RUSSIAN CATS. 31 



was wanting in that depth and richness possessed by the 

 Persian, having a somewhat dull appearance. The eyes 

 were large and prominent, of a bright orange, slightly tinted 

 with green, the ears large by comparison, with small tufts, 

 full of long, woolly hair, the limbs stout and short, the 

 tail being very dissimilar, as it was short, very woolly, and 

 thickly covered with hair the same length from the base to 

 the tip, and much resembled in form that of the English 

 wild cat. Its motion was not so agile as other cats, nor 

 did it apparently care for warmth, as it liked being out- 

 doors in the coldest weather. Another peculiarity being 

 that it seemed to care little in the way of watching birds for 

 the purpose of food, neither were its habits like those of 

 the short-haired cats that were its companions. It attached 

 itself to no person, as was the case with some of the 

 others, but curiously took a particular fancy to one of my 

 short-haired, silver-gray tabbies ; the two appeared always 

 together. In front of the fire they sat side by side. If one 

 left the room the other followed. Adown the garden paths 

 there they were, still companions ; and at night slept in the 

 same box ; they drank milk from the same saucer, and fed 

 from the same plate, and, in fact, only seemed to exist for 

 each other. In all my experience I never knew a more 

 devoted couple. I bred but one kitten from the Russian, 

 and this was the offspring of the short-haired silver tabby. 

 It was black-and-white, and resembled the Russian in a 

 large degree, having a woolly coat, somewhat of a mane, 

 and a short, very bushy tail. This, like his father, seemed 

 also to be fonder of animals for food than birds, and, 

 although very small, would without any hesitation attack 

 and kill a full-grown rat. I have seen several Russian cats, 

 yet never but on this occasion had the opportunity of com- 

 paring their habits and mode of life with those of the other 

 varieties; neither have I seen any but those of a tabby 

 colour, and they mostly of a dark brown. I am fully aware 

 that many cross-bred cats are sold as Russian, Angora, and 

 Persian, either between these or the short-haired, and some 

 of these, of course, retain in large degree the distinctive 



