214 



THE BOOK OP 1HE CAT. 



thus the individuality of the breed is lost. 

 It is different in painting, when it may be 

 generally noticed that artists choose to depict 

 these broken-coloured cats in preference to 

 the self-coloured ones. In Madame Ronner's 

 lovely pictures, of which several adorn these 

 pages, it will be remarked that almost all 

 the fascinating fluffy kittens are patched in 

 colour. 



As I have remarked, one of the reasons why 

 these cats have not been seriously taken up 

 by fanciers is the difficulty experienced in 

 selecting suitable mates that will be likely to 

 perpetuate the breed. In fact, this is not 

 possible with any degree of certainty. Tor- 

 toiseshell - and - whites may be crossed with 



black or orange cats, and it is a toss-up what 

 the progeny may be. Creams are sometimes 

 bred by mating with blues, but there is alwaj'S 

 the danger of white spots and white toes. I 

 once mated a pretty tortoiseshell - and - white 

 with my silver " Cambyses," and the result 

 was a good pale silver and an almost un- 

 marked cream. Considering all things, I can- 

 not prophesy any future for this breed in the 

 fancy ; in fact, I think there is every chance 

 of these really pretty pussies disappearing 

 from our midst. At the Westminster show 

 of 1903 there was only one solitary entry in 

 the tortoiseshell-and-white class ! This was 

 Miss Yeoman's " Mary II.," whose portrait 

 appears on the foregoing page. 



AT HOMK. 



(From a Painting by Madame Ronner.) 



