PET RABBITS, CAVIES, AND MICE. 73 



It is pleasant to the smell, full of hair preserving and 

 growth promoting properties, and of as much value to 

 the human hair as to that of Yorkshire terriers or 

 Peruvian cavies. There is no need to try it unless you 

 like; but here is the recipe if you care to use it. It is 

 best to bed Peruvians on straw, and to place such in 

 their travelling boxes or baskets, when sending them 

 to shows. 



ABYSSINIANS. 



We shall designate these the Irish terriers of the 

 Cavy Fancy. The frequency with which exhibitors 

 allude in terms of praise to " harshness of coat " is 

 sufficient evidence of the value of that property in the 

 variety under consideration. An Abyssinian cavy with 

 a soft coat is very very heavily handicapped to start 

 with. As far as colour is concerned, they are split up 

 into several, but at the general run of shows the colours 

 compete together. To show the variety there is in 

 respect to colour, we may mention that we have handled 

 some good whole coloured reds, and we have judged 

 some fine and well-broken tortoiseshells. If we have a 

 preference, in this respect, we think the tortoiseshell 

 Abyssinian a most beautiful colour. A great point of 

 excellence in all cavies is shape and size. To be a good 

 one, an Abyssinian must not be long and snipy in 

 head rat-headed, as we shall call it for present purposes 

 but in arch of neck to shoulders and outline of back 

 it should rather resemble a well fed short-headed bacon 

 hog. On no account should a cavy be long and snaky 

 in head. A good Abyssinian cavy should have its body 

 coat profusely adorned with rosettes the more of them 

 the merrier and better for show purposes. These 

 rosettes should be perfectly grown not made. This 

 remark is called for by reason of the peculiar impression 

 one gets on account of the condition of his hands after 

 handling some Abyssinians. It would astonish an 

 unitiated person, who might wonder at the mention of 

 " rosettes " in the coat of a cavy to find how perfectly 

 the hair turns in the shape of rosettes on the coats of 

 these animals. The more numerous these rosettes are 

 if perfectly formed the better. The coat must be 

 harsh and firm, and the rosettes separate and distinct, 

 not mere curls running one into the other. We have 



