VARIOUS COLOURS. 85 



I may say almost distressing, to a judge to find a splendid 

 animal wrongly entered, and so to feel himself compelled to 

 " pass it," and to affix the words fatal to all chance of winning 

 — " Wrong class." Again let me impress on exhibitors to 

 be careful — very careful — in this matter — this matter of 

 entry — for I may say it is one of the reasons which has led 

 to my placing these notes on paper, though I have done so 

 with much pleasure, and with earnest hope that they will be 

 found of some value and service to the " uninitiated." 



Of course there are, as there must be, a number of 

 beautiful shades of colour, tints, and markings that are 

 difficult to define or describe ; colours and markings that are 

 intermediate with those noticed ; but though in themselves 

 they are extremely interesting, and even very beautiful, they 

 do not come within the range of the classes for certain definite 

 forms of lines, spots, or colourings, as I have endeavoured 

 to point out, and, indeed, it was almost impossible to make a 

 sufficient number of classes to comprehend the whole. There- 

 fore it has been considered wisest and even necessary as 

 the most conducive to the best interests of the exhibitor 

 and also to simplify the difficulties of judging, and for the 

 maintenance of the various forms of beauty of the cat, to 

 have classes wherein they are shown under rules of colour, 

 points of beauty and excellence that are *' hard and fast," 

 and by this means all may not only know how and in what 

 class to exhibit, but also what their chance is of "taking 

 honours." 



As I have just stated, there are intermediate colours, 

 markings, and forms, so extra classes have been provided 

 for these, under the heading of " any other variety of colour," 

 and " any other variety not before mentioned," and "any 

 cats of pecuhar structure." In this last case, the cats that 

 have abnormal formations, such as seven toes, or even nine 

 on their fore and hind legs, peculiar in other ways, such as 

 three legs, or only two legs, as I have seen, may be exhibited. 

 I regard these, however, as malformations, and not to be 

 encouraged, being generally devoid of beauty, and lacking 

 interest for the ordinary observer, and they also tend to 



