September. In captivity I have never observed a female Wild Cat come in season
during the summer, but am not prepared to deny that they may do so occasionally ;
but if so, I wonder it has always escaped my notice. Many years when, owing to the
death of the young or the fact that the pair had not bred together in the spring,
I have kept a male and female together all summer, they have showed no inclination
to breed.’
The Wild Cat has ever been unpopular among farmers and game preservers,
from the fact that it will kill any living thing up to the size of a well-grown lamb
or roe fawn. Mountain hares, rabbits, grouse, and young black-grouse seem to
be its favourite prey, but it will eat almost any flesh, fish, or carrion provided it is
not putrid. In America the Wild Cat (Lynx ruffus) is said to be fond of catnip,
and will roll over in it in order to get the scent on its fur; it will also eat the
blossom and leaves. The Wild Cat is not, like the puma and the wolf, a wasteful
slaughterer, killing more than it can devour; but will occasionally, if it gets the
chance, slay a number of fowls and carry each off separately, storing them under
some tree stump or rock, to be devoured at leisure. In the winter Wild Cats are
great wanderers, and travel far from their regular haunts in search of food. During
the course of these winter raids they are particularly aggressive in attacking
henroosts; they will cross mountain ranges, broad rivers, and arms of the sea, for
all Cats are fine and bold swimmers. The Wild Cat has many habits in common
with its domestic cousin, and is said to watch patiently for hours for the exit of a
squirrel or rabbit from his retreat.
Although to a large extent arboreal in its habits, the Wild Cat on the Continent
of Europe takes most of its food on the ground, and resorts to trees only
to sleep or bask in the sun at midday, or for a retreat when alarmed. It is a
savage fighter when cornered, and will do much damage to any small dog that
attacks it. Even a man armed with a stout stick does not always find it easy to
kill a trapped Wild Cat, so agile are its movements.
In captivity the Wild Cat is a most unsatisfactory pet, owing to its savage
and intractable disposition. It never becomes docile, even to those who feed it,
and a ‘ growling swear ’ is the usual reply to a proffered advance. Lynxes,
leopards, and lions may all become amenable to discipline, but the Wild Cat
always has his back to the wall, ears down, eyes glittering, and paws ready to strike.
Well-named, it is the real untamed and untameable savage.
We have to thank the British sportsmen who love to stalk the stag for a
good many things. To lovers of nature not the least important is the protection