308 RABBITS, CATS, AND CAVIES 



made up of a mixture of every kind of colour and 

 marking known in cavydom. 



As in other kinds of live stock, it is always a very 

 unsatisfactory class for judges and exhibitors ; in the case 

 of the former it is best to look for the winners amongst 

 those that approach the nearest to the type to which they 

 seem to belong ; and with the latter to refrain from 

 entering at all, unless the specimen, irrespective of colour, 

 is well shaped and typical as a cavy, and has some dis- 

 tinctive character in its markings, as piebald, skewbald, all 

 white with a black, red or yellow head, or some unusual 

 feature of that kind likely to draw attention to its merits, 

 such as they may be. I have seen a red or a black with 

 a white blaze only, win in such a class, indeed have 

 more than once taken prizes with such a specimen, but 

 entering in this class must necessarily be more of a 

 lottery than even the usual vicissitudes of an exhibitor's 

 life. 



As I have already given a brief description of the 

 several qualities desired to obtain a near approach to per- 

 fection with these little animals, and my ideas about the 

 several subdivisions into which they are sometimes classi- 

 fied, and have already mentioned in the case of the 

 Peruvians what I have found suitable in the way of food, 

 housing and mating, which will mainly apply to all the 

 Cavy family, I need only add a scale giving my views 

 as to the value of the several points suggested in these 

 slight sketches of what has become such a popular 

 section of the fancy with a great number of people at 

 home and abroad. 



