CATS OF HIGH DEGREE 203 



beloved in the family circle, and held at an 

 enormous value. This is particularly the case 

 indeed he is altogether beyond price if he 

 happens to be snowy white with blue eyes, 

 and is blessed with perfect hearing, which, 

 strange to say, a cat of the short-haired vari- 

 ety bearing this combination of coloring some- 

 times lacks. 



The Angora cat, of whatever color, has a 

 small, daintily shaped head, with a nose not 

 too long, and eyes of a hue in harmony with 

 his fur. His shapely ears are nearly buried in 

 his thick fur, and end in a tassel at the tip, 

 while his neck and head are almost as heav- 

 ily maned as those of a lion. The fine long 

 hair, which is the distinguishing feature of the 

 species, is silky, with a slightly woolly quality, 

 and every additional inch of length adds many 

 dollars to his price. His tail is long and 

 graceful, with hairs longest at the base, and 

 gradually decreasing in length towards the 

 tip, which curls a little upward. This cat is 

 found in several colors. Next in value to the 

 pure white is the solid black, with deep yellow 

 eyes. Third in rating come the soft slate and 

 blue shades, and a light fawn, also with yellow 



