210 RABBITS, CATS, AND CAVIES 



are the last of the Aztec race, and known only in New 

 Mexico. 



" They are marked exactly alike, with mouse-coloured 

 backs, the neck, stomach and legs a delicate flesh tint ; 

 their bodies are always warm and soft. 



"In the winter they have a light fuzz on the back 

 and ridge of tail, which falls off in the warm weather. 



" They stand the cold as well as other cats, their skin 

 is very loose. 



<c Nellie, the female, has a very small head, large 

 amber eyes, and long whiskers and eyebrows ; her 

 voice now is a good baritone, when young it sounded 

 exactly like a child's. 



" Nellie weighs about eight pounds, and Dick ten 

 pounds. 



" Dick was a very powerful cat, and could whip any dog 

 alone ; his courage, no doubt, was the cause of his death. 



" He was a sly rascal, and would steal out, and one 

 night he got out and several dogs killed him. 



c< His loss was very great, and I may never replace him. 

 The Chicago Cat Club valued him at 1000 dollars. 



u I have sent all over the country and endeavoured to 

 get a male for Nellie, but I fear the breed is extinct." 



I believe the above-named and following varieties of 

 cats have not even been mentioned or illustrated in any 

 previous work on domestic cats, nor do I remember 

 seeing more than one specimen of the former exhibited in 

 this country, but I hope it may prove they are not quite 

 extinct, as they are different from any other variety 

 with which the writer is acquainted, and so rare as 



