82 MANX CATS. 



Manx cat sent to him. Not only does she produce tailless 

 cats when crossed with the ordinary cat, but the progeny 

 again crossed also frequently have some tailless kittens in each 

 litter. I have also been told there is a breed of tailless cats 

 in Cornwall. Mr. Darwin states in his book on " The Varia- 

 tion of Animals and Plants under Domestication," vol.i. p. 47, 

 that ''throughout an immense area, namely, the Malayan 

 Archipelago, Slam, Pequan, and Burmah, all the cats have 

 truncated tails about half the proper length, often with a sort 

 of knob at the end." This description tallies somewhat with 

 the appearance of some of the Siamese cats that have been 

 imported, several of which, though they have fairly long and 

 thin tails, and though they are much pointed at the end, often 

 have a break or kink. In a note Mr. Darwin says, "The Mada- 

 gascar cat is said to have a twisted tail." (See Desmares, in 

 Encyclop. Nat. Mamm., 1820, p. 233, for some other breeds.) 

 Mr. St. George Mivart also corroborates the statement, so far 

 as the Malay cat is concerned. He says the tail is only half 

 the ordinary length, and often contorted into a sort of knot, 

 so that it cannot be straightened. He further states, " Its con- 

 tortion is due to deformity of the bones of the tail," and there 

 is a tailless breed of cats in the Crimea. Some of the Manx 

 cats I have examined have precisely the kind of tail here 

 described — thin, very short, and twisted, that cannot be 

 straightened. Is it possible that the Manx cat originated 

 with the Malayan ? Or rather is it a freak of nature perpe- 

 tuated by selection ? Be this as it may, we have the Manx 

 cat now as a distinct breed, and, when crossed with others, 

 will almost always produce some entirely tailless kittens, if not 

 all. Many of the Siamese kittens bred here have kinks in 

 their tails. 



The illustration I give is that of a prize winner at the 

 Crystal Palace in 1880, 1881, 1882, and is the property of 

 Mr. J. M. Thomas, of Parliament Street. In colour it is a 

 brindled tortoiseshell. It is eight years old. At the end of 

 this description I also give a portrait of one of its kittens, a 

 tabby; both are true Manx, and neither have a particle of tail, 

 only a very small tuft of hair which is boneless. The hind 



