Little need be said about the anatomy of the Cat, for it differs but slightly from its larger relatives, and hardly at all from the smaller wild species. The skull is smooth, and has its ridges less developed than in the great beasts of prey; the orbits are very large, and the nose-region is extremely short, and forms a continuous curve with the forehead. Owing to these two latter circumstances the Cat is extremely round-faced, more so, perhaps, than any other species of the genus. [Illustration: SKELETON OF DOMESTIC CAT.] One curious point of structure is to be found in the intestines, which “are wider, and a third longer, than in Wild Cats of the same size.” There can be little doubt that this has been brought about by the fact that the food of a domesticated flesh-eater is certain to be somewhat miscellaneous, and not of the strictly carnivorous nature preferred by the animal in its wild state. The varieties in colour exhibited by the Cat are very great, and often kittens in the same litter will differ greatly in this respect. “The normal colour,” according to Dr. Gray, “seems to be that of the Tabby Cat, grey, with black dorsal streaks and sub-concentric bands on the sides and thighs; sometimes all black from melanism, or grey, blue, yellow, or white, or these colours more or less mixed. When black, white, and yellow, it is called Tortoiseshell, or Spanish Cat. The fur varies greatly in length; it is very short, close, and almost erect from the skin in the Rabbit Cats. It is very long, silky, and fluffy in the Angora (or Angola) Cat. The tail is usually long. It is very short or almost entirely wanting in the Isle of Man Cats, or the Japan Cats of Kæmpfer. The ears are generally erect; but they are sometimes pendulous in the Chinese Cats.” With regard to the colour of Cats, a very curious circumstance has been observed, namely, that White Cats with blue eyes are nearly always deaf! The only rational explanation of this remarkable phenomenon is that suggested by Mr. Wallace, namely, that the absence of colour in the skin is usually accompanied by a similar absence of pigment elsewhere, and it has been shown that the presence of a peculiar black pigment is very essential to the proper action of the sense organs. To bear out this view it may be stated that _Albinos_--that is, abnormally colourless animals--are usually deficient in taste, smell, and sight. The eye also varies much in colour, being blue, yellow, or green. The pupil, or small black aperture in the centre of the coloured portion, is extremely sensitive, dilating greatly in the dark, and contracting to a mere line when the light is strong.