Cats are mainly nocturnal in their habits, and the pupils of their eyes, which. as a rule. are vertically linear, are capable of great expansion and contraction, according to the light. about them; the lion, however, by virtue of his fear lessness and circumstances generally, is mainly diurnal and has num] pupils. The eyesight is good, but at night is supplemented by the highly sensitive feelers (vibriss:e), long hairs project ing front the muzzle and above the eyes. each springing from a follicle front which a special nerve communivates with the brain. The sense of smell, though fairly developed. is inferior to that of dogs and various other animals. The hearing. however, is exceedingly sharp, the resonance of the sound being increased by the great size of the auditory hulla.
Cats are clothed in soft and usually rather long fur, longest in those, such as the ounce, which live in cold regions, and shortest in the desert species. especially the lion, which is further distinguished by a mane in the male sex. Little difference, as a rule, obtains be. tween the sexes in size or appearance; but the kittens are often quite unlike their parents. Their pelts have never entered largely into the fur trade, however, except in the form of tiger skin floor-rugs. etc. The colors are mainly dark. with a prevalence of reddish or yellowish, and there is a universal and strong tendency toward spottedness (of striping is another form), the young showing it even where the adult is con•olorous, as in the lion, puma. eyra, etc. Arguments have been freely adduced for the of this coloration in making the cats tin noticeable, but when it is learned that species almost oppositely colored and marked live and hunt under identical circumstances with ap parently equal success, the force of the specula tion is seriously diminished.
Cats are not or •o;lperative, but live and hunt alone, or in family parties; all are monopamous except the lion; and the reputa tion which some have for permanent mating is probably deserved only when an annual change of mate is impracticable because of scarcity or competition. They inhabit dens and lairs among rocks, in hollow trees, or dense thickets, with out any special preparation, and the number of kittens does not usually exceed two in the large forms, but in the small species may be three, four, or five. These are usually born in the late spring of temperate latitudes or at the opening of the dry season in the tropics; and they remain under the guidance of the mother until nearly full-grown. Though many species are widely distributed. none are migratory, and few wander far, the tiger and leopard being the most inclined. perhaps, to wide ranging. The disposition of most cats is to remain near a settled lair. and through a limited area near by— a disposition recognizable in the attachment to the house and to a favorite corner that distin guishes our house-cats, and makes them loath to change their location and customs. A certain
inflexibility seems to characterize their minds, and the secrecy, noiseless stealth, patience, and ruthlessness which belong to their methods of life in the forest have affected their tempera ments. The needful savagery of their nature is ingrained and as a rule unyielding to gentler influences in changed comfit bills. Remo they are. as a class, untamable, the few excep tions having, become the stock of the domesti cated races. :Most species call be made friendly to man only when kittens. asserting their feral na tures and beefuning untrustworthy as soul as growth brings sense of power and predaceous in stincts. Trainers have subjugated certain spe cies, but they are kept in subjection by fear alone and make their performance unwillingly and without pride or joy in it. A few have been trained to hunt, but none to retrieve, and in general they approach sympathy with man and the attitude of companion and helper for less than dogs, which exceed them in certain direc tions of intelligence, as, for example, the under standing of mechanieal appliances. A eat's ex pression of its emotions is mainly by 'lash ing' of the tail or a trembling of its tip, when excited: by spitting, yowls. and screams when very angry, or sexually excited; by plaintive mewing:: when in trouble or desiring notice; and by a vibrating murmur deep in its throat (purring) when satisfied or contented. The posi tion of the ears is very significant, as ill most other animals,: and the arching of the hack, erec tion of the hair, and elevation of the tail, so familiar in our house-eats, which thus try to make themselves look as large and terrible as possible in the presence of an enemy, are char acteristic of all the smaller forms, though little indulged by the greater kinds.. The relation of the eats to mankind generally is one of enmity— they are neighbors dangerous to him or his domestic animals which must be got rid of Wher ever civilization is to prevail. Ilen•e they have mostly disappeared from thickly settled regions. The lion and tiger were inhabitants of Europe within historic times, but neither is now to be found near the 'Mediterranean on either side; and even the wildcat is rare in Europe, except ill Wilder part A. The puma has been exterminated in the United States east of the Plains, and lynxes arc uncommon, while the jaguar has quite disappeared north of Central Mexico. In certain long-s•ttled however, jungles and moun tain ranges furnish harbors for these beasts, which sally out to destroy human life, as in India and Afriea, or to prey upon flocks and herds as in America.