THE FIRESIDE SPHINX.
The Fireside Sphinx. By Agnes Repplier. With Illustrations by E. Bonsall. (Gay teal Bird. 7s. GL)—This is a worthy addition to cat literature, and all who share the fireside with a sphinx of their own will find pleasure in reading it, particularly to an accompaniment of purrs. Miss Repplier's idea that there is a corner of the Elysian Fields devoted to cats is a pretty one, and we hope, with her, that 'Agrippina,' in whose memory this book was written, is happily settled there along with Dr. Johnson's
Hodge,' Sir Walter Scott's 'Rinse,' and many others, under the benign rule of the god NAL The first essay is on the cats of antiquity, amongst whom only those of Egypt were properly honoured. They were not known till late in Greece, and their first appearance is said to be due to "Arsino6 the Fair," who expressed a wish for "a little lion, small and dainty sweet," so Nicias brought her
"Furry creatures, white and dun, Prom over sea."
From the dark ages till the time of the Renaissance, and even later, cats were regarded with superstitions horror and treated with abominable cruelty. Though one's sympathies are all on their aide, one cannot help smiling at some of the medireval legends. The idea that all cats, down to the youngest kitten, met together on the Eve of St. John to celebrate impish rites is curious, and was firmly believed. One of the charms of this book is that it is full of literary allusions and quotations. Miss Repplier points out that Shakespeare "never once mentions the cat with admiration or esteem " ; this, as she says, is truly a matter of regret. To make some amends for this neglect she quotes Dr. Johnson, Cowper, Wordsworth. Sir Walter Scott, and Matthew Arnold, besides others, all true cat-lovers. Perhaps the French are the most delicately appreciative of pussy's elusive charm, and Miss Repplier has given us some delightful passages from Montaigne, Gautier, Loti, and Baudelaire. We do not want to give the impression that the book is all quotations, for this is by no means the case. This is how Miss Repplier herself writes of the cat's "uncanny habit of looking with fixed gaze over one's shoulder at a dark corner of the room, and turning her head slightly from time to time as her eyes follow the movements of unseen objects in the shadows ":—" When I am alone of a winter's night, and oppressed by the vague fear of life and death which haunts the soul in moments of dejection, I find this steadfast stare at a ghostly presence trying to the nerves. The brilliancy of the cat's eyes, the narrowing of the lids, the stern contraction of the brow, the deadly repose of the whole figure, enhance the shadowy spell by which she dominates that hour." The chapter on "The Cat in Art" is full of interesting criticism, but we wonder that there should be no mention • of Mrs. Chance's work, when she has succeeded so well, both in the naturalistic and the decorative treatment of cats. The illustrations in this book are remarkably good; the artist is evidently a sympathetic observer, and has given us many charming " cattitudes."
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