M. Presse d'Aveunes gives an account of a curious cat superstition. "When a woman gives birth to twins, boys or girls, the last born of the two, whom they call 'barecy' (sometimes both), has at times, and it may be all its life long, an irresistible craving for particular eatables; and in order to satisfy more easily its gluttonous desires, it assumes the shape of different animals, and especially that of the cat. During the transmigration of the spirit into another shell, the human body is as a corpse, but when the spirit has satisfied its desires it retakes its proper form."

Alice And The Cheshire Cat From "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, ' by Lewis Carroll. (By permission of Messrs. Macmillait & Co., Limited. '.

He continues: "Having one day killed a cat which had made inroads upon my larder, a druggist of the neighbourhood came to me in a great fright and entreated me to spare all animals, for he said he had a daughter who had the misfortune to be a 'barecy,' and that she was often in the habit of assuming the shape of a cat in order to eat the sweetmeats served at my table."

A Study (From the painting by Madame Ronner. )

Milton tells us "that when the cat washes her face over her eares, we shall have a great store of raine."A cat sneezing is supposed to bring luck to a bride on her wedding day. Sailors have in all times been prone to superstition as regards cats. A black cat's appearance on the ship foretells disaster, but if a cat should disappear overboard the greatest consternation is caused amongst the crew.

Very plentiful are the nursery rhymes, fairy tales, and stories concerning cats - a good-sized book would not contain them." The cat, " says M. Champfleury," is the nurse's favourite and the baby's earliest friend. It plays its part in little rhythmical dramas, cunningly presented to the drowsy child, who falls asleep with a familiar image parading fantastically through his brain. "French nursery rhymes are much prettier than English. For instance, this bald and commonplace statement is not calculated to catch the attention of the juvenile mind: "Great A, little A, bouncing B, Cats in the cupboard, and can't see me. "

How much softer and daintier are the following lines:"A, B, C,

Le chat est alle Dans la neige; en retournant II avait les souliers tout blancs. "

In passing, I should say it is strange that to the French a cat is always masculine, and to the English feminine.

In the days of good Queen Anne the story of pussy's venturesome journey to London was put into verse, and what child has not listened eagerly to these lines from that time down to our present day?

"'Pussy-cat, Pussy-cat,

Where have you been?' 'I've been to London To see the Queen.'

"'Pussy-cat, Pussy-cat,

What did you do there?' 'I frightened a little mouse Under her chair.'"

In "Alice in Wonderland" Lewis Carroll has given the world "a childish story" which will never cease to delight both young and old. In this we read of the "Cheshire Cat" which grinned down upon the guests assembled at the royal croquet party, and having incurred the anger of the Queen, was in danger of having its head cut off by order of the infuriated monarch. The other volume by the same author - "Alice Through the Looking-Glass" - opens with a description of the way in which Dinah the cat washed her chil-dren's faces: - "First she held the poor thing down by its ear with one paw, and then with the other paw she rubbed its face all over the wrong way, beginning at the nose." Then follows an animated conversation between Alice and the kitten. All the world knows of the love Lewis Carroll had for children, and I can assert he had an affection also for cats, for when a child he spoilt and petted me and my kitten. I only wish I could remember the deliciously impossible stories he was wont to tell me of fairies, goblins, and pussy-cats.

Harrison Weir, in his book on cats, has gathered together a number of curious cat proverbs. Some are very familiar, such as: "A cat may look at a king"; "Care will kill the cat"; "When the cat is away the mice will play," and a very significant one is: "When the maid leaves the door open the cat's in fault. " The quaint saying, "When candles are out all cats are gray" is a very expressive one. When we consider the cat in art, it is among Eastern painters we find the most delicate and skilful studies. Next to the Egyptians, the Chinese and Japanese have excelled in the artistic treatment of animals. In many of the Dutch interiors given to us by Flemish artists, the domestic cat may be seen curled up on the hearth, or sitting erect, bearing somewhat the appearance of being stuffed with bran.

In many of the early Italian sacred pictures we find the cat depicted, but great painters, like Titian, Velasquez, and Murillo, seem to have preferred the dog as an adjunct to their portraits. Raphael and Salvator both considered puss a worthy subject for their brush. In M. Champfleury's interesting book on cats he gives a facsimile from the powerful pencil of Mind, whom Madame Lebrun has termed "the Raphael of Cats." The attitudes are so true to nature that the cat seems alive. Mind was a native of Berne, and in 1809, on account of a scare of madness amongst cats, eight hundred were put to death. This was a heartbreak to the cat-loving painter, who, however, managed to save his favourite pet Minette from the wholesale massacre.

Madame Ronner At Work (Photo: Alexandre, Brussels. )

Very quaint reproductions of cats have been made in the following wares: Whieldon, Salt Glaze, Agate, and Staffordshire. With Chinese and Japanese cat figures we are all familiar; they are grotesque rather than beautiful.