94 PET RABBITS, CAVIES, AND MICE. 



SILVER FAWNS. 



These are got by mating self silvers to fawns and 

 vice versa, and crossing in and in. Don't go too far 

 in this way, but bring in a fresh fawn doe now and 

 again. 



SILVER BROWNS. 



We notice that this is one of the red hot pokers to 

 the theorist, and he leaves it severely alone. A silver 

 brown possesses several different shades of colour in 

 its coat. It should be of a chestnut tone of colour, as 

 it catches the eye, not a blue tone. These latter are 

 wastrels in the rabbit Fancy. Consequently, if you 

 blow up the fur, you will see black and silver hairs, 

 chestnut, and also a blue bottom. They should be 

 silvered and ticked as sharply as the greys, but of quite 

 a different tone of colour. There is no doubt that silver 

 brown rabbits have been got by the use of the silver fawn 

 buck and the Belgian doe, and perhaps vice versa. 

 This would point to the use of the silver fawn mouse, 

 and the golden agouti. Try it. 



SABLES. 



These are divided into two, at least, if not three 

 sections, i.e., medium and dark. But the difficulty 

 with sables, even if obtained, is that they so soon go 

 off. They are as bad as Himalayan rabbits or lizard 

 canaries; they are only mice of a day. 



AGOUTIS. 



There are golden agoutis and grey. The former 

 are, or should be, of a rich very rich golden colour 

 as a groundwork, and there should be a fairly plentiful 

 interspersion of black hairs. The greys should have 

 silvery grey substituted for the golden colour. The 

 ticking should be well carried on to the feet and the 

 cheeks, jowl, and throat if possible. There are breeders 

 of the former, but very few of the latter, and if you are 

 going in for this variety buy of the recognised breeder 

 and get his advice as to mating. 



