212 OUR HOME PETS 



their own comfort, and go out at night, when 

 alone the cat has some chance for peace and 

 quietness, feed hundreds of the neglected and 

 the abused, and help to a merciful death such 

 as have suffered at the hands of men or dogs. 



The short - haired, our common domestic 

 cat, presents a bewildering variety of colors 

 from which to choose the home pet. Most 

 rare among them is said to be the male tor- 

 toise-shell, a variegation without mixture, of 

 white. To be perfect, this animal should be 

 of a black-red and deep yellow in large, clear- 

 cut patches, not in the least speckled or mixed 

 up. His tail should be long and tapering, and 

 his eyes yellow. This perfect type is seldom 

 seen, and when found is of great value. 



The tortoise-shell in combination with white 

 is a beautiful creature, and exactly as valu- 

 able as the foregoing, except for rarity. The 

 white should, like the colors, be distinctly de- 

 fined, and confined to the breast, the under 

 parts, the legs, and the nose. The eyes must 

 be yellow. 



The tabbies ! Who of us does not remem- 

 ber some dear pet or playmate of our child- 

 hood, whose stripes lent probability to the 



