INHERITANCE OF COAT-COLOR IN CATS 308 
increases with age until the cat appears much like the kitten 
shown in figure F. 
For a discussion of the blotched pattern in comparison with the 
striped, the degree of ticking shown in figure F is most favor- 
able. The bands shown here are broad and consequently not as 
numerous as in the striped. A median dark longitudinal band 
down the back is cut just behind the shoulders by dark and light 
transverse bands. The alternation of dark and light bands is 
not as obvious in the blotched pattern as in the striped, since the 
bands are relatively wide and the longitudinal and transverse 
bands interfere with each other. The tendency of the bands to 
become broken into spots or blotches may be explained in the 
blotched, as in the striped, by a conflict of longitudinal and 
transverse waves. 
The lined or narrow-banded pattern is rarely seen in cats in 
this country. The bands are extremely narrow and frequent 
and are best seen when the hair is very short and the ticking is 
of just the proper degree. Figure C shows a rather dark- 
lined cat (28.3) forty-five days old. The narrow banding shows 
clearly about the edge of the skin and to some extent on the sides. 
Such a cat becomes somewhat lighter when it grows older. It 
is very dark when young and appears black and tan like figure G, 
which is from a lined kitten (19.3) one week old. Narrow bands 
are seen in the tan areas of the latter and the back and sides show 
narrow bands when the skin is turned in certain relations to the 
line of vision. These narrow bands are really a ‘ghost pattern’ 
comparable to the ‘ghost patterns’ of striped and blotched seen 
in fully black cats. They may be seen in the fur running trans- 
versely down the sides. On the skin they may be seen running 
in the same way and also longitudinally down the back. They 
are much narrower and more numerous than the bands of striped 
eats. Lined eats occur in Africa and to some extent in Europe. 
They are known as African, Caffre, or Abyssinian cats. 
In black and maltese kittens ‘ghost patterns’ are seen clearly 
in the skin and are not difficult to recognize in the fur. As the 
kittens become older the ghost patterns sometimes show more 
clearly in the fur for a time, although they disappear from the 
