TABBY GATS 63 



domestic cats, but much more commonly at cat 

 shows than in the streets. Such are dark greys or 

 " blues," pale greys or " chinchillas," " creams," 

 and others ; but whatever these rarer colours may 

 be, they are all intermediate, in one direction or the 

 other, between black, red, and white ; and the 

 evidence derived from mice and flowers confirms 

 the suggestion that " greys " or " blues " are simply 

 dilute forms of blacky and cream a dilute form of red. 

 A marked feature about the cats at cat shows is 

 the number of self-coloured animals that are ex- 

 hibited. It happens to be the fashion to dislike 

 " pattern." Hence the efforts of fanciers are per- 

 severingly directed towards its elimination. All 

 breeders, however, know what an obstinate and 

 persistent feature it is. In a natural state pattern 

 may disappear in several ways; either by the toning 

 down of the markings to match or almost to match 

 the ground colour, as in desert-living representatives 

 of the African cat {F. ocreata), and probably also in 

 adult lions and pumas ; or by the darkening of the 

 ground colour and the concomitant lightening of the 

 pattern till the two reach the same tint ; or, more 

 rarely, by the breaking up of the pattern into a 

 multitude of small spots or specks which become 

 universally diffused. An approach to this is seen in 

 the so-called Ser valine Cat, which is flecked all over 

 with small black specks instead of being blotched 

 with large black spots as in the parent form, the 

 Serval {F. capensis). Another good instance of this 

 is seen in a variety of the leopard occurring at 



