IN the early days of the fancy all sorts and conditions of cats were entered in this class. Blacks, whites, and tabbies were considered important enough to have classes assigned to them ; then the rest were all huddled and muddled together in the "any other variety " class. Even in these days it is no easy matter to place the awards in a mixed class; but formerly the judge must have felt puzzled over the prizes, and probably finally gave the highest awards to the breed of cat which he most admired. I do not mean anything personal; but, as I write, I recollect a very large class in 1887 at the Crystal Palace, two years before a class for blues was instituted. Mr. A. A. Clarke was judging, and a female blue, "Fanny," which I had given to Mrs. W. M. Hunt as a birthday present, was awarded first. She was a beautiful specimen, and but for her green eyes would have been a remarkable cat even in these up-to-date days of the fancy. Whereas, therefore, for many years this " any other variety " class was the largest in the show, it has gradually become beautifully less - and rightly so, for by degrees the various breeds have been improved, and the number of specimens have increased, and the executives of shows have gone with the times and provided separate classes for each breed as occasion seemed to arise.

A Picturesque Group (Photo: E. Landor, Ealing.)

So orange and cream cats are no longer relegated to what we now call the " any other colour " class, and tortoise-shells and tortoiseshell-and-whites are separately dealt with ; therefore it is only tabby-and-whites, nondescript smokes, blue tabbies, and black-and-whites that are received into the fold of the somewhat despised " any other colour " class. Blues and blacks with white spots used to be entered in this class, but of recent years both cat clubs have wisely decided that such cats must be entered in their own classes, for a blue is a blue and a black a black, and having a blemish does not alter their breed, but takes so many points away from them ; and, of course, their chances of success even with every other quality is small indeed when in competition with pure self-coloured cats.

A Grotesquely Marked Kitten (Photo: E. Landor, Ealing.)

I am of opinion that ere long the " any other colour " class, at least at our principal shows, will cease to exist, and mismarked cats, white-spotted cats, and doubtful smokes will no longer be considered worth entering, and fan-ciers owning such specimens will make up their minds to keep their pets at home.

For instance, Mrs. Boutcher, a silver breeder, owned a magnificent cat, a son of "Lord Argent." He was a superbly shaped and grandly coated animal, and was neither a silver nor a smoke - in fact, what might be termed a silver smoke. His face was dark, and tail and paws, and his body was a pale silver-grey, shaded to almost white at the roots. His owner entered him in the "any other colour" class one year, and he was disqualified by the judge ; then he was next located in the smoke class, but as a different judge was making the awards he was again marked "wrong class." This noble "Lord Sylvester" was the cause of much correspondence in the cat papers, and discussion ran high as to what manner of cat he was. One of our ablest judges - now, alas ! no longer in our midst - wrote thus in Our Cats of December 1900 : Sir, - In your issue of the 24th I notice at the meeting of the Silver Society Mr. Boutcher asked the opinion re the decision of myself at the Palace as against that of Mr. House at Brighton. In defence of my own award, I unhesitatingly say that, in the same classification as at the Palace, " Lord Sylvester's" class was the A.O.C., in which I fearlessly awarded him first prize.

Of course, Mr. House has just as much right to his opinion as I have to mine ; but, whether right or wrong, I do know " Lord Sylvester " is not a smoke, both on my own knowledge of colour and of that set forth in the standards. - I am, yours truly, E. Welburn.

Surely this is the common-sense view to take. A year later "Lord Sylvester" was purchased by Mrs. Champion, and travelled out with her to America, where, no doubt, this splendid animal receives all the admiration he deserves, in whatever class he is entered on the other side of the herring pond.

Since writing these lines I have read an article in Field and Fancy on the New York Cat Show of January, 1903, and the following mention is made : " In the 'any other colour'

'Lord Sylvester' was to the front, looking splendid."

As regards the advisability of doing away with the " any other colour " class, I will quote from a letter written by that well-known fancier Mr. W. R. Hawkins : - " Why should one class in a show be given up to the bad specimens or mismarked cats of each colour ? Surely the intended use of the' any other colour' class was that when any definite colour had no class of its own it should not be excluded from the show, but take refuge in the ' any other colour' class; for instance, at the Brighton show (1900) we had no class for cream, orange, or tortoiseshell. They were, therefore, shown in the' any other colour' class, and being good cats of definite breeds were a credit to the class, and in no way a disgrace. But what do we often see? A blue with a white spot or some other freak winning. I say this is absolutely wrong, and that a blue with a white spot is in reality a bad blue, and should not be encouraged. In the same way, a tabby-and-white is a bad tabby, and ought not to go to a show at all, but even if shown has no right in the' any other colour' class, according to my ideas."

There is one cat that is fast vanishing from our midst. I mean the black - and - white Persian, and yet I confess an evenly marked specimen is a handsome animal. By black and white I mean the ground should be black, dense and glossy; the feet, chest, and nose white, with a blaze of white coming to a point up the centre of the face. The eyes of such a cat should be orange.