THE CAT. 75

disappeared again. In a short time she returned with the
other kitten, laid it down by the first, stretched herself
beside them, and instantly expired! The poor creature could
have carried but one at a time, and, consequently, must have
travelled three times over the whole line of her journey, and
performed forty-eight miles in less than twelve hours.

The Cat as The favourite food of the cat is fish, which

Sportsman. curiously enough inhabits an element to which the
cathasagreataversion. Thereare, however, numerous instances
on record of cats which have overcome their natural anti-
pathy to water in order to gratify their natural taste for fish.
An extraordinary case of this kind is recorded in the Plymouth
Journal, June, 1828:—“There is now at the battery on the
Devil’s Point, a cat, which is an expert catcher of the finny
tribe, being in the constant habit of diving into the sea, and
bringing up the fish alive in her mouth, and depositing them
in the guard-room, for the use of the soldiers. She is now
seven years old, and has long been a useful caterer. It is
supposed that her pursuit of the water-rats first taught her to
venture into the water, to which it is well known puss has a
natural aversion. She is as fond of the water as a New-
foundland dog, and takes her regular peregrinations along the
rocks at its edge, looking out for her prey, ready to dive for
them at a moment’s notice.”

Mr. Beverley R. Morris says: “When living in Worcester
many years ago, I remember frequently seeing the cat of
a near neighbour of ours bring fish, mostly eels, into the
house, which it used to catch in a pond not far off. This
was an almost everyday occurrence.”

The Cat's | Many remarkable illustrations might be given
Intelligence. of the sagacity and intelligence of the cat. A
lady had for many years been the possessor of a cat and a
canary bird, who became the closest friends, never bearing
any lengthy separation from each other, and spending their
whole time in each other’s society. One summer day the