206 RABBITS, CATS, AND CAVIES 



accord with the ideas of a pug dog. Some I have seen 

 with a short twisted tail, something like a badly-carried 

 pug's tail. 



There seems to be no difference of opinion that this 

 variety is correctly named, the first specimens seen here 

 being imported from Siam, where they are held in much 

 esteem, the King of Siam being reputed to take consider- 

 able interest in keeping the breed pure ; so much so that 

 it was in the early days of the fancy a difficult matter to 

 obtain specimens, and many of the males were not allowed 

 to leave the country, to be available for breeding purposes ; 

 but as a great many have been bred in the United 

 Kingdom of late years, I presume those regulations have 

 either been relaxed or evaded. 



Occasionally specimens are seen with coats of choco- 

 late colour, but I think the ordinary and most popular 

 shade is fawn, pale drab, or light silver grey ground 

 colour, with all the extremities as nearly black as obtain- 

 able. 



They are said by those best acquainted with them to 

 make very interesting pets, but with more of the ways of 

 dogs than cats, attaching themselves warmly to their 

 owners, and liking to accompany them from room to 

 room, or about the garden or grounds, and will become 

 very friendly with the dogs about the place, but not so 

 sociable with cats, and well able to take care of themselves 

 in any differences of opinion with the latter. 



They seem to like an outdoor life and do best in 

 places where they can go in and out and do a little hunt- 

 ing after " fur and feather " on their own account. 



