2l6 



THE BOOK OF THE CAT. 



" Atabi." This is what Harrison Weir says on 

 the subject : " The word ' tabby ' was derived 

 from a kind of taffeta, or ribbed silk, which 



tabbies the splashed or heavily marked, and 

 the barred or ticked. I think the former the 

 handsomer breed, with the well denned and 



when calendered, or what is now termed evenly balanced side markings, the dark spine 



' watered,' is by that process covered with line (not too wide), the clear rings round the 



wavy lines. This stuff in bygone times was chest (commonly called the " Lord Mayor's 



often called ' tabby,' hence the cat with lines chain "), the paws ringed in graduated bars to 



or markings on its fur was called a tabby cat. the foot. On the head and face the markings 



Certain it is that the word ' tabby ' only should be very clear and distinct, the narrow 



referred to the marking or stripes, not to the dark head lines running symmetrically till 



absolute colour, for in 

 'Wit and Drollery 'is 

 the following : 



Her petticoat of satin, 

 Her gown of crimson 

 tabby. 



Be that as it may, 

 I think there is little 

 doubt that the fore- 

 going was the origin 

 of the term. Yet it 

 was also called the 

 brindled cat, or the \ 

 tiger cat, and with V 

 some the grey cat 

 ' graymalkin.' ' We 

 are told also by the 

 same authority that 

 tabby cats in Nor- 

 folk and Suffolk were 

 called cyprus cats, 



MISS MELI.OK'S BROWN TABBY " LADY SHOLTO.' 



(Photo: N. N. Stat/iam, Matlock Bridge.) 



they join the broad 

 spine-line. The ruff 

 should be of the light 

 shade, and ears of the 

 same tone lend great 

 distinction to this cat. 

 As in the other tabby 

 breeds, the browns are 

 terribly addicted to 

 white chins ; in fact, 

 I think it is certainly 

 rarer to find a brown 

 tabby without this 

 blemish than an 

 orange, more pains 

 having been taken to 

 eradicate the evil in 

 orange tabbies. There 

 is no denying the fact 

 that brown tabbies 

 are a very neglected 



cyprus being a reddish-yellow colour, so that breed, and at present the only one, except 



the term may have applied to orange as well tortoiseshell - and - white, that is not taken 



as brown tabbies. The term " tiger cat " is, I up by a specialist society. This is a crying 



believe, often used in America, and it well shame, and it remains for some ardent admirer 



describes the true type of a brown tabby. The of the dear brown tabbies to form a club, 



groundwork should be of a bright tawny shade, and to try to breed really good specimens of 



with a dash of burnt sienna, the markings a the golden-brown order ; not the drab or grey 



dark seal brown almost black. As regards animals that are so frequently seen at our 



the colour of eyes in brown tabbies, I prefer shows, and which are very far removed from 



the golden or orange ; but some of the finest the genuine article. 



cats in this variety have possessed the green I do not think that any breed can produce 



eye, and some fanciers are disposed to prefer such fascinating kittens. They have such re- 



this colour, which I think should be the markably intelligent expressions, and, as a rule, 



speciality of the silvers. Anyhow, a good the sturdy cobby shape and broad heads of 



brilliant green is preferable to a washed-out brown tabbies are very conspicuous. This breed 



undecided yellow. 



should distinctly be massive in build, with 



There are two distinct types of brown plenty of bone and muscle ; in fact, with 



