"The stud books should be kept up to date, and stud registrations should be followed out, just as in the dog world. I can imagine many of my readers who do not take up cats as a hobby saying,' The ordinary common garden cat suits my purpose ; he is affectionate, he catches mice, and that is all I require.' But how much more satisfactory it is to be able to say,' My cat is blue-blooded, has an aristocratic pedigree, is handsome; he goes to shows, perhaps wins, and he is still affectionate ; he also catches the mice as well as his brother of lower birth and less striking appearance.' You must also bear in mind he does not require any daintier feeding. I consider it is always pleasanter in cat, dog, or horse to own a distinguished-looking animal than an ill-bred, ungainly one that neither pleases nor satisfies the eye.

"I would here remark upon the absence of men who take up breeding cats as a hobby, and yet the short-haired variety is essentially a man's breed. They require very little grooming and attention compared to the longhaired varieties.

"Several of the most prominent judges of cats are also recognised authorities in the dog world. I may mention the late Mr. Enoch Welburn; Mr. F. Gresham, the keen,' all-round' judge; Mr. L. P. C. Astley, also at home both in one or the other ; Mr. Sam Woodiwiss, the well-known fancier and expert; Mr. Lane, who also adjudicates on both breeds ; and Mr. Louis Wain, to whom we are indebted for those delightful pictures depicting cat life. "Tortoiseshells are most difficult cats to breed. Either they come too dark or too light, or the colours are not sufficiently well blended. One of the singularities of the breed is the nearly entire absence of males in every litter; in fact, I remember the saying was that a tortoiseshell torn was as scarce as the dodo. At the present time, however, we have two good toms - viz.

'Champion Ballochmyle Samson,' winner of no fewer than twelve first prizes and championships, the property of Lady Alexander, and 'Champion King Saul,' winner of numerous championships and first prizes, owned by Mrs. Herring. Both these males are very good, and whenever they have been penned together it has always been a difficult matter for me to decide the winner. In females,' Ballochmyle Bountiful Bertie' (sire,' Champion Ballochmyle Samson'), also the property of Lady Alexander, winner of several firsts and championships ;' Fulmer May,' the property of Lady Decies, winner of many firsts - they are both grand females, of the right colour and type; the tortoiseshell-and-white' Champion Ballochmyle Otter,' the best tortoiseshell-andwhite I have ever seen penned, winner of nine first prizes and championships, the property of Lady Alexander. This cat has held her own in her class for the last seven years - a most remarkable feat.

"Silver tabbies I must certainly class among the most aristocratic of the breeds. Fanciers will tell you how difficult it is to obtain a good one. Either the tabby markings are not clear, nor sufficiently defined, the black is not dense enough, the butterfly markings are not distinct, or the eyes are not of the correct colour. To get anything like a perfect type in silvers is a great feat, and only the outcome of judicious mating. One of the great faults of many silvers on the bench today is that they are deficient in size, and unless we attend to this I am afraid that shortly we are likely to produce a diminutive type which, of course, is greatly to be avoided. I hardly think this breed is sufficiently supported, taking into consideration the richness in colour and markings of the silver tabby.

Sleeping And Waking Tabbies (Photo : T. Fall, Baker Street, W.)

"Among the many winning males,' Champion Jimmy' stands out very prominently, having won numerous championships and first prizes ; he was the property of Mrs. Herring.

Others of note were' James II.,' the property of Mrs. Collingwood; 'Sedgemere Silver King,' owned by, Mr. Sam Woodiwiss. Prominent in the female classes were the noted queen,

'Champion Shelly,' owned by Mr. H. W. Bullock, shown some years ago ; by that noted sire,' King of the Fancy,' owned by Mr, Sugden. It is notable he sired both 'Champion Jimmy' and 'Champion Shelly.'

'Silver Queen,' winner of many firsts and specials, the property of the Hon. Mrs. McLaren Morrison; 'Sedgemere Silver Queen.' owned by Mr. Sam Woodiwiss; 'Silver Queen,' the property of Mr. Harold Blackett; and that grand female, 'Sweet Phillis,' the property of Mrs. Herring.

"Very few good brown tabbies are benched,, and breeders, I am afraid, get very disheartened at the result. of their efforts. I despair to think of the litters I have seen, and not a good one amongst them. The rich brown sable colour is. very seldom met with, and now that the world-renowned champion of champions, 'Xenophon,' is no more, we have only 'Flying Fox' and 'King of Lee' anything like the type you expect in this handsome breed. Of 'Champion Xenophon' I am afraid we can truly say, 'We shall ne'er look on his like again.' His wonderful colour, markings, and size approached the ideal short-haired cat. I believe he was either bred by Mr. Heslop, or came under his keen eye, and, like a good many others, was brought down south by that fancier to make a name.

"He was claimed by Mr. Sam Woodiwiss, who showed him for some years, and he secured for his owner numerous championships, first prizes, and specials, afterwards changing hands and becoming the property of Lady Decies, still following up his winning career after an unbroken record of 'second to none.' I think I am correct in saying this cat has won more money and specials than any short-haired cat ever exhibited.

" Red tabbies, again, are one of the difficult varieties to obtain. The dense, dark red tabby markings against the light red ground is only the result of judicious mating and breeding.