SHORT-HAIRED CATS. 



291 



Bump,' Lady Decies' ' Charcoal ' and ' Sham- 

 rock,' Mrs. Nott's ' King of Blacks,' and many 

 other present-day winners. In self whites 

 Lady Alexander's ' Snow King,' ' Billie Blue 

 Eyes,' and ' Snow Bump ' ; Mrs. Western's 

 ' Prickly Pearl ' ; and the Hon. A. Wodehouse's 

 ' White Devil ' are about the best living, and 

 in condition and coat hard to find fault with. 

 The eyes of the self white must be a rich- 

 coloured blue. The shorter and fuller you 

 can get both the self black and the self white 

 the better will be the chances of their winning 

 prizes ; a long, coarse coat, big or badly set- 

 on ears, and long, thin, snipy faces are little 

 or no good in the show pen. In your breed- 

 ing arrangements you do not need at this time 

 of the day to make many experiments. In 

 breeding self whites the great aim is to obtain 

 shape and colour of eyes. So many good sires 

 are to be obtained that if you are deficient in 

 bone, shape, or colour of eyes, you can with 

 careful mating obtain these in some cases 

 with the first cross. My opinion is that in 

 breeding whites no other colour should be 

 mixed with them. In the breeding of blacks 

 you are altogether on another matter. It is a 

 well-known fact that the cross with the self 

 blue is a most distinct advantage. It not only 

 gives tone and soundness to both the blue and 

 the black, but it also adds lustre. 



" For a long time we have called the 

 self blues Russians. No doubt they, in 

 the first instance, came from the East ; but 

 since they were imported into this country 

 they have been mixed in a great measure with 

 self blacks, and in some cases with long-haired 

 blues, to get strong, short, round heads, so 

 that at the present time we have very few 

 pure-bred Russians in this country. 



' My advice to those who are breeding self 

 blues or self blacks is, by all means put one 

 cross of blacks in the blues, especially if the 

 black has orange eyes. It is in eyes that most 

 of our self blues fail. Let me, however, give 

 here a word of warning. Do not mix the 

 colours too often, or you will get the blues too 

 dark or nearly like black. If yon get one 

 cross of the black and blue, use it as it should 



be used, by mixing the offspring well to- 

 gether. I know a great many breeders are 

 not in favour of this in-breeding. This is, 

 without doubt, their loss. In all branches 

 in-breeding is the sure road to success. 



" To go outside at every cross, or too 

 often, brings with it a lot of trouble and 

 disappointment. To all my advice is, having 

 got the strains of noted sires in your youngsters, 

 so mix them that all the good and little of the 

 bad points will come out as the result of your 

 breeding. That you will not get all winners 

 is a sure conclusion, but my experience is 

 and it is formed after thirty years' breeding of 

 fancy pet stock that in this way you are 

 more likely than in any other to breed winners. 

 Anyone who has seen Lady Alexander's 

 ' Brother Bump,' Mrs. Hughes' ' Alexis,' Miss 

 Butler Ayton's ' Blue Bell ' and ' Blue Stock- 

 ings,' Mrs. Carew-Cox's ' Fashoda,' and Mrs. 

 Dewar's ' Firkens ' cannot but fall in love with 

 this colour. All that is needed to make this 

 one of our most popular varieties is uni- 

 formity in shape. In my opinion these cats 

 should be judged on the same lines as our self 

 blacks and self whites. 



" I now come to the tabbies silver, orange, 

 and brown. What a 

 lovely variety they 

 are, and what a fine 

 picture any of the 



MRS. BAKKKK'S " TYXESIDE LILY." 



(Photo : E C. Fanner, Bedford.) 



