cunning and dissimulation; they conceal all their designs; seize every opportunity of doing mischief, and then fly from punishment. They easily take on the habits of society, but never its manners; for they have only the appearance of friendship and attachment. This disingenuity of character is betrayed by the obliquity of their movements, and the ambiguity of their looks. In a word, the cat is totally destitute of friendship; he thinks and acts for himself alone. He loves ease, searches for the softest and warmest places to repose himself. The cat is likewise extremely amorous; and, which is very singular, the female is more ardent than the male; she not only invites, but searches after and calls upon him to satisfy the fury of her desires; and, if the male disdains or flies from her, she pursues, bites, and in a manner compels him. This heat of passion in females lasts but nine or ten days, and happens twice in the year, namely, in the spring and autumn; how- ever, in some it happens thrice or four times in the year. The female goes with young 55 or 58 days, and generally produces four or five at a litter. As the male has an inclination to destroy the young, the fe- male takes care to conceal them from him; and, when she is apprehensive of discovery, she takes them up in her mouth one by one, and hides them in holes or inac- cessible places. When she has nursed a few weeks, she brings them mice, small birds, &c. in order to learn them to eat flesh. But it is worth notice, that these careful and tender mothers sometimes become unnatu- rally cruel, and devour their own offspring.

The cat is incapable of restraint, and consequently of being educated to any extent. However, we are told, that the Greeks in the island of Cyprus trained this animal to catch and devour serpents, with which that island was greatly infested. This, however, was not the effect of obedience, but of a general taste for slaughter; for he delights in watching, attacking, and destroying all kinds of weak animals indifferently. He has no delicacy of scent, like the dog; he hunts only by the eye; neither does he properly pursue; he only lies in wait, and attacks animals by surprise; and after he has caught them, he sports with and torments them a long time, and at last kills them (when his belly is full) purely to gratify his fanguiary appetite.

The eye of the cat differs greatly from that of most other animals. The pupil is capable of a great degree of contraction and dilatation; it is narrow and contra- cted like a line during the day, round and wide in the dark; it is from this conformation of the eye that the cat sees best in the night, which gives him a great ad- vantage in discovering and seizing his prey.

Although cats live in our houses, they can hardly be called domestic animals; they may rather be said to en- joy full liberty; for they never act but according to their own inclination. Besides, the greatest part of them are half wild; they do not know their masters, and frequent only the barns, out-houses, &c. unless when pressed with hunger.

Cats have a natural antipathy at water, cold, and bad smells. They love to bask in the sun, and to lie in warm places. They likewise have an affection for cer- tain aromatic smells; they are transported with the root of the valerian.

Cats take about 18 months before they come to their full growth; but they are capable of propagation in 12 months, and retain this faculty all their life, which generally extends to nine or ten years. They eat flow- ly, and are peculiarly fond of fish. They drink fre- quently; their sleep is light; and they often assume the appearance of sleeping, when in reality they are medi- tating mischief. They walk softly, and without mak- ing any noise. As their hair is always dry, it easily gives out an electrical fire, which becomes visible when rubbed across in the dark. Their eyes likewise sparkle in the dark like diamonds.—The cat, when pleased, purrs, and moves its tail; when angry, it spits, hisses,

and strikes with its foot. It drinks little; is fond of fish; it washes its face with its fore-foot, (Linnaeus says, at the approach of a storm;) it always lights on its feet; it is even proverbially tenacious of life.

Our ancestors seem to have had a high sense of the utility of this animal. That excellent prince Howel ddar, or Howell the Good, did not think it beneath him (among his laws relating to the prices, &c. of ani- mals*), to include that of the cat; and to describe *Legg the qualities it ought to have. The price of a kitten before it could see was to be a penny; till it caught a p mouse, two-pence; when it commenced mouster, four- pence. It was required besides, that it should be per- fect in its senses of hearing and seeing, be a good mou- ser, have the claws whole, and be a good nurse; but if it failed in any of these qualities, the seller was to forfeit to the buyer the third part of its value. If any one stole or killed the cat that guarded the prince's granary, he was to forfeit a milk-ewe, its fleece and lamb; or as much wheat as, when poured on the cat suspended by its tail (the head touching the floor), would form a heap high enough to cover the tip of the former. This last quotation is not only curious, as be- ing an evidence of the simplicity of ancient manners, but it almost proves to a demonstration, that cats are not aborigines of these islands, or known to the ear- liest inhabitants. The large prices set on them, (if we consider the high value of specie at that time†), and †Ann. 948. the great care taken of the improvement and breed of an animal that multiplies so fast, are almost certain proofs of their being little known at that period.

The cat is found in almost every country in the world; and all the varieties in their appearance may be reason- ably enough attributed to the climates which produce them.

The Cat of Angora, is a variety with long hair, of a silvery whiteness, and silky texture; very long, espe- cially about the neck, where it forms a fine ruff; the hair on the tail very long and spreading; it is a large variety, found about Angora, the same country which produces the fine-haired goat. It degenerates after the first generation in this climate.

See figures of the principal species of felis, on plates CV. CVI. CVII.