2l8 OUR HOME PETS 



again, the tail will be of that hue; this one 

 will show a black blaze on the face, and that 

 one will walk on black feet. He is, in fact, a 

 being of eccentricities. A very peculiar speci- 

 men was shown in a cat show, who had on the 

 back a perfect Maltese cross. Whatever form 

 the markings may take, they must be clear- 

 cut and even, that is, alike on both sides. 



It is interesting to know that the charms of 

 the cat, and, above all, the irresistible fasci- 

 nations of the kitten, have been appreciated 

 v by some artists; but so great is the difficulty 

 of fixing in clay or upon canvas the infinitely 

 changing attitudes and expressions of the most 

 capricious and volatile of young beasts that 

 few have ever reached success. The greatest 

 of all painters of cats and kittens is a contem- 

 porary, and a woman, Madame Henrietta Ron- 

 ner, of Brussels, and her pictures are marvel- 

 lous reproductions of cat life. If we may 

 believe Ruskin, that to paint this beast it is 

 necessary to " know kitten nature down to the 

 most appalling depths thereof," then we may 

 safely assume that Madame Ronner is a cat- 

 lover, for no one really knows a cat who does 

 not love him. 



