TABBY PERSIANS. 



219 



that the commonplace and unattractive grey 

 was openly encouraged, rather than otherwise ; 

 for, although the silver tabby was provided 

 with a classification of his own, only one class 

 was relegated to " brown and grey tabbies," 

 either colour being considered equally worthy 

 of carrying off premier honours ! 



" It was at this period, when the nondescript 

 tabby was reigning supreme, that Champion 

 ' Birkdale Ruffie ' made his debut in the show 

 world, my sister, Miss Emily Southam, being 

 the first to bring the sable tabby into prom- 

 inence. \Yhether, however, it was that the 

 public was not sufficiently up-to-date to ap- 

 preciate the sudden departure from the usual 

 sombre colours with which it had hitherto 

 been satisfied to a brilliant sable, or whether 

 he was particularly unfortunate in his choice 

 of judges, it is difficult to say ; at any rate, it 

 was not until four years after his first appear- 

 ance in the show pen that he met with the 

 justice that his many beautiful points so 

 richly deserved. In fact, after exhibiting him 

 at several shows, where he was deliberately 

 passed over for other and most inferior cats, 

 he being in the pink of condition, my sister 

 was so annoyed at the treatment he received 

 that she simply burnt the schedules which 

 poured in upon her and kept him at home, 

 determined he should not be further insulted 

 by such flagrant injustice ! 



" It was at the \Yest of England Cat Show 

 in 1894 that ' Birkdale Ruffie ' scored his first 

 real success I believe under Mr. Gresham 

 winning two first prizes in the open and novice 

 classes and two specials. Here at last his 

 beautiful sable colouring, his dense black 

 markings, and wonderfully expressive face 

 were appreciated. 



'' The year 1896 was the occasion of his 

 sensational win at the Crystal Palace show. 

 He simply swept the board, carrying every- 

 thing before him first prize, championship, 

 several specials, and the special given by the 

 King (then Prince of Wales) for the best 

 rough-coated cat in the show, the prize being 

 a handsomely framed portrait of the King 

 with his autograph attached. Mrs. Vallance 



MISS WHITNEY AND HER NEUTER 



HROWN TABBY. 

 (Photo : W. Lawrence, Dublin.) 



was judge. Again, in 1897, he was shown with 

 great success at the Crystal Palace, winning 

 first prize, championship, and special. 



" This was the occasion of ' Birkdale 

 Ruffie's ' last appearance before the public, 

 as it was during the following month my sister 

 was taken dangerously ill, and for this reason 

 his pen at the Brighton show was empty. 

 After her death we determined to subject him 

 no more to the trials and discomforts of the 

 show pen, so ' Ruffie,' who was now seven 

 years old and a great pet, both for his own 

 sake and that of his mistress, only too gladly 

 retired into the privacy of home life, spending 

 the cold winters by the fireside in his own 

 little snug retreat, and in the long summer days 

 lying under his bower of shady hops, lazily 

 watching his facsimile, his little son ' Master 

 Ruffie,' growing up more beautiful each day 

 and ready to take up the thread of his father's 

 famous career in the exhibition world. 



