io 4 RABBITS, CATS, AND CAVIES 



" The light shade is often termed ' mealy' on account 

 of the sameness or flatness of appearance ; while the dark 

 shade always presents a more lively or sparkling surface, 

 which is produced by ticking, a point I will shortly 

 endeavour to explain. 



"There is a third shade which should be avoided 

 altogether, except for crossing or the production of the Silver 

 Fawn I refer to the light shade, with an ochrey or creamy 

 tinge, which gives the fur a sickly or faded appearance. 



" In the first-named shade we find the skin of a pale 

 flesh colour, the thick, fine, short undercoat, or pily 

 fur, or what is generally termed the ground colour, of a 

 dark slate, and over this comes the silvering and ticking, 

 which is composed of longer and stronger hairs, thickly 

 interspersed with the undercoat, passing through to the 

 surface, and determining the shade of colour, part of 

 these hairs being pure glistening white, and the rest of a 

 rich shining black, these being dispersed in the proportion 

 of about five white hairs to one black one, the white 

 forming the silvering and the black the ticking. 



<c These are generally a little darker on the head and 

 ears, for on account of the darker shades of the ground 

 colour, and the shortness of the fur on those parts, it is 

 next to impossible to get the colour even with that of the 

 body, and consequently some allowance should be made 

 in judging them ; while, on the contrary, the light shade 

 can be got more even in appearance, the ground colour 

 being much lighter than in the darker shades. 



" In the light shade we find the skin very similar to 

 that of the dark shade, but perhaps a little more pinky, 



