SILVER OR CHINCHILLA PERSIANS. 



163 



judge to decide, for the majority of exhibitors 

 would not appreciate the variations. 



" It may come to this eventually, but at 

 the present time the threefold classification 

 leads to much confusion, for as nearly or 

 very nearly all silver cats are more or less 

 tabby marked, so will exhibitors be in doubt 

 as to the class to which their cats rightly 

 belong. 



" It is a question if the introduction of the 

 shaded class at shows has not done more harm 

 than good, for as previously we saw very few 

 of the dark silvers it not being worth breeding 

 the variety when there was no class in which 

 to show them so now the tendency of ex- 

 hibits, as anyone who attends shows can see, 

 is to run to darkness rather than light ; and 

 breeding for colour, purity of colour, and ab- 

 sence of markings has received a set-back, for 

 with some judges colour is nothing, and prizes 

 will be showered upon a ' spoilt tabby ' if it 

 happens to have, perhaps, a broader head or a 

 bulkier body good points, as everyone will 

 allow, but points which the common or garden 

 cat may possess ; and we do not pit our dainty 

 chinchillas against all and sundry. 



" Without wishing in any way to detract 

 from the good qualities which the more plebeian 

 branches of the cat tribe undoubtedly possess, 

 it is impossible not to award the palm for 

 grace and beauty to the highly bred aristo- 

 cratic chinchilla. Coal and iron are useful, 

 but we give our admiration to diamonds and 

 pearls." 



Before closing the chapter on silvers, I will 

 allude to the Cat Club show held at St. 

 Stephen's Hall, Westminster Aquarium, in 

 January, 1903. On this occasion there was 

 quite a record entry in the male silver class, 

 which contained twenty-one cats. The list 

 was headed by Mr. J. F. Dewar's handsome 

 "Father O'Flynn II." Many well-known 

 prize winners had to be content with a V.H c. 

 card in this class of quantity and quality. 

 The females numbered eighteen, and here again 

 a noted winner was awarded the highest 

 honours. Miss Chamberlayne's "Cap and 

 Bells " is very pale and pure in colour, and 



carries a soft, silky coat. In the silver kitten 

 class the sexes were not divided, and Miss 

 Ford's lovely kittens scored first and third. 

 A sweeter face and rounder head than that 

 possessed by " Silver Button," the first prize 

 winner, would be difficult to find, and Miss 

 Ford may be congratulated on having bred 

 such a gem. Mr. T. B. Mason judged the silver 

 classes at this show, and he doubtless experi- 

 enced some difficulty in testing the colour of 

 the exhibits in the bad light of St. Stephen's 

 Hall, more especially as on the opening day of 

 the show a dense fog hung over the city. 

 Another difficulty which must present itself 

 to our most capable judges is the awarding of 

 specials offered for silvers and shaded silvers. 

 Perhaps the easiest way out of this difficulty 

 is to give the shaded silver prizes to the darkest 

 cats ; but all are shaded, even the palest, and 

 therefore some judges might justify them- 

 selves if they awarded both sets of specials 

 to the one cat. At this show Lady Marcus 

 Beresford offered three special prizes in each 

 silver cat class for the palest specimens, one 

 of these in the male class being won by her own 

 handsome "Beetle," a son of the famous 

 ; 'Lord Southampton." The classification for 

 silvers at the specialist societies' show at Bath, 



"DOLLY DAYDREAM." 

 (Photo: E. Landor, Baling.) 



