156 



Tllf: BOOK OF THE CAT. 



and a shaded silver queen of my own breeding, ah ! happy accompaniment greater cousti- 



When a montli old I dubbed her a very bad tutional vigour. 



smoke ; at three months she was coatless a " We are, I believe, too apt, if owning a 

 most indecent little person, having shed her pale queen, to mate IKT with the palest known 

 coat more completely than I had ever seen stud, disregarding other very important con- 

 in cat or kitten. When, after a provokingly siderations in the all-absorbing wish to breed 

 long period, she again consented to appear the wonderful ' dirty white ' king or queen of 

 clothed, her dress was of palest silver, un- silvers. Sometimes this atom (verily so) of 

 adorned by any markings except a very faint perfection does make its appearance, and is 



smudge on her forehead and which, alas, 

 spoilt her for show a darker tinge on her 

 broken tail. How 

 is it that to our best 

 some accident al- 

 ways happens ? So, 

 as I could not ex- 

 hibit her, I sold her 

 to a delightful home 

 in the North of Eng- 

 land, and her en- 

 t liusiastic owner 

 wrote to me a few 

 'weeks since that 

 her big babies by 

 'Lord Hampton' 

 were as pale as the 

 mother, who herself 

 grew steadily of a "wii.n TOM." 



SII.VKK, HRKU r.v MRS. G. 11. WAI .M ;;. 

 (I'ltoto: Mrs. G. 11. Walker.) 



enthusiastically greeted. But what of the 

 mite itself? A tiny, sickly scrap of a kitten, 



constantly ailing. 



refusing to grow or 

 to Weigh, exeept at 

 a rate of less than 

 halt the average 

 blue kitten of its 

 own age. But ex- 

 traordinary care 

 Lvps the mite alive 

 until one day some 

 chance draught or a 

 maid's carelessness 

 ends our careful 

 nursing, and tin- 

 poor owner of that 

 ' lovely dirty white 

 kit ' at last realises 

 that this other 

 good-bye means it 



fainter silver. 



" Unfortunately, 



silvers more than any other breed of cats lack may be wiser to mate that same pale queen 



bone, caused, of course, by the unavoidable to the strongest, hardiest, biggest-boned stud 



in-breeding practised when this variety of cat possible to be found among our silver studs, 



was first introduced and so enthusiastically even if he is rather barred. 

 welcomed, and when but one or two fanciers " Now mark. From the result of this 



owned a cat of such shade. Another article mating, keep the best of the female kittens 



on this subject, by a lady who may really and marry her if possible, not betore 

 claim to have established this breed, will is eighteen (at any rate, fifteen) months 

 explain to the reader more than it is in my old to a stud unrelated, sturdy, of un- 



power or province to declare. 



doubtedly splendid health, for preference 



To go back to the subject of our small paler than herself, and boasting grand head 



silvers, in-bred to delicacy. We should now and the essential tiny ears and short 



remember how many good sires, absolutely nose. Then you may dream your dreams 



unrelated and within easy reach, are placed with a chance of their resulting in a golden 



at our disposal. Therefore, surely there reality. 



can be no possible excuse if in a compara- " If breeders would but spend rather more 



tively short time we do not manage to own thought when they select husbands for their 



silvers big in bone and limb, and owning pussies, they would be indeed repaid. I am 



