BLACK PERSIANS. 



intensified. That is, a silver tabby with dark 

 grey markings is not a true type, and a smoke 

 with an upper coat of cinder colour does not 

 represent the true smoke. Therefore the 

 introduction of a black cross is often a great 

 advantage to these breeds. There is certainly 

 not much demand for black kittens, and we 

 never hear of very high prices being asked or 

 given for these, or, indeed, for full-grown cats. 

 But as " every dog has his day," so, perhaps, 

 there is a good time coming for blacks ; and 

 certainly beginners in the fancy might do worse 

 than to provide themselves with a thoroughly 



grey or blue is seen it is a great defect. The 

 nose should be black, and the pads of the feet 

 also. 



I do not remember having seen or heard of 

 an imported Persian black cat. In an article 

 on imported cats in Our Cats the writer 

 (whose name is not given) says: "White cats 

 with blue eyes are not often to be obtained 

 from abroad, neither are the blacks warranted 

 to possess the amber eyes voted correct by 

 up-to-date cattists. I know cf a black queen 

 straightHrwn the land of cats and the palace 

 of the Shah himself ; it had the most glorious 



CHAMPION " MENKLIK III. (AMERICAN). 

 THE PROPERTY OF MRS. BOND, WASHINGTON. 



good black queen, for, anyhow, in exhibiting 

 the chance of honours is very much greater 

 than when competing in classes in which there 

 are so many entries, as in the case of blues and 

 silvers. 



For very obvious reasons black cats are 

 the very best animals for those living in 

 London or near large towns. They can never 

 present a dirty appearance, and, therefore, in 

 this particular they will always score over the 

 whites, creams, and silvers. To keep their 

 coats glossy and bright black cats should be 

 well brushed and groomed. They will repay 

 tor this care and attention. Our American 

 cousins call self-coloured cats " solid," and 

 as applied to blacks this is especially expres- 

 sive, for a black should not have a suspicion 

 of any other colour than a dense black. If, 

 when the coat is blown apart, a shading of 

 8 



emerald eyes it is possible to imagine as 

 different from the ordinary run of green as 

 flaming amber is from faded yellow. This 

 cat, a Persian among Persians, had a coat as 

 black as the proverbial jet perfectly black 

 throughout long and straight, of fine, silky 

 texture, but not giving one the impression of 

 massiveness that is such a prominent feature 

 of the type of imported cat. Moderate in size, 

 slightly built, with an expression so foreign that 

 it amounted to weirdness. this cat could with 

 a dash of imagination have been worked up 

 into the incarnation of a spirit, a soothsayer, 

 the veiled beauty of a harem, a witch, snake 

 charmer what you choose ; but always re- 

 main something far apart from prosaic England, 

 something tinged with romance and the 

 picturesqueness cf the mystical East. This 

 black cat was undoubtedly a typical Persian. 1 * 



