Mrs. Herring has bred some fine silver tabbies, notably "Duchess Lestock," a sensational kitten at the Westminster show of 1900, when she was claimed at a high price by Mrs. G. H. Walker, of Woodheys Park. Mrs. Herring's "King Alfred" was the sire of "Shrover II.," and is quite "one of the best." Miss Anderson Leake is justly celebrated as a most enthusiastic and successful breeder of silver tabbies, and is our greatest authority on this variety. As far back as 1887 "Topso of Dingley" was exhibited by Miss Leake at the Crystal Palace. This cat was said to be of Irish descent, but his ancestors were sunk in oblivion. Not so, however, his progeny, for the winnings of his son " Champion Felix," owned by Miss F. Moore, of Beckenham, are fresh in the minds of those who, like myself, can remember beautiful cats of bygone years. In 1889 Miss Leake entered "Topso" and two toms in a class for " blue or silver tabbies, with or without white." " Felix " was also in this class, as a winner of the Challenge Cup. Miss A. Leake's "Abdul Zaphir" and the present representatives of the breed "Abdul Hamet" and "Marquis of Dingley" are household names amongst silver tabby fanciers.

Miss Derby Hyde has long been faithful to this breed, and "Thames Valley Silver King" and "King Alfred" have often had to fight it out together at our shows, sometimes one being favoured by the judge and sometimes the other carrying off the honours. Miss Cope has recently been bitten with the silver fever, and her tabby kittens are always to the fore. Her "Roiall Fluffball" took first and seven specials at Westminster in 1901, and her "Silver Tangle" is a well-known winner. Mr. Furze, another Midland fancier, is also making a speciality of silver tabbies, and the Hon. P. Wodehouse possesses a fine silver tabby female in "Silver Saint." Mrs. Slingsby owns "Don Pedro," a beautiful specimen, and Miss Meeson has bred some good silver tabbies as well as silvers. But the ranks need filling, and with the assistance of the society now in existence the classification at shows will become more liberal, and instead of silvers and browns being often placed together at our smaller shows, separate classes are guaranteed, for it is certainly most unfair on judge and exhibitor to place these two very distinct breeds together. "Comparisons are odious," we are told, and certainly it is hard on the brownies for the more brilliant silvers to be placed side by side in competition.

As regards the mating of silver tabbies, the essential point to try and breed for is markings, and it behoves the fancier to endeavour to find a sire with bold, distinct tabby markings, and if it is desired to strengthen the colour, then a black is not at all a bad cross. There are two distinct kinds of tabbies - the blotched and the pencilled varieties ; and it is a matter of choice which is considered the handsomest. But it does not do to mate these two varieties together. A well-known authority on breeding silver tabbies writes thus in Fur and Feather : - " A great deal has been said as to the disadvantage of crossing chinchillas with silver tabbies, but we think this applies more to the detriment of chinchillas than of tabbies. Provided the tabby, on one side, is of a very decided type, the chinchilla, having come originally from the same stock, may not prove a bad cross. Miss Cope's 'Silver Tangle,' for instance, one of the best-marked silver tabby queens, is the child of the chinchilla 'Silver Chieftain,' and of a queen bred from a silver tabby sire.

A good young queen, belonging to Mr. Hoddi-nott, was bred from 'Lord Argent' and a tabby mother. 'Champion Felix' was bred from 'Topso,' a heavily marked tabby, and 'Lady Pink,' a cat that would nowadays have been called a light shaded silver with white markings. 'Climax' came of the same parents, and both have broad dark markings, and transmitted them to their offspring. The union of two strongly marked silvers is not always a complete success. A brown tabby makes a most excellent cross, and some of the purest and best silvers we have seen have been obtained in this way. Of course, you must be prepared for a brown tabby kitten or two ; but you need not fear sandy smudges and yellow noses. The colour seems to be concentrated in one or two examples, and leaves the silver free. In short, in colour breeding we must be content with one or two perfect specimens in a litter, and, retaining them, try again for yet further perfection."

Winter Quarters At Dingley Hill (Photo: Cassell & Company, Limited.)

The cat fancy needs some new sensational cat to appear on its horizon, and if only a perfect silver tabby, male or female, could be penned at one of our leading shows a great impetus would be given to this variety, and a thoroughly good strain might be established. Then we should not read such remarks as these from the pen of the reporter : " The silver tabbies, we regret to say, were only a shade of days that are gone. There is room for an enterprising enthusiast in this breed. The beautiful clear silver colour with deep black markings seems to be quite a thing of the past. Who will revive them?" And echo answers, "Who?"

From such an authority as Miss Anderson Leake the following article on silver tabbies will be of great interest, and the photos of her cattery at Dingley Hill, Bradfield, near Reading, have been specially taken to illustrate these notes : "Possibly amongst the rarest of our longhaired cats may be classed the really well-marked silver tabby. Twenty years ago he existed, and was, indeed, more commonly met with than to-day. For at that time chinchillas were practically unknown, save for a few scarce specimens, and the silver cats of that day were more commonly called 'grey' Persians, and were nearly always tabbies. But with the popularity of the pale chinchillas began the downfall of the heavily marked tabby. Instead of breeding for the preservation of markings, everyone worked their hardest to breed out markings, and real tabby kittens were almost unsaleable. Those that were produced were very frequently ventured, and sold at a low price for pets. The lightest specimens in a litter were preserved for breeding purposes, and rarer and rarer became the deeply marked silver tabby. But at last the tide has turned, and people are beginning to realise that there is a character, a beauty, and a contrast of colouring in a good tabby, which lend to them a charm all their own.

Added to this, they are exceedingly rare and difficult to produce.