308 



THE BOOK OF THE CAT: 



1902, and Miss Eleanor Burritt, who most 

 successfully brought to a termination a good 

 show in Washington in December, 1902 ; arid 

 this will, no doubt, be followed by others in 

 years to come. 



Our travels in search of cats do not take us 

 very far south, for in these regions the fleas 

 alone make the rearing of cats in anything 

 like numbers an impossibility. Mrs. B. M. 

 Gladding most pluckily tried it at Memphis, 

 Tennessee, but has been obliged to give it up, 

 though she was one of our most promising 

 cat lovers. 



The Connecticut cats bid fair to be quite a 

 factor in the American race for prominence in 

 catty matters, and within the borders of Con- 

 necticut we have to record a few breeders. 

 In 1903 we have a show at Stamford, 

 Connecticut, which is an important place, and 

 where the show now begun might assume quite 

 extensive proportions ; for at Stamford are 

 many large country houses, and it is a centre 

 that can well afford to have the best of every- 

 thing. 



Connecticut has within her borders the 

 possibilities of future greatness, and is at 

 present emerging from comparative obscurity, 

 though always having had some good fanciers. 

 Miss Lucy Nicholls was, for a time, perhaps 

 one of the best known, but she died in the 



MISS L. c. JOHNSTON'S " PERSIMMON SQUIRREL." 



(Photo: Finlcy, Chicago.) 



spring of 1902. Dr. Frank Abbott is stirring 

 up the fanciers of Connecticut, and a little 

 while from now there would probably be a 

 good deal more to say about this region, which 

 holds such breeders as Mrs. Copperberg, Miss 

 Anna Marks, Mrs. Ida Palmer, and others. 



I leave the Maine and the northern division 

 to Mrs. Pierce, who was born there, and has 

 known this region and its history for many 

 years, and who can cover it so much better. 



Mrs. M. B. Thurston was much missed as 

 an exhibitor, as for a time she was very suc- 

 cessful, but more with cats she bought than 

 with cats she bred. 



Miss K. L. Gage, of Brewster's, New York, 

 is not now so prominent as of yore, but 

 still for a time was energetic in disseminating 

 good cats, and was the owner of the silver 

 tabby " Whychwood," who bids fair to leave 

 a name behind him. 



The New York show of 1903 revealed to us that 

 we are making steady progress in long-haired 

 silvers, and the probability is that at the 

 present time, if we could make up a team of 

 four or five of our best and take them to 

 England, we should give a good account of 

 ourselves. 



At this show the blacks, thanks to recent 

 importations, were much better than hereto- 

 fore ; and Miss Hurlburt's " Eddie Fawe," 

 Dr. Ottolengui's "Sir Robert "a previous 

 winner at the Palace and Miss Lincoln's 

 " Jack Fawe " made a trio that we may be 

 proud of. 



The blues were a decided improvement on 

 last year, and so were the whites ; and Miss 

 Pollard had " Purity " and the blue-eyed 

 " Fairy " put down in splendid shape, and 

 won well. 



Orange cats are always pretty popular in 

 America, and are, owing to Miss Ward and 

 Mrs. Copperberg, coming well up to the front. 



In the silvers Mrs. Champion's " Argent 

 Moonbeam II." carried all before him in males, 

 and Mrs. Conlisk took first in queens with 

 "Silver Belle" a big one and a good one. 

 The " Blessed Damozel " is perhaps our best 

 queen, and there is really nothing to beat her 



