146 RABBITS, CATS, AND CAVIES 



of black, more or less defined, along the line of the back 

 bone, which is present to some extent in all the cats 

 with Tabby markings ; the tail is covered with bars, or 

 rings of black, and a line of finer stripes of same colour 

 runs from the forehead, through the ears, and down the 

 neck, where it merges in the bodycoat. One or even 

 two bands of black across the chest are a great ornament 

 and finish. The face is ornamented with flourishes and 

 stripes of black going swirling round the cheeks, which 

 are very effective and peculiar to the Cat tribe, from the 

 tiger downwards ; indeed, a well-marked Tabby has much 

 in common in this respect with his big relation. Size is 

 difficult to define, as I think a Brown Tabby may be as 

 large as you can get him without actual fat or coarseness. I 

 have had them of fourteen and fifteen pounds, and have often 

 seen them much heavier, even approaching twenty pounds, 

 and yet preserving the grace and activity which is part 

 and parcel of the feline race, as we know what wonderful 

 accounts are often given by travellers of the achievements 

 of many of their much larger cousins in foreign climes. 



Therefore I will leave the limit of size open, merely 

 saying I think specimens intended for show purposes 

 should be at least ten pounds if females, or twelve 

 pounds if males. I might add that, for those who desire 

 a cat for the house, as a companion and ornament to the 

 domestic hearth, I do not think they can improve upon a 

 Brown Tabby, which is one of the most homely and com- 

 fortable looking of the feline race, usually of a happy, 

 contented disposition, and very intelligent and sociable. 



This colour, in long and short hairs, has always been 



