In the old, old writings of the sacred Sanskrit language, that ancient
language of the Hindoos, nearly two thousand years ago reference was
made to the Domestic Cat. And so we know that Cats existed long ago and
are a very ancient animal. But by means of pictures we are able trace
their origin to still earlier times, for the Egyptian monuments abound
in pictured Cats, and, stranger yet, in Egypt are found mummies of both
the domestic and common jungle Cat. How very important it must have been
considered! Think of burying the body of every forlorn, luckless Cat,
and then realize the pains taken, not only to give it a burial, but to
preserve it for ages to come; and this the Egyptians did, for doubtless
it was to them the most sacred of all sacred animals.
Herodotus says that when one of their houses was on fire they first
thought of saving the Cat, and afterward considered the matter of
putting out the fire; also when a Cat died they cut off their own hair
as a sign of mourning. When a person unintentionally caused the death of
one of these animals he forfeited his life. We can readily imagine that
small boys did not find amusement in chasing and plaguing stray Cats at
that period of the world’s existence.
While we really do not absolutely know where the ancestors of our modern
Cat were found, it is the general opinion that the Egyptian Cat was the
first to be domesticated and that it gradually spread northward and
eastward and westward, although the spotted Cats of India may have had a
different origin.
In the tenth century the Cat had reached Wales, as laws were recorded
fixing the price of Domestic Cats, and also penalties were fixed for
their ill treatment and killing. After a kitten caught its first mouse
its value was doubled, and a mother Cat was expected to have perfect
eyes, ears and claws, to know how to catch mice and how to bring up her
kittens properly.
The Domestic Cat is so common an animal that we do not realize how very
interesting the study of it may become. First of all, we must remember
that our pet kittens belong to that important division of animals known
as “The Cat Tribe,” and which includes such ferocious and feared beasts
as the lion, the tiger, the wildcat, the leopard, the panther and many
others less common and less generally known.
All of these animals are most symmetrical and graceful; all have the
round head set on a stout neck, the limbs of moderate length, the long
tail and the soft fur which correspond in general color to its native
surroundings. Because they are beasts of prey the teeth are adapted to
life-destroying action; the tongue is thick and muscular, with fine,
horny thorns which point toward the throat. With these the animal can
most beautifully smooth and dress its hair, as well as strip the meat
from off the bone when making a meal. The claws, ordinarily drawn up and
out of sight, make an effective weapon when the angry animal stretches
its paws. On account of its cushioned feet its step is silent and
stealthy. All Cats can jump many times their own length, and most
species are great climbers. The sense of hearing is most acute, and they
see well at short range. The sense of touch is extremely well developed,
and the most sensitive organ is the whiskers. A Cat with the whiskers
cut off is indeed in a most uncomfortable position; it is at a loss to
know what to do. The sense of smell is not very acute.
Our Domestic Cat shares all these qualities with the other members of
the Cat tribe, but it has many valuable qualities of its own.
It is much more intelligent than people are willing to concede. It is
often compared with the dog, but they are so entirely different that it
is an unfair comparison. The dog becomes very dependent upon man, while
the Cat has kept a certain amount of individuality and independence
through all its generations of domestic life. When a Cat is very much
petted it develops an affection for its master, but otherwise it becomes
more attached to the house and locality in which it lives, preferring to
return to its old home and live among strangers rather than to follow
its owner to a new home.
How remarkable is the fact that no one can cause a Cat to alight except
upon its feet, no matter how short or long may be the distance from
which it jumps or is thrown! A Cat can also swim, though in the main it
abhors the water. Occasionally its great appetite for fish will overcome
its dislike of getting wet, and it will jump into a pond and do its own
fishing.
Mr. Scheitlin understandingly describes the Cat in the following
language: “The Cat is an animal of a high order of intelligence. Its
bodily structure alone indicates this. It is a pretty, diminutive lion,
a tiger on a small scale. It shows the most complete symmetry of form,
no one part of it too large or too small. That its every detail is
rounded and beautiful is even shown by an examination of the skull,
which is more symmetrical than that of any other animal. Its movements
are undulating and graceful to the extent that it seems to have no
bones. We value our Cats too slightly because we detest their thievish
propensities, fear their claws and love their enemy, the dog, and we are
not able to show equal friendship and admiration for those two opposite
natures.
“Let us examine the Cat’s qualities. We are impressed by its agility,
yet its mind is as flexible as its body. Its cleanliness of habit is as
much a matter of mental bias as physical choice, for it is constantly
licking and cleaning itself. Every hair of its fur must be in perfect
order; it never forgets as much as the tip of its tail. It has a
discriminating sensibility as to both color and sound, for it knows man
by his dress and by his voice. It possesses an excellent understanding
of locality and practices it, for it prowls through an entire
neighborhood, through basements and garrets and over roofs and haysheds
without bewilderment. It is an ideally local animal, and if the family
moves it either declines to accompany them, or, if carried to a new
residence, returns at the first opportunity to the old homestead; and it
is remarkable how unerringly it will find its way back, even when
carried away in a sack for a distance of several miles.”
Large families are the custom with Cats, for usually five or six kittens
are born at one time. As these cunning little objects are totally blind
for nine days after birth, the devoted mother Cat must work
industriously to properly care for them and especially to preserve them
from danger. They must be hidden away from harm, as the father Cat would
be perfectly willing to devour them, and would attack them as readily as
he would a rat or a mouse. The mother Cat lifts her helpless little ones
very tenderly by compressing the skin of their necks between her lips
and gently carries them to a place of safety.
While attending to the duties of motherhood the Cat is in a sympathetic
frame of mind and will sometimes care for the young of other animals as
well as for her own. Mr. Brehm tells us that, when a boy he brought a
little squirrel, yet blind, to one of his Cats, which accepted the
strange child among her own and tenderly cared for it, and after her own
kittens had been given away she regarded it with increased affection.
They became inseparable companions and understood each other perfectly,
though each talked in its own language.
Cats frequently form friendships for other animals, and even dogs and
Cats become friendly, in spite of the impression to the contrary.
While living in a large city where yards were small and infrequent, I
was the happy owner of a beautiful tree, which stood near the rear of
the house. There were many pet Cats in the neighborhood, and all
delighted to visit my tree. Undoubtedly some were attracted by the
English sparrows which were almost omnipresent among the upper branches,
but all enjoyed clawing, stretching and scratching up the friendly
trunk. One day a strange kitten appeared, and although smallest and
youngest of all the Cats, by its superior intelligence it soon became
king among them and ruled them all, causing many a commotion in the
previously tranquil group. This young Cat gained entrance to my next
door neighbor’s house and made itself at home with an “I am come to
stay” air. In fact, it refused to be evicted, and by its determined
persistence became a member of the household.
The other family pet was an old pug dog—Jack—cross and uninteresting,
but tolerated because he gave some amusement to an invalid daughter of
the family. Jack, jealous and annoyed, received the newcomer in the most
hostile manner, and the kitten seemed to take special delight in
tormenting the dog in every possible way. In fact, the lack of harmony
between the pets became so annoying that it was decided to sacrifice the
kitten, and it was taken to a remote place. For a number of weeks quiet
prevailed in the rear yards of the neighborhood, but in time, to
everyone’s surprise, the Cat reappeared and refused to be turned away.
Its courage and daring won recognition, and again it was received into
the family circle. I wondered what Jack would do now that the kitten was
restored to favor. About this time business called me from the city, and
some time elapsed before my return. On reaching home again, one night I
heard the dog crying and whining till nearly morning. I could not
imagine the cause, but to my astonishment learned the next day that the
dog and Cat had become such firm friends that the dog was perfectly
inconsolable when the Cat was absent, and as his kingship had chosen to
wander outside that particular night, the dog had mourned for hours. In
fact, after causing the family a sleepless night, his master was obliged
to rise and punish him before he would cease his cries. Such devotion
put to flight all my previous theories of the inborn antagonism between
Cats and dogs.
The different varieties of Domestic Cats are distinguished from one
another by the difference of color, length of hair or, more rarely,
length of tail.
The Cats of India are spotted, those of the Isle of Man are practically
tail-less, but the European Cats are commonly “tabby,” black, white,
sandy, tortoise shell, dun, gray or the so-called blue.
The most beautiful of all are the highly prized Persian or Angora Cats,
with their long, silky hair and bushy tails.
John Ainslie.
“CUBBY.”
Just a little fluffy ball of fur,
Fawn and brown, and smooth and soft as silk;
Just two cunning little paws of tan,
Velvet-gloved, to dabble in the milk.
Little paws to pat my tired face,
Spring and play, and help me to forget.
Little, merry, restless, tireless feet—
Just a little playful, happy pet.
Just a little yielding, graceful form,
Cuddled softly down beside my cheek;
Just two little tender, fawn-like eyes,
Looking all the love they cannot speak;
Just a little song of sweet content,
Murmured soft and low beside my ear;
Just a little kitten I have loved—
Not forgotten, and to memory dear.
—Mary Morrison.
SOAPWORT OR BOUNCING BET.
(_Saponaria officinalis._)
The plant commonly called Soapwort or Bouncing Bet also bears other
popular names, many of which are purely local. Some of these are Hedge
Pink, Bruisewort, Sheepweed, Old Maid’s Pink and Fuller’s Herb. It bears
the name Soapwort because of a substance called saponin which is a
constituent of its roots and causes a foaming that appears like soap
suds when the powdered root is shaken with water.
Soapwort belongs to a large group of plants called the Caryophyllaceæ,
or pink family. In this family there are about fifteen hundred species.
These are widely distributed, but are most abundant in the Northern
Hemisphere, extending to the Arctic regions and to the tops of very high
mountains. The popular and beautiful carnations and some of the most
common plants that grow abundantly in waste places also belong to the
pink family. The Soapwort comes to us from Europe, where in some
localities it is a common wild flower. In this country when it was first
introduced it was simply a pretty cultivated garden plant. However, it
lives from year to year and spreads by means of underground stems. It
was not very long before it had escaped from yards to roadsides, where
frequently large patches may be seen. The flowers are large and quite
showy. The color of the petals is usually pinkish white. Blossoming in
July, August and September, the Soapwort often beautifies waste places
which other plants seem to shun. It is perhaps more generally loved than
any other of our old-fashioned garden flowers. It grows luxuriantly
without cultivation and seems to quite hold its own even among rank
growths of weeds and grass. It is hard to tell what is the significance
of the name Bouncing Bet, perhaps the most popular of all the names by
which this plant is known.
Alice Lounsberry says: “It was always a mystery to Dickens that a
doornail should have been considered so much more dead than any other
inanimate object, and it seems also strange that this plant should have
suggested the idea of bouncing more than other plants. Dear Bettie does
not bounce, nor could she if she would. She sits most firmly on her
stem, and her characteristics seem to be home-loving and simple. We are
sure to find her peeping through the garden fence.”
TURTLE-HEAD OR SNAKE-HEAD.
(_Chelone glabra._)
The Turtle-head or Snake-head is one of three species that are natives
of eastern North America. This plant is well supplied with common names,
as it is also called Shell-flower, Cod-head, Bitter-herb and Balmony.
The generic name of this flower of the swamps and moist banks of streams
is from the Greek word which means tortoise, the name having been given
to the plant because of the fancied resemblance between the flowers and
the head of a turtle or snake. One may be able, by stretching his
imagination, to see this resemblance in the flowers of our illustration.
[Illustration: SOAPWORT OR BOUNCING BET.
(Saponaria officinalis.)
SNAKE-HEAD OR TURTLE-HEAD
(Chelone glabra.)
FROM “NATURE’S GARDEN”
COPYRIGHT 1900, BY
DOUBLEDAY PAGE & COMPANY]
The custom of giving names to plants that are suggestive of their real
or fancied resemblance to various objects of nature, or are indicative
of their beneficial or injurious qualities, is as old as history itself.
In this way a large number of plants have become associated with good or
evil spirits, Christian or pagan saints or martyrs, animate nature or
some of the phenomena of nature. To the Indian the likeness of the
flower of the Turtle-head to the head of a reptile not only gave it its
name, but at the same time invested the plant with certain sacred
associations by reason of the fact that not only among the Indians of
North America, but among the uncivilized peoples in all parts of the
world the tortoise has been considered sacred and highly symbolical.
Though commonly found in low altitudes, it is found in moist places in
the Adirondacks, even at a height of three thousand feet.
This plant is not rare, and with its upright stem and its rather large
and clustered white or slightly rose-colored flowers it is a dignified
and beautiful feature of any floral community.