THE ANGORA CAT. 93 



greatest inquietude ; and if it were long before he re-appeared, it would quit his apartment, and 

 attach itself to the person of the house where he lived, for whom, next to himself, it entertained 

 the greatest affection. It recognised his voice at a distance, and seemed to increase in satisfac- 

 tion with him. Its look was as gentle as its character, and its gait was frank. In a word, it 

 possessed the disposition of the most amiable dog beneath the brilliant fur of a cat. " This animal," 

 says M. Sonnini, " was my principal amusement for several years. How was the expression of its 

 attachment depicted on its countenance ! How many times have its tender caresses made me forget 

 my troubles, and consoled me in my misfortunes ! My beautiful and interesting companion at length 

 perished. After several days of suffering, during which I never forsook it, its eyes constantly 

 fixed on me, were at length extinguished ; and its loss rent my heart with sorrow." 



THE PERSIAN CAT. 



THIS is a variety with the hair very much produced, and very silky, perhaps more so than that of the 

 Angora cat. It is, however, differently coloured, being of a fine uniform gray on the upper part, with the 

 texture of the fur as soft as silk, and the lustre glossy ; the colour fades off on the lower parts of the 

 sides, and passes into white, or nearly so, on the belly. This is probably one of the most beautiful 

 varieties, and it is said to be exceedingly gentle in its manners. 





DOMESTIC CATS. 



It has been said that " white cats with blue eyes are always deaf." Of this assertion the follow- 

 ing fact supplies a singular proofl At Allesbury Rectory, near Coventry, there was, some years ago, 

 a white cat of the Persian breed, probably not a thoroughbred one, procured from Lord Dudley's, at 

 Hindley. This favourite animal was a female, quite white, and entirely deaf. She produced, at 

 various times, many litters of kittens, of which, generally, some were quite white, others more or less 

 mottled, tabby, <tc. But the extraordinary circumstance was, that of the offspring produced at one 

 and the same birth, such as were white, like the mother, were also invariably deaf, while those that 

 had the least speck of colour on their fur as invariably possessed the usual faculty of hearing. 



