THE BOOK OF THE CAT. 



gives the idea that originally the eyes of the 

 pure chocolate cat were yellow, and that 

 the present variety has been crossed with the 

 royal cat. 



" Mr. Young, of Harrogate, had some years 

 ago a chocolate cat with yellow eyes. 



" Another belief is that they receive the 

 souls of their owners at death, and it is well 

 known that the King of Siam 

 had one on board his yacht 

 when visiting Europe a few 

 years ago. 



" It is a great mistake to 

 mix the varieties, as the result 

 after they become adult is a 

 blurring of the markings and 

 a patchy coat. 



" The males are extremely 

 powerful, and will kill strange 

 cats and fight dogs. They are 

 devoted to their wives and 

 children, and to their owners. 

 They are exceedingly intelli- 

 gent. With the dogs of the 

 house they will be on excellent 

 terms. 



" The litters vary in size, 

 but four to five is the usual number. The 

 kittens are difficult to rear, as they suffer from 

 worms and teething, but after seven or eight 

 months old there is little danger. Some 

 people think a meat diet best, but I find it 

 satisfactory to bring them up on lighter food, 

 such as Ridge's food, milk, gravy, and fish, 

 until they begin to cut their teeth, when 

 meat is required. 



" A pair from the Palace were given to Mrs. 

 Vyvyan and myself in 1884-5, and we have 

 been very careful in breeding, mating when 

 possible with such good cats as Mrs. Lee's 

 celebrated ' Meo,' Miss Moore's ' Siam,' Mrs. 

 Harrington's ' Mechi,' etc, and have bred in 

 consequence the famous ' Tiam-o-Shians ' II., 

 III., and IV., ' Polyphema,' ' Susa,' ' Kitya 

 Kara,' ' Goblin,' ' Champion Eve,' ' Mafeking,' 

 ' Vishuddha,' ' Ah Choo,' ' Suzanne,' and many 

 others." 



Among fanciers and importers of Siamese 



OWNED BY LADY MARCUS BEKKSFORD. 

 (Photo : Russell & Sons, Windsor.) 



cats in the past, I may mention the Hon. Mrs. 

 McLaren Morrison, Lady O'Malley, Lady 

 Decies, Mrs. Brodie, Mr. Temple, Mr. Gambier 

 Bolton, Miss Moore, Mrs. Elliott Hill, Mrs. 

 Cunliffe Lee (owner of the celebrated " Meo "), 

 and Mrs. Carew Cox, who later in this article 

 will give some account of her " King Kesho " 

 and the breed with which her name is still 

 associated. Mrs. Herring has 

 exhibited good specimens from 

 time to time. Mrs. Chapman's 

 " \Yally Pug " used to cross 

 the Irish Channel to visit 

 English cat shows. Mr. Young 

 and Mr. Inman, both of Har- 

 rogate, favoured this breed, 

 and had some lovely cats. 

 Mrs. Nield owned a charming 

 little female named " Mintha- 

 mee " ; and Miss Sutherland, 

 who lives in the south of 

 France, used to breed a lot 

 of good Siamese from her 

 imported " Prince of Siam." 

 Several of her breeding have 

 been sold in England, and 

 have won at shows. Mrs. 

 Patton Bethune has often exhibited, and is an 

 ardent admirer of the breed. Mrs. Parker 

 Brough, in whose care " Tiam-o-Shian IV." is 

 placed by Mrs. Vyvyan, is well known as a 

 Siamese breeder, as is also Mrs. Spencer, of 

 Eye Vicarage, who exports quite a number of 

 cats ; one of her breed owned by Mr. E. 

 Ratcliffe is a beautiful animal. Mrs. Vary 

 Campbell, the president of the Siamese Club, 

 is a generous supporter of the breed. Mr. and 

 Mrs. W. R. Hawkins have always had some 

 fine specimens ; and Mrs. Hankey, Miss H. 

 Cochran, Miss Derby Hyde, and Miss Armitage 

 are among others who owned some notable 

 Siamese cats. Mrs. Backhouse's " Champion 

 Eve " was a distinguished prize-winner, and 

 Mrs. Robinson's " Ah Choo " was chosen as 

 a model for the medal of the Siamese Club. 

 But it is chiefly as the owner of the celebrated 

 " Champion Wankee " that Mrs. Robinson is 

 known in the cat fane}' in general, and among 



