THE LADIES' FIELD "CAT GOSSIP" COLUMNS

THE LADIES' FIELD "CAT GOSSIP" COLUMNS - 1905

The Ladies Field, a weekly magazine for well-to-do women, was founded in 1898 and focussed on women's sport, pastimes and fashions. It was published by George Newnes (in 1928, it was absorbed by The Home Magazine). The Cat Gossip column was written by Dick Whittington, the pen-name of Miss Higgins. Rather than divide up the content, I have compiled the columns into a series of chronological files. Readers wondering why prices of cats were given in multiples of £1 1s - this is a guinea; a £5 5s cat costs 5 guineas.

There were very few photos of cats in the 1905 issues of The Ladies Field, and there was more focus on the big dog shows during that year. I have added some illustrations related to the content where necessary.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, January 7, 1905, pg 215.

I AM delighted to hear that Miss Anderson Leake is once more in England, and that she has not entirely deserted the cat fancy, though she is determined to keep clear of "catty politics." Abdul Hamet is as good as ever, and Miss Leake is buying Dingley Fashion from Mr. Southby. The latter has lately been shown out of form, but he is looking lovely now. The Dingley Hill cats are in future to be "very few, but very good."

THE fanciers' papers are full of the laments of despairing owners whose kittens have succumbed to some fell disease which broke out after Birmingham Show. It is unjust to blame the show authorities, for infection from outside is undoubtedly the cause of the outbreak. One owner actually owns to having shown her two kittens a week previously; one returned and died, and the other, she thinks, developed the disease ON HIS WAY TO BIRMINGHAM. I wonder how many other poor kittens he infected! I have met with cat fanciers so conscientious that they would not themselves attend a show when they had sick kittens at home, but such scruples are rare.

THE disease under discussion is given various names - gastritis, pneumonia, and influenza are among them - but distemper is tabooed. I prefer to call it distemper, and will give a few hints as to its treatment. When there is constant sickness give no food for twenty-four hours, or longer, but spoon-feed the patient with moderate quantities of chilled water. This I have found efficacious, but good authorities recommend giving milk and soda or ice to lick. When the sickness stops give a very little Valentine's meat juice made weak, and if that is retained the next meal may consist of a saltspoonful of scraped raw beef with a pinch of carbonate of bismuth. After this the kitten may be fed on gradually increased quantities of scraped raw beef, giving bismuth with every meal, and keeping the kitten for some weeks decidedly short of food.

IF there is diarrhoea without sickness give a teaspoonful of salad oil, and then feed entirely on small quantities of scraped raw beef with bismuth. If the throat is affected give a pinch of chlorate of potash or flowers of sulphur on the back of the tongue. If this does no good paint the throat with perchloride of iron. Pneumonia in kittens is likely to prove fatal. Where possible a skilled veterinary surgeon should be called in. If this is impossible keep the patient In a warm but well-ventilated room, and if it will not eat raw beef spoon-feed it with Valentine's meat juice.

AN interesting item of "cat" news supplied to me by Lady Alexander is that she has presented to Sir Claud, as a Christmas offering, with which he is highly delighted, "a real live lioness in a caravan!" Sir Claud is a fancier of all animals, and as he already possesses a puma and a number of wild sheep and deer, in addition to the dogs, cats, owls, and Shetland ponies, Faygate Wood must resemble a well-filled zoological garden.

I HEAR that Mrs. Norris has sold the lovely prize-winning cream kitten, Kew Premier, to Miss Simon. Premier is a son of the renowned Kew Ronald.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, January 14, 1905, pg 257.

SOUTHAMPTON CAT SHOW.
MRS. SINKINS and her supporters are to be congratulated upon another well-merited success. Exhibitors supported the show well. In the long-haired classes both quality and quantity were represented, and in short-hairs all the best cats, with the exception - and this is a large exception - of Lady Alexander's team, were present.

In long-haired whites The White Knight rightly won; he was in capital coat, and this was where White Friar II. failed. These two were divided by Mrs. Wilson's Y Gwyn Brenin of Arrandale, a fine big cat, with good head, eyes, and coat, and losing only in shape and ears. Fulmer Snowdrop, in her best form, headed the female class, with the grand eyed Ch. Heath Pearl a good second. Blacks, with the exception of Fulmer Black Bobbie, were poor. In blue males Kew Blue San Toy II. rightly won, and won easily. He is a grand cat, with perfect head, ears, shape, and coat; colour very pale, but absolutely sound. Were his eyes orange instead of yellow he would be perfect. Mrs. Russell Biggs's Barrymore Blue Lion, who took second and special for best kitten, is very pretty, with nice face, coat, and shape, and fine eyes. Miss Humfrey's Victor II. third, loses in face and ears. The winning blue female was Mrs. Slingsby's Merry Maid of Thorpe, who has a sweet face and shape, tiny ears, and good colour. Miss Humfrey's Berkshire Lassie and Mrs. De Courcy Alley's Princess May, equal third, are both sweet-faced cats with good eyes.

In smoke males Ch. Teufel in grand form, won easily from Ch. Backwell Jogram, who was not looking well. In smoke females Mrs. Cubitt's nicely shaded Minouche beat Mrs. Harber's Bulgerina, who has a coat like a sheep. The winning chinchilla male was Miss Meeson's Jupiter Duvals, who has a charming pale colour and is a really good cat all through, though a trifle striped on the face. Mrs. Podgers's Plym shows brown, especially on his nose. In females Mrs. Wilson won with Sceptre of Arrandale, a magnificent pale-coloured queen, with round, short face, glorious eyes, and profuse coat. Zaida, in bad coat and looking sandy, rightly went down to second. Miss Bartlett's Holmsdale Silverine won in shaded silvers; he is a good colour, well shaded, and has lovely eyes. Rajpat of Arrandale (second) is a nice cobby cat, with a sweet face and good eyes.

In silver tabbies there were some capitally marked cats. Mrs. Western's Wynnstay Big Wig, the winning male, shows a lot of quality; and Miss Cope's Roiall Totem has grand colour and markings, and was shown in perfect form. Silver Joe is a grand cat, but washy in markings. Dunsden Abdul was unlucky. Roiall Fluffball looks as well as ever, and beat Everton Marjorie, who is a bit dark, easily. The brown tabbies were beautifully rich in colour and profuse in coat, but all failed in chin colour. Brayfort Fina won as usual.

In orange males Torrington Sunnysides, a grand cat, but gone a bit pale in colour and eyes, beat Fulmer Prince of Orange, who excels in those points but is not so good in shape, and has rather a light tag on his brush. Miss Roper's Harbledown Sunny, the winning female, is a prettily marked cat. Ch. Kew Ronald was far the best cream male, but Mrs. Harpur's Timothy Paul is a good cat of capital colour. Romaldkirk Hermes shows marking. The neuter classes were not so good as usual, but Krishna, Lingmoor Tom, and Omeewoo are glorious specimens.

The winning blue kittens, Barrymore Blue Lion and Merry Maid of Thorpe, were winners in the open classes.

In the Manx classes Miss Clifton's good team of blacks did well. The successful Boscombe Tim disappointed me, and I thought Miss Rags, though out of form, the best Manx in the show. Mrs. Aubertin showed a really good, well-marked Siamese in Ti-wan, but Mr. Mangin's cats are rather dark and clouded in colour. In short-haired blacks I could not follow the judging which put Black Jack ahead of Weybourne Maria and Fulmer Shamrock. The only point in which he excels is colour; his eyes are green and his nose is long. The queens are both good ones, especially Maria. In whites Fulmer Snowstorm beat Forget-me-Not and Snowflake, who are rough in coat, the former really looking like a half-bred Persian. Mrs. Collingwood's Ch. James II., Ch. Miss Toodles, and Flash Jack carried off all the tabby prizes, and rightly so. They are a grandly marked team, and well shown.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.
(For Rules see previous issues.)
LADY C. - Wash the cat's ears out every other day with one part carbolic acid to eighty parts warm water; dry thoroughly and powder with boracic acid. If after a fortnight they are no better try working a tiny piece of boracic ointment in every day. If this fails sponge out with methylated spirits and warm water, equal parts. As with eyes so with ears - what suits one case will prove useless in another, so it is well to change the treatment if, after a fair trial, it does no good.
ANXIOUS. - A case of severe ophthalmia following distemper. Bathe the eyes every hour with boracic lotion as hot as can be borne. When all inflammation has subsided, if there is any ulceration on the eye, apply daily yellow oxide of mercury ointment.
CHICKEN. - I advise you to sell the five green-eyed blue kittens at a guinea apiece when you have the chance of doing so, and to spend the money on buying a good young queen with orange eyes.
CHAPPIE. - White cats with yellow eyes may prove useful to breed from when blue-eyed ones are not available, but they are now quite valueless for exhibition purposes. - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, January 21, 1905, pg 379.

I WAS very much disappointed in the eyes of the blue cats exhibited in the open classes at Southampton. There were very few genuine orange eyes to be seen, and the only really dark orange ones were owned by Queen of the Earth. I made this complaint to the judge, who immediately suggested that I should adjourn to the kitten classes for encouragement, and there I saw three pairs of the most brilliant dark orange eyes I have ever beheld. Someone described the colour as vermilion, and suggested that the eyes of blue cats were getting too dark, but I fear the grapes were sour. The three kittens in question were Mrs. Billett's Sonny and Miss Marion Humfrey's Lady Wallop and Donna Carita. All three were bred by Miss Humfrey and sired by her Don Carlos. Sonny was purchased by Mrs. Collingwood.

IT was unfortunate for Mrs. Cartwright that her female kitten, Upwood Blueskin, should, by an error on the part of the secretary, have been entered in the male class, as the judge thought it likely that she might have been well placed.

MISS CLIFTON is rather distressed that her white short-hairs, Fulmer Snowflake and Forget-Me-Not, should have gone back in condition so much during the short period she has owned them. Forget-Me-Not, in particular, is deteriorated very much, and even Snowflake, whose coat was his best point, looks rough and unkempt. I have no doubt that much can be done to improve a bad-coated short-hair, but of this I cannot write much, as luckily I have only had to do with the preparation of cats which had naturally good coats. It is, of course, essential that the cats should be kept very fat and sleek, and regular brushing, hand-rubbing, and polishing with a leather or Selvyt cloth for half an hour daily will have a marvellous effect.

THAT the wild cat is not yet quite extinct, as was feared, is proved by the fact that two have recently been caught in traps on a farm in Ross-shire.

FASHION is now turning steadily in favour of the dark as opposed to the light blue long-haired cat. For many years the paler the colour the more it was admired, and an unsound blue, if pale in colour, frequently beat a sound dark blue in the show-pen. The natural result was that the tide turned the other way, and now if a pale blue cat is shown everyone takes it for granted that its colour is unsound. All this is apropos of Kew Blue San Toy II. I have examined this cat's coat carefully in a strong light, and am perfectly satisfied that it is absolutely sound and unshaded, but I have never seen so pale a cat free from shadings before. Poor San Toy has been put down several times on account of his beautiful colour, which is very hard lines. I consider him at present to be the most beautiful blue cat I have ever seen. Of course, he may fade in colour as he grows older; that delicate lavender shade is not a hardwearing colour, but while it lasts it is exquisite. Were the eyes darker the cat would be perfect. They are bright, clear yellow, but not the dark orange of Sonny.

MR. GODFREY SHAW writes to correct a mistake which by an unfortunate confusion found its way into my account of the Southampton Show. Ch. Heath Pearl, who is there given as a good second to Fullner Snowdrop in the white female class, was not present at the show at all.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, January 28, 1905, pg 341.

MISS CLIFTON has added to her team of Manx cats a very typical black female kitten, which, though not supplied with a pedigree, comes from high-class stock, and if she can entirely throw off the effects of a recent illness is likely to make a sensation in the show-pen.

GLASGOW SHOW promises to be a great success for the prizemoney in all classes is guaranteed and over a hundred and fifty special prizes are offered for competition. With such attractions, and with Mr. Mclntosh and Mr. Will Hally as judges, a record entry should be secured. The show takes place on Friday and Saturday in this week.

ANOTHER important show will have taken place before these lines appear at Belle Vue, Manchester, on January 20th. There are fifty-seven classes and over a hundred special prizes, but if entries are poor the prize-money will be reduced. There are three "ring" classes and a "children's pet" class.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, February 4, 1905, pg 379.

MANCHESTER SHOW.
TWO hundred and fifty cats and 329 entries was, considering all things, a very creditable turnout for Manchester Show. There were a good many absentees, but the inclemency of the weather, the number of shows recently held, and the amount of distemper which has been prevalent of late quite accounted for that. Well-known winners took most of the prizes, but there were some notable reversions of previous judicial awards.

All the long-haired white males, The White Knight, Y Gwyn Brenin of Arrandale, and White Friar II., are well known, and all looked well, as did Ch. Fulmer Black Bobbie. In blue males Mrs. Wyndham's Neila Billi was first, a real good cat. rather dark, but sound in colour and having orange eyes. Mrs. Douglas's Oulton Best Man and Mrs. Robets's Oulton's Rajah were second and third, while Mrs. Russell Biggs's Barrymore Blue Lion, the Southampton winner, was reserve, and Mrs. Collingwood's recent purchase, the grand-eyed Sonny, only v.h.c., though these two were place equal third in the kitten class. In the blue female class Miss Simon's Gladys, Miss Sutcliffe's Little Huid Hunser, and H.R.H. Princess Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein's Lady Mary, all often described, were placed as written. Queen of the Earth, a really grand cat, whose only fault is that her nose is a trifle long, got nothing.

Mrs. Sedgwick won in chinchilla males with the grand limbed Otto Boy, and in females Silver Lily and Ellwyn Lenore, pretty pale-coloured cats, were placed first and second, with poor Ch. Fulmer Zaida third. Sceptre of Arrandale was absent. In smoke males three champions met - Teufel, in grand form, won; Backwell Jogram, who is a bit out of coat and shows age, was second; and that grand shaped cat, Ranji, third.

In silver tabby males was found the best long-hair in the show, Wynnstay Bigwig, who shows a lot of quality and is very pure in colour. Roiall Totem, who is well marked, came second, and the grand headed Dunsden Abdul third. Miss Copes's finely marked Roiall Fluffball headed the silver tabby females, while in brown tabbies Miss Whitney had things all her own way with Ch. Brayfort Serafina, Fina, and Honey. In orange males some surprise was expressed that Torrington Sunnysides took only v.h.c. Romaldkirk Jackal won in this class, and Ch. Holmefield Mandarina, who appears to me rather paler in colour than she was, won in females. Mrs. Kennaway did well with two grand young cream males, Garboldisham Joe and Junker, who took first and third, being divided by Ch. Romaldkirk Midshipmite, who begins to show age. Mr. Wood's beautifully patched tortoiseshell and white Minette headed her class, and was pronounced best cat in the show.

That grand coated orange Lingmoor Tom won everything for which he competed. Lady Decies claimed the first and second prize blue kittens, Everdon Patricia and Noyna Mascot. Miss Clifton's Weybourne Henry and Mr. Furze's Bob of Birmingham won most of the firsts in Manx, and the former took the championship. The short-haired championship winners are all well-known - Ch. Orange-eyed Prissie, Ch. Fulmer Snowstorm, Rochdale Hero, Ch. Flash Jack, and Dame Fortune. It was rather a shock to see Ch. James II. placed below Flor Ping Pong, but such misfortunes do sometimes occur, and James was placed first in the brace class with Ch. Flash Jack.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, February 11, 1905, pg 415.

THE judge's opinion of the exhibits brought before him is always of particular interest, and so, at the risk of repeating myself, I quote a few remarks from a letter written by the judge of blue long-hairs at Manchester: "The blue males were noticeable for their extremely sound and level colour. Neila Billi won with a bit to spare, but Oulton Best Man is making up into a very massive cat with grand eyes. The females were disappointing, all bad in colour and light in undercoat, with the exception of Little Huid Hunser, who was the only really sound blue cat in the class, but, nevertheless, could only win second, as she failed very much to the winner in head. Gladys, who was first, is a shapely little cat but dark on the back and light in under colour. Everdon Patrician, the winner in the five-to-eight-month kitten class, is the most exquisite youngster of his colour ever seen in a show. His colour is ‘a dream of blueness'; his eyes are large, round, full, and deep red-brown in colour. Add to this a short wide head, tiny rounded ears, and the perfection of shape, plenty of coat of lovely quality, and you may imagine that he is pretty good. The second, Noyna Mascot, was of the same type and a real gem, but just comfortably beaten in ears and eyes and was a shade darker in colour. As Patrician wore a pale blue ribbon and was judged in a strong light it was a pretty good test of colour. These were the two kittens claimed by Lady Decies at £10 and £5 respectively. Barrymore Blue Lion, who was third, was well beaten in head, eye, and colour, and had torn out a large patch of coat on his side, leaving a considerable expanse of bare skin! Sonny, who was equal third, was suffering from a cold in his eyes."

REFERRING to my remarks on breeding "magpie" cats, Miss Samuel writes to tell me that she has bred a good specimen from an evenly marked, round-headed, black and white male and a black female. There were three kittens, one black and two black and white. One of the latter is an exact copy of Ballochmyle Mother Bump, except that the blaze runs a little bit further up her face. Miss Samuel much prefers self-coloured cats, but proposes keeping this kitten for a time to see how she turns out.

MISS SAMUEL expects some litters of Manx kittens in March, and her strain is now so well known that she has already had several enquiries, and some of the best kittens are already bespoken. A couple of good young cats are coming on in Donald and Mokie, who are both stumpless and verry' typical. Golfsticks is in tip-top form, and the blue Persian queen is shortly to go on a visit to Mouflon. Miss Samuel has also added to her establishment a couple of very nice dark tortoiseshell short-hairs.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.
For Rules see last week's issue.
LAMBOURNE, BUCKS. - Postal replies cannot be sent unless the fee of 2s. 6d. is enclosed with the query. I think it quite probable that your cat is suffering from distemper, but you do not tell me how it is fed or kept or any details of its illness. Feed it on small quantities of scraped raw beef sprinkled with carbonate of bismuth, and write again giving me a full account of the case. "The Cat Manual," procurable at THE LADIES' FIELD Office, would meet your requirements,
PERSIA. - It is natural for a cat to shed its coat in the spring, but your system of feeding would prevent the cat coming into good condition at any time. Stop the porridge and milk and the liver, and let his staple diet consist of sound lean beef, given raw for preference, alone or mixed with brown bread or biscuit. From two to four ounces of meat in the day is sufficient.
SABRINA. - Your cat apparently suffers from indigestion, and I think possibly, considering his age, you give him too much meat. Do not let him have more than three or four ounces of meat in the day, and if he wants more bulk of food make up with a small quantity of arrowroot, rice pudding, or something of that kind. You must try different methods of feeding until you find out exactly what suits the cat. Give him two grains of bicarbonate of potash in a little milk every morning. I suppose he has no decayed teeth which are causing ulceration of the gums? - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, February 18, 1905, pg 455.

LADY DECIES is collecting subscriptions towards a fund for a challenge cup to be offered at the Crystal Palace Show in memory of the late Mr. Edgar Farman.

AT the New York Show a number of cats bred in England were successful. Mrs. Champion won a number of prizes, and cats from Dr. Roper's cattery did well, while Mrs. Conlisk's chinchillas, mostly purchased from Miss White Atkins, had quite a field day. Among the winners we find many names well-known in England, such as Tintagel, Lord Sylvester, and Ch. Tortie Diana Fawe, while numbers of the winners were bred from imported cats, the names of Lord Southampton, Silver Chieftain, King of the Silvers, Arlington Hercules, Floriana, and others of equal distinction being found in their pedigrees.

THE Scottish fanciers are waxing warm over the subject of type in short-haired blues, but in spite of much somewhat heated discussion matters seem to be much as they were. I have no personal feelings in the matter. hut I must own that I consider the broad-headed heavily built cat to be infinitely more attractive than the weedy, light-boned, narrow-faced cat, which is so, not because it is a different breed, but because it has deteriorated through generations of semi-starvation. It seems to me that those people who are possessed of good cats of the so-called "British" type are perfectly satisfied with them and do not wish to possess any others, while those persons who can procure only weedy indifferent specimens, while maintaining that their cats are the correct type, are always anxious to acquire and exhibit cats of the type which they affect to despise. Were these broad-headed blues obtainable - which they are not - we should hear less of the claims of the opposite type to distinction.

THE N.C.C. held a most successful meeting the other day. Lady Strafford was re-elected president of the club and Dr. Roper hon. secretary. Sir Claud Alexander, though remaining on the committee, resigned his position as hon. treasurer, to which post Mr. C. W. Cooke was elected. The retiring members of the committee were all re-elected, and Mrs. Hastings Lees was elected to fill the vacancy on the committee caused by the death of Mr. Farman. The balance sheet showed a balance of £30 in hand as against £2 last year, and of this balance £12 was carried to the reserve fund, thus increasing it to £100. In future championships will only be granted to shows after payment of a fee of 21s., and all shows receiving championships must give first prizes of not less than 20s.

IF a suitable hall can be secured, the Southern Counties Cat Club will hold its next show in Bournemouth during the second week of January, 1906.

MRS. COLLINGWOOD has sold her well-known blue long-hair Royal Bobs to Mr. Witt, who has renamed him Lord Bobs. Lord Bobs has won two championships and a number of prizes. He is a son of Blue Boy II., and was bred by H.R.H. Princess Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, February 25, 1905, pg 496.

IT appears that Roval Bobs is to stick to his name after all, as it was by an error that it was changed. It would have been a pity to make any alteration, for it was as Royal Bobs he won all his prizes. __

IN future championship prizes will be more difficult of attainment, and rightly so. Of late they have become altogether too common, and some change is necessary. The modus operandi is to be left to the discretion of the committee of the N.C.C. My opinion is that it is a mistake when championships are granted to a show to grant them to all breeds. I believe that the Kennel Club when granting challenge prizes refer to the catalogue of the previous year, and only grant the prizes to those breeds which have been well represented on the last occasion. This appears to be an excellent plan and really the only satisfactory one, although it is probable that there will be a considerable amount of grumbling in some quarters over any innovation.

MR. LOWE's black Manx Bozgym has at last got his deserts, winning at Glasgow in a strong class of fifteen good Manx cats, while Mr. Furze's well-known Deemster was second. Bozgym is, I think, the best shaped and most stumpless Manx male now on the show-bench. He is not large; but he is only a kitten and will improve with time. He comes from Miss Samuel's well-known strain, and is of similar type to all that lady's cats. Their only fault, to my mind, is that their coats are too short and close, like that of a British cat.

I AM very sorry to hear of the death of Mrs. Tyrwhitt Drake's promising chinchilla kitten Pretty Polly. Mrs. Drake considered Polly the best kitten she had ever bred, and when one remembers that Sceptre and Cicero of Arrandale were among the winners raised in her cattery one realizes how great the loss is.

I AM sorry to see that that good fancier, Miss Anderson Leake, is once more agitating to have hazel eyes encouraged in silver tabbies. One notable breeder tells me that if the bright green eyes were discarded she should entirely give up the breed, so much does she dislike the hazel eye, which she considers imparts such a "common" look to silver cats. As she rightly says, we do not want the sea-green eye so often seen in chinchillas, but a brilliant, hard, emerald green.

MISS MEESON'S smoke cat, Sandon Jill Duvals, though she has never been shown, has become quite a celebrity through the winnings of her lovely chinchilla kittens. Her first litter, born in July, 1900, contained Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus Duvals. At the Crystal Palace that year these kittens won three firsts, a second, a third, and numerous specials, and at Westminster in 1901 Jupiter won first and four specials, a performance which he repeated at Southampton last month. In Jill's second litter was Ariadne, who won first and seven specials at Manchester, and since then her grandchildren - Seagull, Curly, and this year's sensation, Prospero - have done much to keep up the family name.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, March 4, 1905, pg 529.

MRS. SLINGSBY'S CATTERY.
THORPE UNDERWOOD HALL, Ouseburn, Yorks, is essentially the home of the blue Persian cat, though a few silvers also find accommodation there. Mrs. Slingsby's extraordinary success in breeding prize-winning blues is really startling, in view of the fact that in the autumn of 1900 she, knowing absolutely nothing of cats, purchased for £1 the blue queen, Daisy Nita of Thorpe, and so started in the fancy. Daisy Nita was mated with Darius, and in April, 1901, produced the famous Orange Blossom of Thorpe, the most successful blue stud cat which has ever existed. Orange Blossom has retired into private life with four championships and innumerable first prizes to his credit, and full well he deserved them. He is a huge, heavily coated, light blue cat, with a broad head and orange eyes. Among his winning kittens, whose name is legion, may be enumerated Zeus, Gervase, Titan, Dogberry, Hermes, Pomona, Patricia, Merry Maid, and King Roddy (all of Thorpe); also Neila Billi, Oulton Rajah and Best Man, Neidpath Gilpin, Bridal Rex, Bridesmaid, and Everdon Patrician. All these names are so well known that it is hardly necessary to mention that they have won the principal prizes at most of our leading shows for the last two years. Orange Blossom has held the Fozells challenge cup for his kittens' wins at Birmingham for two years in succession. He is not quite four years old, and owes his success as a sire to his power of transmitting his own good points to his kittens from queens of all descriptions. Gervase is described by his mistress as the "hack and harness horse' of the establishment. He has caused no great sensation, but is a useful and reliable sire, and his kittens are now winning at good shows. It seems probable that he will distinguish himself as a sire of blacks, and Mrs. Slingsby has just purchased a good black queen.

Zeus I have described so often lately that I think I may pass him over with the words "perfect and unrivalled." He is, like all his family, large, heavily boned, and orange-eyed, and is of a sound medium shade of blue. There are five blue brood queens at Thorpe, and all excel in bone, head, shape, and colour. These include Merry Maid of Thorpe, who was bred by Mrs. Kennaway, and is to visit her sire; Alizon, sister to Zeus, who is to visit her grandsire, Blue Boy II.; Barbara, another sister to Zeus, who will probably go to Neila Billi; Lisabel and Gervanine, daughters of Gervase, who will visit Zeus. It will be seen that Mrs. Slingsby approves of in-breeding to her own strain to a certain extent.

Among the juveniles are Anthos, a sound, pale-coloured brother to Oulton Rajah and Best Man, and Orga, a wonderfully broad-headed and pale-coloured kitten, with orange eyes and, alas! a squint.

The Thorpe silver tabbies are headed by the well-known Ch. Don Pedro, who retired with a wonderful show-bench record, and Queen Deehna, who won many prizes, and once actually snatched a championship from Don Pedro and Grisette. Silver Butterfly is no longer a silver tabby; her markings, always faint, have disappeared, and she is a good pale chinchilla, but her eyes are unfortunately of that yellow shade which her mistress detests.

The cats at Thorpe are fed twice a day. The stud cats get from 6 oz. to 8 oz. a day, queens about 4 oz., and kittens are fed according to their age and rate of growth. Raw leg of beef is the chief article of diet, and this is varied by occasional meals of boiled codfish, raw fresh rabbit, and tinned rabbit of a good brand given quite fresh. Neither cats nor kittens ever see or smell milk or farinaceous food, but are provided with water to drink when thirsty. Except during an outbreak of distemper digestive troubles are unknown. Mrs. Slingsby attends to the feeding and grooming entirely herself, and no one else is allowed to touch visiting queens. Their lodgings are in a railed-in space in the park, between the stud cats' houses. There are here three houses, each containing two rooms, so that six queens can be received at the same time.

WITH tiresome regularity the suggestion is made that a special class should be provided for champion cats, which should be excluded from the open classes. To carry this into effect the whole constitution of the classification of the N.C.C. would require alteration. Championships can only be won in open classes, and open classes are essentially those which are open to all. At present we are trying to make championships of more value, but the effect of this measure would be to cheapen them, for, many of the best cats being excluded, inferior specimens would win. If we cannot produce a young cat as good as the old winners we should suffer for our incapacity. It is nonsense to say that young cats have no chance.

TAKE the example of Ch. Zaida. I have always maintained that when a cat of equal or nearly equal merit, but having youth on its side, appeared she would be defeated, and that is exactly what has happened. The only course I can see is to provide champions with a special class, and to exclude them from what are now the open classes, but to let them compete with the young cats for the championships. Another plan would be to give classes for cats over two years and for those under two years, and let the winners compete together for the championships. A greatly increased entry would be required to make such a classification pay, and I do not think that any alteration is necessary except in the number of championships offered.

I DO not think that the same number of championships should be offered for every breed. Blues are so numerous and so good that they deserve all they can get; chinchillas, silver tabbies, and whites are also usually well filled classes, but oranges, creams, and tortoiseshells seem to produce few new winners, and the prizes all go to the same cats, and if they happen to be absent some very moderate animal may win, while blacks and brown tabbies and many of the short-haired breeds would be amply provided for with one or two championships in the course of the year.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.
(For Rules see previous issues.)
DAFFODIL. - If you wish your orange cats to be rich and dark in colour you must use an occasional cross of black or dark tortoiseshell, as yellow mated to yellow is apt to lose colour.
GEOFFREY. - The cat is ill through licking itself and swallowing its hair. Give a tablespoonful of warm castor oil, and then feed on raw beef sprinkled with carbonate of bismuth. Let the cat have as much liberty as possible, so that it may eat the coarse dog grass, which acts as an emetic. The more combing and brushing you can give at this time of year the better.
PUSS-PUSS. - The kitten certainly has worms, caused by improper feeding. Let her have nothing but scraped raw beef, about 1 oz. three times a day, and give 2 grains saccharated carbonate of iron daily, sprinkled over the food.
BOUNCE. - Black and white or magpie cats do not appear to "catch on" here, and I doubt if they ever will, though I think it possible that a place for them, if good of their kind, might be found in America, where cats with white markings are not tabooed as they are here. - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, March 11, 1905, pg 9.

THE Siamese queen Tiwan, a daughter of Tiam-O-Shian IV., a good cat in every point, and winner of first and championship at Southampton, has been purchased by Mrs. F. Norris, of Kew, who is already the owner of the well-known King of Siam.

IT is a curious fact that though the blue short-hair is one of the least popular breeds of cats, the discussion anent the correct type arouses more interest and excitement among the persons engaged therein than any similar controversy I can recollect. Some people maintain that to be good specimens the cats must be pure-bred Russians, while others assert that if the cat is good the breeding is unimportant, and to support their contention numerous instances of noted winners having very mixed parentage can be quoted. The soft sealskin-like coat is held to be a point of great importance, and we are told in many quarters that any alien cross destroys this. My own impression is that a cross of long-haired blood, on the dam side, produces the sealskin-like coat. I speak from personal experience!

A GREAT loss to the cat fancy in general and to her owner, Miss Rosamond Whitney, in particular is the lovely sable tabby Brayfort Tots, who has succumbed to an acute attack of gastritis; while the incomparable Ch. Brayfort Serafina is exceedingly ill.

IT is time for all catteries to undergo a thorough spring cleaning. Floors, walls, windows, and shelves should be scrubbed out with strong disinfectants, and fresh clean sleeping boxes should be provided; a good limewashing will make old houses sweet. No boxes which have been used before should be provided for expected litters, and all old blankets and rugs should be burned. I consider clean sweet hay to be by far the best and most sanitary bedding for cats and kittens, and it should be changed every week; a lump of camphor placed below the hay and a little flowers of sulphur sprinkled over it will help to keep fleas away.

IT is wonderful how some cats in kitten seem to fall about without injury, but it is well to exercise a certain amount of care. If two queens, as is often the case, have a special dislike to each other, they should not be allowed to meet for quite a fortnight before their kittens are due, and on no account should a cat in kitten be allowed to enter the already occupied nursery of another queen, as the rightful owner will probably attack her like a fiend, and a regular rough and tumble fight cannot be good for a cat in kitten. I do not think the scrambling and jumping about which a cat undertakes on her own account, and without being frightened, is likely to do any harm, as cats are very active animals and retain a lot of natural instinct.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, March 18, 1905, pg 75.

I HAVE received an enquiry, which demands rather a full reply, from a correspondent who wishes to know if Siamese and "Arch-Angel" cats feel the cold much and if they dislike dogs less than ordinary cats do. The first part of this query is easily answered, as Siamese cats are certainly more delicate and require more careful treatment than any other breed. They do not "feel the cold," but they are in many ways unsuited for cattery life. If kept as house pets, well fed on raw meat and guarded from damp, draughts, and extremes of temperature until full-grown, those bred from a healthy strain will become fairly hardy; but they must never be kept in a hot stuffy atmosphere or their lungs will quickly become diseased. Raw meat, fresh air, and dry sleeping quarters are essential to the well-being of Siamese cats, even more than to those of ordinary breeds. If they have the opportunity they are apt to take to poaching, and very successful poachers they become.

"ARCH-ANGEL," or Russian, "Maltese," or short-haired blue cats, whichever we may elect to call them, are no doubt a hardier race of cats than the Siamese, and are almost equally charming as pets and companions, but they also are apt to take to hunting, though I must own that this is more a matter of strain or individual inclination than of breed. Cats of any breed can be accustomed to dogs if brought up with them, but I have known both Siamese and blue short-hairs which, though used to dogs from kittenhood and absolutely fearless, always disliked them, and clawed them when opportunity occurred.

IT IS a curious fact that I have never met with a Manx cat which disliked dogs, and the majority of my own Manx cats will let the dogs play with them and roll them about as they like. To my mind the Manx is the best shorthaired pet cat for ordinary households. He is as fearless and affectionate as the Siamese, without his rather irritating voice, and he is not so savage towards other cats. Of course, the Siamese is a far more rare and beautiful animal, and to anyone who has kept and loved a Siamese no other breed can seem so attractive; but he has his drawbacks, as he certainly wants care and attention if he is to do well. Manx cats, if they take to poaching, are quite as bad as Siamese or blues, but it should be possible to procure a kitten of any of these breeds from a strain which shows no inclination to hunt.

I AM delighted to hear that Miss Whitney's cats, including Ch. Brayfort Serafina, are now convalescent, and that their illness was not gastritis, as usually understood by cat-fanciers, but was caused by acute indigestion. A new servant had made a mistake in feeding the cats, and hence all the trouble.

IT is an old-fashioned idea that young kittens should not be handled. If the mother does not object, each kitten should be carefully examined every day from its birth, in order that fleas may be removed and the eyes washed if necessary. Early kittens are not more liable to weak eyes than late ones, as the trouble is usually caused by infection, not by cold, as is popularly believed. For this reason houses should be frequently and thoroughly disinfected, and new boxes and bedding should be provided for each litter of kittens. Weak eyes may be bathed with alum and water, but where any inflammation is present got boracic lotion should be used.

CATS IN SCULPTURE. The Ladies' Field, March 25, 1905, pg 93.
BY FREDERIC LEES.

SOME ten or twelve years ago a young French sculptor, reading one evening before the fire in his Parisian flat, allowed his eyes to stray from the pages of his book to a fine cat which was stretched luxuriously at his feet. Mimi was purring her loudest, worshipping the flames with all her soul; ecstasy was expressed in her half-closed eyes and on her smiling mouth; and content, - such as only animals appear capable of enjoying - visible in every muscle of her languorous body. Her master, with an artist's experienced eye, noted all these things and many more besides, and as he did so he mentally remarked, "How excellent that would be in marble! I must try my hand at it one of these days."

The sculptor was in entire sympathy with animals; he knew no greater delight than that of studying their habits, and of endeavouring to bridge over the gulf which separates man and the beast. Animals, moreover, were his speciality in art, and for this reason he had become a pupil of the great animal sculptor, Georges Gardet, who holds to-day in France the position which was formerly occupied by Barye. Acting on the idea which had occurred to him in so simple a way, he set to work to prepare himself for the extremely difficult task of representing cats in sculpture. Cats were frequently seen in pictures, but they were seldom sculptured; and he knew that if he could succeed in adequately rendering some of the most familiar of the thousand and one attitudes into which they put themselves he would have accomplished a very notable thing in art. As he entered upon his work, it soon became evident to him, however, that the ordinary methods of the sculptor were worse than useless in the case of cats. It was possible for some subjects to utilize a lion as a living model, and the movements of a dog could sometimes be seized sur le vif and represented in clay; but it was quite hopeless to attempt to use Mimi as a model. Those who are fond of cats and their name is legion among readers of THE LADIES' FIELD - know that there is no animal so restless. "Pussy" is ever on the move, and even when in a somnolent condition she frequently changes her position. So M. Louis Riche - for that is the sculptor's name - decided to trust entirely to his memory and his knowledge of the habits of cats. From that day forward he took every opportunity of observing their movements, of studying the play of their muscles, and of noting their expressions. He formed little mental pictures (conceived, as a sculptor should, in masses) of cats in all sorts of attitudes, and of every age and condition, pictures which, when put together, formed an epitome of the life of the cat, And when, after three or four years, he judged these images were indelibly graven on his memory, he shut himself up in his studio in the Rue Leclerc and set to work to interpret them in stone.

It is not surprising that M. Louis Riche has met with very great success in the particular branch of sculpture which he has adopted. For conscientious work, backed up by skilfully applied knowledge, rarely fails to find recognition at the Salon. Almost at the very outset his little studies in marble, lithographic stone, or bronze, as the case might be, attracted the notice of connoisseurs. Not one of his exhibits remained on his hands; and commissions for replicas soon began to pour in. People were quick to see that these studies were the work of a rising young sculptor, already possessing some of the qualities which make a master. Many of the visitors to the annual art exhibitions in the Grand Palais being cat lovers as well as connoisseurs, M. Louis Riche's cats were admired from a double point of view. The admirable work entitled "Prosperity" reminded them of an attitude in which they had often seen their own well fed and well cared for pets; and the same may be said of "The Siesta" and "The Two Friends." "Pussy's Breakfast," too, was a great favourite with those who, having children, have so often observed the friendship which exists between animals and little people, especially when the latter are in the habit of bringing them their food. From a purely artistic standpoint, however, the sculptor's best works are undoubtedly those called "Motherhood" and "Poverty." As regards the first, note how well the artist has expressed the mother's anxiety for her young by the bend of the neck and the position of the ears, and how admirably he has shown the helplessness of the kittens. The starved cat, "Poverty," is a less familiar figure. Nevertheless, it will be preferred by some people, principally artists, to the other on account of the tragic side of the subject. From the sentimental point of view it may not be a very pleasant thing to look upon, but it is an infinitely stronger piece of work, in my opinion, than such groups as "Young Cats at Play" and "I see a Bird."

A few words as to the materials in which M. Riche works. For many of his subjects he uses lithographic stone, which is one of the most difficult stones a sculptor can choose, because of its extremely fine grain and excessive brittleness. Only the artist who has attained a complete mastery with his chisel finds it possible to use it satisfactorily. On the other hand, how well it is suited for the subjects in which this French sculptor has specialized! Its colour - various shades of grey - and its texture could not be better adapted for rendering the colour and sleekness of cats. Occasionally M. Riche uses ordinary marble, but more frequently he prefers to reproduce his work in bronze by the difficult cire perdue process, which has an advantage over other processes, inasmuch as it enables an artist to attain a high degree of finish.

M. Louis Riche has not, by the bye, devoted his attention exclusively to cats. Since he began to exhibit at the Salon of the Societe des Artistes Francais in 1895 he has produced many important studies of other animals. At the 1897 Salon he obtained an honourable mention for an exhibit of bears, and in the following year he exhibited a lion. "Jeune Sanglier de France " was his work in 1900; at the 1901 Salon he showed a "Lion et Lionne" in plaster, and the two studies of cats already mentioned, "Prosperity" and "Poverty." In 1902 he was awarded a medal of the third class for a group of eleven studies of cats - nine in bronze and two in lithographic stone. Finally, at the last (1904) Salon he exhibited a group of Algerian women.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, March 25, 1905, pg 143.

MRS. WITTAM WIGNALL is, I am sorry to hear, retiring from the cat fancy. This lady is best known to my readers as the owner of Black Fury, the cat which has on one or two occasions disputed the honours with Ch. Fulmer Black Bobbie, and which is certainly one of our best long-haired black males.

ANOTHER lady who is withdrawing from the fancy is Lady Rachel Byng, who is disposing of all her cats. Lady Rachel has not been known to the show world for very long, but she had some good cats. Pathan of Dingley, purchased from Miss White Atkins and formerly owned by Miss Anderson Leake, was the best-known cat at Wrotham. He is a large very pale chinchilla, and won first and championship at the Crystal Palace and at Manchester. The Brushwood Boy, the well-known blue sire bred by Miss White Atkins, was another inmate of this cattery.

MISS ANDERSON LEAKE adheres firmly, as she has done for many years now, to her preference for hazel eyes in silver tabby cats, but I must take exception to her suggestion that her antagonists have possibly never seen or probably never possessed a hazel-eyed silver tabby. I have possessed several cats, some of them descended from Miss Leake's strain, with eyes which would have made the fortune of a blue or black, and I kept them because of their other points to breed from, and tried to breed out the hazel eye. One of these cats, a male, I eventually used to breed blues from; and most successful he was, never throwing a marked kitten even in the second and third generation.

MISS HASTINGS LEES has sold her long-haired black male, Lingmoor Blackkatt, who won as a kitten at Harrogate, to Mrs. Moore, of Sheffield; and Mrs. Wellbye has purchased the chinchilla male, Lord Clive, who was bred by Mrs. Marriott and is a son of her celebrated chinchilla queen, The Seraph.

IF MISS COPE goes in for black long-hairs with the same enterprise and enthusiasm which she has devoted to her silver tabbies the breed will have much to thank her for. During Miss Leake's temporary absence from the cat fancy the silver tabby would have been terribly neglected, and would undoubted Iy have deteriorated sadly, but for Miss Cope's efforts on its behalf. Thank s to her energy there are now more really good silver tabby long-hairs than ever before. If she can do the same for the unfashionable blacks I think the cat fancy will owe her a debt of gratitude, which might well take a substantial form.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, April 1, 1905, pg 155.

NOT having heard from Miss Cartmell for some time, I was amazed to receive a letter from her the other day announcing that she had given up cat breeding, and has now only two cats as pets. "Once a cat fancier always a cat fancier" is, unfortunately, not a true saying, and a time seems to come to all enthusiastic breeders when they feel they can no longer fight against the ills to which cat-flesh is heir. Fanciers who have never possessed a large cattery are more likely to remain with us, as they have not the same worry and anxiety with their pets, and, therefore, do not become so heartily sick of them.

MRS. GEORGE WILSON has purchased the long-haired blue male Sir Archie, owned by the late Mrs. Young, and Glinka, from the same cattery, a short-haired blue male, has gone to Lady Alexander. The well-known chinchilla Aramis has died very suddenly.

ARRANGEMENTS for Richmond Show on July 4th appear to be well forward. Miss Simpson will manage the show, and the proposed list of judges includes Miss Jay for blues, Miss R. Whitney for brown tabbies, Mrs. Wellbye for silvers, Mrs. Collingwood, and Mr. T. B. Mason.

SOON after Richmond Show comes Harrogate, and for that also preparations are already being made. Mrs. Slingsby will judge the blue and tabby long-hairs, and Mr. Mason and Mr. Ambrose will divide the other classes.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, April 8, 1905, pg 221.

I AM extremely sorry to hear that Miss Samuel intends to give up breeding kittens, and her retirement is a real loss to the Manx fancy, which cannot afford to lose ground. Miss Samuel's strain of Manx cats has been firmly established for some years, and bred true to type, which is more than can be said for any other strain. Luckily, the blood of these cats has not been lost, as Mr. Lowe and: Mrs. Higgens, knowing its value, have quickly snapped up any kittens which Miss Samuel had for disposal to form the nucleus of their own catteries. Miss Samuel has sold the good black queen Mokie, winner of second at Manchester and in kitten to the renowned sire Philip, to Mrs. Higgens.

AMID the present epidemic of retirements it is pleasant to hear that Mrs. Boning has extended her patronage, and in future will breed longhaired chinchillas as well as short-haired tabbies.

IN spite of all that has been written, again and again, in books and papers on the subject, there still exist persons who affirm that, among all their catty literature, they cannot find any clear and concise instructions for feeding kittens. For the benefit of these people, and of the novices who are added to our ranks every year, I annually repeat my Instructions on this point.

IF the mother is well and is not overburdened with too large a family the kittens should require no artificial feeding until they are between four and five weeks old. If it is absolutely necessary to feed kittens before this age I think any good brand of condensed milk is the safest and simplest form of nourishment that can be given. It should, for kittens of three weeks old, be diluted to the same strength as would be given to a baby of six months of age. It is less likely to disagree with the kittens if given when their stomachs are fairly empty, and the mother should not be allowed to return to them for some little time, as it is never good to mix two brands of milk. Two small teaspoonfuls are quite sufficient for each kitten.

IF the mother can manage her family unaided matters are greatly simplified, as no milk food of any description need be provided. The kittens should be fed from the age of four weeks entirely on lean raw beef scraped. Half a teaspoonful may be given to each kitten twice a day, and the quantity may be gradually increased until a kitten of ten weeks old gets about 2 oz. daily and a full-grown cat from 4 oz. to 6 oz., according to circumstances. It must be borne in mind that some cats have much larger appetites than others, and that if fed as described they would always be clamouring for food. When this is the case it is necessary that bulk should be added to the food, and for this purpose I recommend brown bread, wheaten biscuits, or Force.

IN cases of illness where a milk diet is essential - these are very rare - arrowroot, made with milk and thickened with isinglass, is best.

THE raw meat diet has many claims upon the attention of fanciers. It is less troublesome and, I believe, actually less expensive than a mixed diet in a large cattery, where food must in any case be bought. Of course, if raw meat is given in the same quantities as other foods are disaster will come quickly, as raw meat is a concentrated form of nourishment, and therefore very little is required. Cats fed on raw meat are very much cleaner in their habits than those fed on milk slops.

ONE remark I must make. I strongly object to being informed, with an air of authority, that a kitten of six weeks should be fed on a similar diet to a baby of the same age. A kitten of six weeks is as advanced as a baby of two years, and, moreover, a baby is not a carnivorous animal and a kitten is. A kitten of six weeks has a beautiful set of teeth, nicely adapted for eating meat, and a baby of the same age has none.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, April 15, 1905, pg 255.

MRS. GENT is indeed having a run of ill-luck, for she has lost both her stud cats - Romaldkirk Commodore, the blue, and The Absent-Minded Beggar, her well-known chinchilla. The latter was bred by Miss Cochran from her Dimity and Ch. Lord Southampton. It was not intended by this breeding to produce a show cat, but to get a stud cat closely in-bred to Lord Southampton to replace him when he was no longer available. Dimity was by Lord Southampton out of Fairy, a queen of Miss Anderson Leake's strain, and was bred by Miss Cochran, who, when she gave up long-hairs, gave her to Lady Marcus Beresford.

I AM pleased to hear that Lady Alexander has bred two fine cream short-haired kittens by her prize-winning male, Ballochmyle Cream Bump.

I HEAR that Mrs. Vyvyan has recently imported a white Siamese queen. I have great doubts if "plain-coloured" Siamese would be popular even if they were easily obtained, as the great charm of the breed lies in the quaint markings. Moreover, how are we to know that such cats are genuine Siamese, and not common backyard cats which happen to have taken up their residence in Siam. I remember at Holland Park some years ago Mrs, Spearman showed a blue Siamese cat, but she found it hard to convince people that it was a Siamese, and apart from that I could not see any great attraction about the animal. It appeared to me to be merely a rather inferior shorthaired blue of the "Russian" or wedge-faced type.

BORACIC lotion is at all times a useful thing to keep in stock, but when there are young kittens about the supply should never be allowed to run short. If a kitten's eye looks the least weak or sticky it should be frequently bathed with boracic lotion. In case of ophthalmia the lotion should be used as hot as can be borne.

MANY cats will mate again when their kittens are a fortnight old, and most before they reach the age of six weeks, but it is inadvisable if a second good litter is desired to allow them to do so. When a queen becomes very restless her kittens are often upset, and therefore if the existing litter is of primary importance and the queen is very fidgety she may be mated, and all the kittens, except one, of the second litter may be taken from her, as it is a severe strain on a cat to rear two large families unless there is a considerable interval between the arrivals.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, April 22, 1905, pg 291.

MISS ANNESLEY PHAYRE, of Bath, rejoices in the fact that she possesses a very fine young son of the late Absent-Minded Beggar in Lord Victor of Ormond, a magnificent pale chinchilla, with an angelic temper. Miss Phayre has already had considerable success with her kittens, and has two fine litters by Woolloomoolloo II. and Otto respectively.

MR. LOWE is a staunch supporter of the Manx cat, and lives in the hope of one day seeing a Manx cat win the gold medal for the best cat at the Crystal Palace. Mr. Lowe has had some new medals designed for the club of which he is hon. secretary. They are of silver, inscribed "Manx Cat Club" in blue enamel letters.

A CAT which recently produced nine kittens has excited much comment, but I recollect some years ago a blue long-haired queen belonging to Mrs. Cecil Curwen having a family of, I believe, ten kittens, all of which she reared herself!

AFTER all Lady Rachel Byng has decided not to desert the cat fancy, and has gone into partnership with Miss Cust, who is a well-known exhibitor of Chows. I believe that Miss Cust is a fully qualified veterinary surgeon, though, unfortunately, she cannot take her degree in this country.

MRS. CARTWRIGHT is another lady whose formal "retirement from the cat fancy" does not seem to have entirely severed her connection with cats, for she has at present two beautiful litters of blue kittens sired by Goliath II. and Peter of Tovil.

FANCIERS of Siamese cats are few and far between, and of those who remain faithful to the breed the principal are Miss Forestier-Walker and Mrs. Vyvyan, Mrs. M. Robinson, and Mrs. Parker Brough. A few other fanciers exhibit regularly, and yet a few remain in the fancy for a year or two, but the breed makes no real progress in popular favour. The reason for this is, I think, the reputed delicacy of the breed. Admired as it is, I think it would "boom" if people once realized that a Siamese cat would thrive on a quarter the care and attention which is bestowed on a Japanese spaniel. The run of the house, two meals a day of raw beef, and, in very cold weather if the cat seems out of sorts, a course of Kepler's extract of malt and cod-liver oil are all that is required to keep a Siamese cat healthy and happy. It is an advantage if one room in the house can be regarded as the cat's special province, as there his bed and his earth-pan, also a dish of clean water, can be kept, and he can be "collected" and shut in there every night before dark, as midnight prowls are not conducive to good condition.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, April 29, 1905, pg 363.

REFERENCE is made in a contemporary to a blue-pointed Siamese belonging to Mrs. M. Robinson. Somc years ago Mrs. Johnston showed at Westminster a queen of this colour named Menam, bred by Mr. Evelyn, which took third prize. I cannot at this moment recollect what became of this cat, but I fancy she passed into the possession of either Mrs. Neild or Mrs. Robinson. She never had any kittens. Her points were decidedly blue, and there was a bluish tinge all over the ground colour also, and, as far as I can remember, her eyes were more sea-green than china blue.

A WRITER in a contemporary takes exception to my remarks about kitten feeding and the comparisons I draw between kittens and children, but she ignores my most important argument - that kittens are carnivorous animals and babies are not! With two of "Iris's" arguments I must find fault. To prove that a cat does not necessarily know how to treat and feed her kittens she gives an instance of a Pom breeder who weans her puppies at five weeks old because the mother throws up her own partly digested food for them to eat. To my mind this is no argument, for in the first place cats are much more capable mothers than dogs, and in the second it is by no means an accepted rule that this method of feeding is bad for puppies. Many breeders of experience hold that it is natural and therefore right, always provided that the bitch is properly fed. I have had considerable experience and great success in rearing puppies, both toys and large breeds, and have found that only good mothers have this habit, and I have never known it to upset the puppies. Another point which "Iris" claims is that there is a great difference between the warm flesh of young birds (I did not say young) and butcher's meat. True, but there is a far greater difference between milk food and the flesh of birds, and if the question be thoroughly gone into I think "Iris" will find that scraped raw beef on analysis proves to be one of the most easily digested and nourishing foods.

I AM often applied to by novices who wish to commence cat breeding for advice as to what breed of cats they should "go in" for. This entirely depends upon the object in view. If profit is the chief consideration I, without hesitation, recommend blue long-hairs. They are among our hardiest breeds of cats, they breed true to colour, and are saleable as pets. Chinchillas are saleable also, but are not so reliable as regards colour, nor so hardy. If prize-winning is the object in view, a less popular breed should be taken up, and capital openings for new comers are offered in long-haired blacks and brown tabbies, and in many of the short-haired breeds. White, silver tabby, and orange long-hairs ‘are popular; but the two latter present difficulties in breeding which the novice would find a considerable drawback. Siamese are exceedingly attractive and easily disposed of at good prices, but a certain amount of care is necessary in rearing the kittens.

SANDY SHOW will not, as was feared, be allowed to lapse this year, but will be held on August 3lst, and Mrs. Collingwood, Mrs. Balding, and Mr. Mason will judge.

MISS CATHCART, who, as will be remembered, purchased the red tabby short-hair Ch. Belle [Bell] of Bradford from Mrs. Collingwood some time ago, has now become the owner of that sensational black orange-eyed Prissy II. Miss Cathcart intends to take a really first-class team of short-hairs out to America with her, and she certainly knows what to buy.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, May 6, 1905, pg 363.

THE Short- haired Cat Society has made a step in the right direction by coming to a definite decision with regard to the type of shorthaired blues. A round head, short face, small ears, and orange eyes are to be encouraged by the club, which wishes to see blue cats rather higher on the leg than other cats. This last point is, I think, a mistake in conjunction with the round head, as the short-legged cats are usually those with the roundest heads. The short sealskin-like coat is much to be desired, and any suspicion of a long-haired cross is to be tabooed. Finally, the club has decided to call the cats "shorthaired blues" and ignore the much-discussed question of their nationality. This is an exceedingly wise course, and if we wished to be strictly accurate I think we should follow the same course with all our so-called British cats, for I doubt the existence of any evidence that they are of British origin any more than that they first appeared in France or Germany.

THERE has been a good deal of discussion of late over the prosecution of an animal trainer for alleged cruelty to a cat. I find it very difficult to believe that any cruelty was practised, for the nature of the cat is such that cruelty only arouses its natural contrariness. A cat is an extremely nervous and, at the same time, intensely stubborn animal, and the only way to teach it to perform tricks is to persuade it that it wishes to perform them. A frightened cat seeks only to escape, and if that is impossible crouches on the ground. I feel great respect for anyone who can succeed in educating cats, for I am convinced that unlimited patience and gentleness is required, and that the slightest punishment would do harm rather than good. It does not sound pleasant for the cat to be knocked over by dogs, but she may not have minded it. Without a personal acquaintance with the cat I cannot say. My cats and dogs are the best of friends, and the dogs frequently charge the cats and knock them head over heels and lick their faces, and the cats do not seem the least annoyed or frightened.

MRS. GREGORY, of Southampton, has bred a couple of beautiful chinchilla kittens from her well-known Sylvia Atossa and Mrs. Greenwood's Roys Laddie, a son of Rob Roy of Arrandale. Both kittens are of the Rob Roy stamp, and from their width of skull look like males, though they are females, and one is especially pale-coloured and quite unmarked.

IF the Southern Counties Cat Club manages to hold the projected show in January, as it probably will, the show will be in Bath, not Bournemouth.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, May 13, 1905, pg 403.

A MOST interesting item of information has reached me from the Faygate cattery. Lady Alexander possesses a very curious mixy tortoiseshell queen, which was bred from a tabby and white sire and a red tabby dam of the Perfection strain. This little queen, Miss Pluff, has since kittenhood, when she was reared in an incubator, been an especial favourite with her mistress, and that she is of great value has been proved by the fact that she has just produced a solid red male kitten. The sire of the kitten is the Abyssinian, John Bunyan, first and championship at the last Crystal Palace Show. The kitten is absolutely unmarked, and is, all over, the colour of Ch. Perfection - darkest red. My readers will recollect that I have from time to time suggested the possibility and the desirability of such a colour being produced, but I have never been able to suggest the means by which it could be attained. Lady Alexander has solved the problem, and is to be congratulated on having produced a valuable and unique specimen of the feline race. The next suggestions for novel colours are chocolate brown and yellow with black stripes. I have seen an isolated specimen of each of these colours, but their origin was unknown and they left no progeny.

OTHER litters at Faygate are two beautiful creams and three blues by Cream Bump, and three blues by Brother Bump out of Miss Muffet. These latter I venture to prophesy will, if they grow and flourish, make a sensation later on. Glinka, Lady Alexander's recent purchase, is rapidly improving in condition.

MRS. COLLINGWOOD has at last returned home, feeling almost a stranger to her pets. The beautiful silver tabby short-hair Toodles has two sons by her sire James II., and at present their markings promise extremely well, as indeed they should. Another very promising kitten is a brown tabby, which Mrs. Collingwood considers much better than her well-known winner Flash Jack, and she has also some promising creams. The blue long-hair claimed at Southampton Show has grown into a fine cat, and his eyes deepen in colour with age. Litters by Don Carlos, Dick Fawe, and Romaldkirk Jackal are expected shortly, so the Bessington cattery is by no means diminishing; and a litter of Skye terriers by Winsome Boy and a French bulldog add to the variety and interest of the establishment. Mrs. Collingwood is possessed of the very laudable ambition to show only cats of her own breeding.

MISS CATHCART has sailed for America, taking with her the red tabby Ch. Belle [Bell] of Bradford and the blacks Orange-eyed Prissie II. and Anne.

MR. LOWE has sold his well-known Manx queen Girlie, and she goes shortly to Auchterarder. Mr. Lowe would not have parted with her, but he is particularly anxious to encourage the Manx fancy in Scotland.

AN article in OUR CATS strikes me as so extremely sensible that I am tempted to quote it in parts: "If you are seized with an extremely bad attack of the cat fever be wise and give in to it at once. If you struggle against it the symptoms will only increase in violence; and really, if taken in time and treated judiciously, there is no reason why the complaint should prevent you from following your usual avocations in life. Sometimes however, it does place its victims completely hors de combat, and we have known some estimable people who go through life with little interest in any of their surroundings, save only in their cats. . . Both for the sake of the cats and of their owners moderation is advisable. Much as we all love our pussies, do let us bear in mind that, after all, they are not quite on the same level as our children or other relations . . . There is no doubt that every hobby may be turned into a craze, and that the latter is just as bad for us as the former is good."

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, May 20, 1905, pg 443.

MISS CLIFTON is busy in her cattery now, for her orange-eyed black Manx queen, Josephine, has two really good black kittens, which, as they are inbred to Weybourne Henry, should be useful in establishing a strain. The dam of the well-known Maria also has two kittens.

MRS. GREENWOOD is delighted with the kittens she has bred from her young chinchilla male, Roys Laddie; all his kittens are very pale and unmarked; and a brace of seven-month old queens from a daughter of His Majesty particularly excel in these points. Mrs. Greenwood has plenty of room in her present abode, a big old-fashioned house, for pets, both indoor and out, and she is willing to take in a few boarders, either cats or toy dogs. We all know how devoted to animals she is, and from personal knowledge I can speak of the unremitting care and the ungrudged labour which is expended on them. Moreover, Mrs. Greenwood is so thoroughly reliable in all her dealings that it is a pleasure to do business with her.

MR. MASON retains his popularity as a cat judge. This is greatly to his credit in such a fickle fancy, and his name is down to judge at Richmond, Harrogate, and Shildon; and we shall no doubt find that he is appointed judge at most of the other shows also. I was very much surprised to see it stated in a contemporary that "a raw meat kitten is a great nuisance in after life to an owner who cannot afford this expensive and exclusive diet." It is a fact that if a kitten has been brought up on raw meat its constitution has been so well built up that it is better able to digest a mixed diet than is one whose food has been varied from birth, A kitten reared on raw meat does not refuse all other food, as some people seem to imagine, but is ready to devour anything that is offered to it, because its appetite is good. If common sense is used, a raw meat diet is not expensive, but where only one or two cats are kept it is unusual to buy special food for them, and in this way a raw meat diet may cause extra expense. I have always said that a healthy cat may be fed on table scraps, provided that a large proportion of those scraps consists of lean meat.

FISH should be given to cats but rarely, as it is a frequent cause of skin trouble. Salt fish acts as an irritant poison.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, May 27, 1905, pg 509.

MRS. KENNAWAY has sold to Miss Veevers the young cream tom, Garboldisham Joe, with which she won first at Manchester; but still retains his brother, Junker, third prize-winner in the same class. Mrs. Kennaway had not intended parting with either of these cats, but Miss Veevers's offer came at a moment when catty cares were rather overwhelming.

MRS. KENNAWAY tells me that the price of her surplus stock has gone up of late, as some of the cats have so much improved. Britannia and Crilla, two young blue queens by Criquet, have developed most gorgeous deep copper-coloured eyes. Criquet himself is flourishing and as youthful as ever, but Peter of Tovil begins to show age, though he has sired some good kittens this year, and both Shield and Tamsen have some promising babies sired by the old cat.

MRS. BENNET still has some good cats, though she parted with several when she was ill in the early spring. Prince of Thanet is well, and more enormous than ever.

IT seems that a class for cream short-hairs will be demanded at the next Crystal Palace show, as Lady Alexander, Mrs. Collingwood, and Mr. Ratcliffe are all the happy possessors of kittens of this colour.

IT is an unfortunate fact that when a good coloured kitten results from an unsuitable mating, inexperienced fanciers, not realizing that the success of the experiment is a mere fluke, immediately think the secret of success has been discovered. A certain smoke cat mated with an orange has produced good coloured kittens, blues and smokes among them. I may say plainly that this result is not to be anticipated from such a mating. When smokes are crossed with oranges or tortoiseshells the kittens are usually mixed in colour and frequently a really good blue or smoke kitten is spoiled by a yellow patch on its head. Even if the cross does not betray itself in kittenhood a yellow shade is apt to appear in the coat later on.

MRS. CARTWRIGHT has six really beautiful blue kittens, with magnificent coats, from Goliath II. and Upwood Canothus, a daughter of Timlins, and another promising litter by Don Carlos.

THE new owner of Mr. Lowe's winning Manx Girlie is Mr. Hally. Mr. Lowe would have kept her, only she was Bozzym's own sister, so unsuitable as a mate for him. Mr. Lowe, like several other fanciers, is faithful to his first fancy, the black Manx.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, June 3, 1905, pg 537.

I AM extremely sorry to hear of the death, from a broken blood-vessel, of Mr. Witt's well-known sire, Goliath II. The loss to Mr. Witt is great, and I am sure he has the sympathy of all cat fanciers. Goliath had made a great name at stud, and his kittens, usually, were particularly good in eye colouring. His sire was that gigantic cat Goliath, once the property of Mrs. Foote, and his dam, if my memory does not deceive me, was Mrs. Chew's Chin Chin, a daughter of Blue Robin.

THAT good old cat, Ch. White Friar, is now the property of Mr. Don, of Dunblane, best known as the exhibitor of the beautiful orange-eyed black, Young Flora.

AN extraordinary: tale is going the rounds of the press about a cat which has a taste, amounting to a passion, for paraffin oil, and will always lick up all that drips from the barrel. I fear this cat's digestion is out of order, for his appetite is certainly a morbid one, and he is not likely to live long. Paraffin oil is a capital thing in its proper place, but that is certainly not inside a cat's stomach.

MISS HOUBLON'S fascinating white kittens are by Ch. Blue-eyed Wanderer out of a daughter of his. They are just six weeks old - strong, healthy kittens, with beautiful coats like their parents, and deep blue eyes. Miss Houblon is parting with these kittens because she prefers blues, and she has now a family of blues by a son of Mouflon out of a daughter of Blue Boy II., which are enormous kittens for their age.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, June 10, 1905, pg 35.

IT has been practically decided that the January show of the Southern Counties Cat Club is to be held at Bath if a suitable hall can be obtained. An idea was suggested that the show should be held at Southampton in alternate years, and that Bath, Bournemouth, and other large towns should be occasionally patronized by the club.

THE list of judges for Richmond Show, on July 4th, has been published. Miss Jay takes blues, Mrs. Wellbye silvers, Miss Whitney brown tabbies, Mrs. Balding Siamese, and Mr. Mason the remainder.

MISS SIMPSON, the energetic hon. secretary of the B.P.C.S., proposed resigning her arduous duties the other day, but was persuaded by the members of the club to stick to her post.

MRS. SINKINS has some pretty little smoke male kittens by her beautiful Teufel out of a good dark smoke queen from Mrs. James's strain.

ANYONE in want of a really good silver kitten at a reasonable price should refer to Mrs. Gregory's advertisement. I have seen the kittens advertised several times and they are well grown and exceedingly healthy. Both are males and have magnificent heads. One is a pale chinchilla and the other will, I think, eventually be a pale silver smoke, as it has at present a pale chinchilla body and a smutty face.

FANCIERS of long-haired cats should take a lesson in the treatment of coats from breeders of Angora rabbits. How these marvellous animals are kept in form is a mystery to me, but I believe bedding on suitable material and daily grooming with a metal brush are important features in Angora exhibiting.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, June 17, 1905, pg 48.

ON the cover of Our Cats a week or two ago appeared a photograph of two really beautiful white Manx cats, but nowhere in the paper can I find any information as to the originals. They strongly resemble Sir Claud Alexander's Lord James Dumpsand his good lady, and so possibly may be descendants of theirs, as I know Mrs. Hallen had a kitten of the same strain.

AT Richmond classes are provided for kittens over two months old. Whether this is a wise step or not I must leave for others to decide, for I do not care to exhibit long-haired kittens at all before they are ten months old, as I consider the risks are too great in these days of mysterious epidemics.

THE death of Peter of Tovil was not totally unexpected, for, as I mentioned a few weeks ago, he was beginning to show age considerably. It is only about eighteen months since Mrs. Cartwright and Mrs. Kennaway purchased the old cat, but they have bred some good kittens from him.

THERE has been some correspondence recently in a contemporary on the subject of the duplication of registered names. If one goes back to the early volumes of the N.C.C. stud-book and searches with care numerous errors will be discovered. Sometimes two cats have one name, and sometimes one cat has two names, which is worse. It does not do to be too severe on these little mistakes. Everything must have a beginning, and starting a stud-book is a very arduous task. If those who compiled the first volumes of the N.C.C. stud-book lacked experience, and were - whisper it softly - a trifle careless as to details, we, none the less, owe them a deep debt of gratitude for what they did.

THE daily application of brush and comb is at present absolutely necessary if our stock is to be kept in good condition. The long drought is sure to mean an early commencement of the flea plague. Full-grown cats cannot thrive and tiny kittens will waste away if they are tormented by countless fleas. In some parts of the South of England little longhaired kittens should be carefully combed with a fine tooth comb twice daily. I do not believe flea powders do any good when fleas are really plentiful, and if the kittens lick the powder it is apt to make them sick.

SOME fanciers have a rooted objection to sending even full-grown cats on approval, and really one cannot wonder at it when one hears of the extraordinary things done by people who really should know better. Quite recently I was shown all the letters which related to a recent transaction between two very well-known fanciers. One of these ladies purchased a stud cat, approval being refused, and on his arrival did not like him, so used him for stud purposes and returned him next day. It was only with the greatest difficulty that the seller recovered a full stud fee of one guinea, and she has not yet received her out-of-pocket expenses.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, June 24, 1905, pg 112.

MRS. GREENWOOD tells me that she fears she will be obliged to part with her magnificent long-haired black stud cat Zwarte, as blacks are so scarce in the south that there is little or no demand for his services. Zwarte is a magnificent cat, with a massive head and tiny ears, and is one of those desirable animals which never goes right out of coat. His worth is proved by the fact that he has won two championships. Mrs. Greenwood informs me that she has a dark chocolate short-haired queen.

MISS CLIFTON has purchased from Mrs. Higgens the well-known black Manx queen, Witchampton Heads or Tails, winner of two seconds at Brighton the only time exhibited, and one of our best Manx queens. She is bred from Miss Samuel's invincible strain, and has thrown some grand kittens. Miss Clifton has now about thirty cats, and hopes shortly, she tells me, to bring out some new and sensational exhibits; she also has a number of promising kittens. The well-known white queen, Forget-me-not, is such an indefatigable rat-hunter that she now carries about her head innumerable honourable scars.

THE tirades of those who do not approve of meat feeding for kittens are somewhat amusing, inasmuch as some of them are not content with inveighing against it as an indigestible and unsuitable diet, but actually suggest that it is rank poison and practically certain to bring all kittens fed on it to a sudden and violent end. If this is so, how is it that many of our most successful breeders stand by it? Mrs. Herbert Ransome, the clever editor of OUR CATS, not long ago announced that since feeding her kittens on raw meat her troubles and anxieties in rearing them had ceased, and numerous other breeders, large and small, say the same, but who can dispute the verdict of Mrs. Slingsby, whose success in breeding and rearing high-class cats has been sensational, and who rears all her kittens on meat? She says they are not even allowed to smell milk or farinaceous foods, and that they never suffer from digestive troubles.

A QUESTION I am often asked is, "What can be done for a cat whose hair is thin on its ‘temples'"? The reply Is, unfortunately, necessarily vague, for this defect is generally permanent. Most black cats, and many blues, have a line of thinly covered skin running from the ear to the eye. In many other colours it is present, but is not so unsightly as in those mentioned. I wonder if any of my readers have noticed that these thin patches generally accompany large ears. Of course, cats, when out of coat, almost invariably have these patches, but that is unavoidable. In tiny kittens such defects do not readily catch the eye, as kitten fluff covers a multitude of sins, but when buying a kitten I should always avoid one which displayed this tendency to premature baldness.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.
For Rules see last week's issue.
JINKS. - Your kitten is suffering from lice, but at his age it would not be safe to apply any strong dressing. Rub well into the skin every other day a powder consisting of equal parts of powdered camphor, powdered magnesia, and milk of sulphur. Brush out all that remains in the hair. This will cure the kitten eventually, though it may take some weeks to do so.
TROUBLED. - The sore places at the back of the ears are undoubtedly caused by scratching, due to internal trouble. The cat is suffering from a mild form of ear-canker, and his ears must be sponged out daily for a week with equal parts of methylated spirits and warm water. Be sure you get the lotion right down to the base of the ear. Then dry carefully with a wad of medicated cotton-wool and drop in a pinch of boracic powder.
TOPSY. - ln cases of broken limbs and injuries requiring surgical treatment your obvious course is to send at once for the best veterinary surgeon available and put the case in his charge.
SULTAN. - Without seeing your cat, or knowing his pedigree, it is impossible for me to say if he is worth breeding from. He may be very large and heavily coated, and, to the eye of an amateur, altogether magnificent, and yet be by no means a show specimen. There are many other points besides size and coat to be considered. - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, July 1, 1905.

LUE cats, like blue Pomeranians, are often troubled, or rather trouble their owners, by suffering from bare ears. It appears that the growth of hair on a blue animal is not so vigorous as that on any other colour, but luckily the cat scores over the Pom by reason of the fact that the bare ears can be cured by getting the animal into first-class condition by good feeding and constant regular grooming, and by rubbing into the ears occasionally a little sulphur and white vaseline ointment.

MR. HALLY is taking the right course in asking the Scottish Cat Club to make an investigation of the complaint made against him by Mr. McNish of having "faked" the pedigree of a blue short-haired kitten. Mr. McNish brought his complaint before the committee of the Short-haired Cat Society, but as the kitten in question was not exhibited at shows held under their jurisdiction they could not deal with it. The matter is now in the hands of the Scottish Cat Club.

BALLOCHMYLE MOTHER BUNCH is the property of Lady Alexander, who, I believe, loves this little cat more than all the rest of her pets put together. Mother Bunch is a blue short-hair of unquestionably British type; her broad short face, neat ears, big round eyes, and cobby shape make her a most attractive little person. She is a most valuable breeding queen, being the dam and granddam of most of the best short-haired blues of the present day, and when mated to Ch. Ballochmyle Billie Blue Eyes she produced a most beautiful blue-eyed white male kitten, who has already made his name in the show-pen under the name of Billie Bunch.

SUN is good for most animals, and cats can stand almost any amount of heat, but it is only kind to provide poor cattery cats with a cool corner to retire to during the heat of the day. If our cattery boasts the luxury of a run shaded by trees that is all that is necessary, but otherwise an awning should be provided. A bit of old canvas or a few sacks will do if nothing else is available, and if the roof of the house be of galvanized iron it may also be draped. If these draperies are frequently watered with the garden hose the cattery will be delightfully cool. I believe in watering the grass in the runs, and in sprinkling the floors of the houses with water containing a little non-poisonous disinfectant during very hot weather.

MRS. THOMSON, of Inverichnie, near Banff, has written to tell me of her flourishing young families of kittens. Three blues by the late Goliath II. out of a daughter of Peter of Tovil promise well, for at four weeks of age their respective weights are 1 lb. 7oz, 1 lb. 4 and a half oz., and 1 lb. There are three brown tabbies by Persimmon II. and two brown tabbies and a black by Dick Fawe; so Mrs. Thomson has, as she says, "a nice little family to attend to." The cats are out all day rabbiting in the woods - lucky cats! - and their mistress agrees with me that Scotland suits Persian cats well.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, July 8, 1905, pg 187.

THE Scottish Cat Club Show, on November 9th and 10th, should draw a large entry with three such popular judges as Mrs. Mackenzie Stewart, Mr. Colin Campbell, Mr. Dewar, and Mr. Hally.

MISS VEEVERS did well at Ossett the other day, winning second in a strong class with her recent purchase, the well-known cream, Garboldisham Joe. Joe was looking his best, and only gave place to that grand young white male, Mr. Mackintosh's Caledona of Langside, a son of White Friar.

IT was with great surprise and very deep regret that I heard of the death of Ch. Orange Blossom of Thorpe. This was undoubtedly the most notable stud cat of the day, and I doubt if any cat has been so successful since Silver Lambkin. Lord Southampton ran his sire close in popularity, but did not last so well. Orange Blossom was but a young cat, being born in 1901. He was a son of Darius and Daisy Nita of Thorpe, and resulted from Mrs. Slingsby's first effort in cat breeding. He had a singularly successful show career, and won full championship honours at an early age. As a stud cat he was unrivalled, and he sired a great number of noted winners. His best son is Ch. Zeus of Thorpe. Mrs. Slingsby is naturally much grieved at her loss.

MRS. GREENWOOD possesses a curious freak in the shape of a tailless long-haired kitten. It is one of a very beautiful litter of chinchillas by Roy's Laddie, and, having a very shaggy coat and a lovely head, looks like a tiny sheep.

THE Short-haired Cat Society has not yet decided upon a standard of points for short-haired blues, as the meeting where the question was discussed was so poorly attended. The matter will be gone into thoroughly as soon as is possible. All the members are unanimously agreed that the two most important points in the breed are shortness of coat and depth of eye colouring.

IT is possible that Brighton Cat Show may once more appear in our list of fixtures, as Mrs. Bonny is interesting herself in the matter. The last few shows held at Brighton were, I believe, financial failures, but this, I heard on good authority, was owing to a poor gate, as local advertising had been somewhat neglected. For all shows a good gate is essential for financial success, and old hands, before undertaking a show, always give this point serious consideration, and enquire carefully as to the prospects of success in this direction.

AN item of news which appears in a contemporary is of much interest. Mr. Godfrey Shaw states that a tabby queen he used to own, weighing about 3 lb., is, he is told, always throwing kittens of varied colours with permanently blue eyes. Mr. Shaw, not quite believing this, has persuaded the owner to save a kitten from her last litter, and this, a sandy tom, has, at the age of three weeks, brilliant blue eyes. It will be most interesting to hear if they remain so.

MANY years ago Miss Taylor, of Parkstone, told me of a brown tabby queen she knew of whose kittens always had blue eyes. Miss Taylor acquired one of these, but when I saw it at three months old its eyes were certainly not blue. 1 heard no more of the strain afterwards, so conclude the case would not stand investigation.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, July 15, 1905, pg 227.

RICHMOND CAT SHOW.
RICHMOND show was, I suppose, in the matter of entries a success, but the quality of the exhibits, especially in the cat classes, was not very good. The day was extremely hot, and, the tent not being very large, the pens were placed rather close together. The judging was late, and therefore, when the public was admitted, there was a crowd, and the heat was intense.

The long-haired winning cats have been so often described that it is unnecessary to go into details. Mrs. Norris was successful with Kew Ronald and with a fine young Siamese named Kew Ti Wan, a son of Tiam O Shian IV. Mrs. Allen's young blue male, Bluecoat Boy III., Miss Bartlett's pure coloured chinchilla, The Silver Sultan, and Mrs. Steward Dodd's broad-headed silver tabby, Dunsden Abdul, werc all first prize winners. In the short-haired blue classes Mr. Heap's Acton Beau and Mrs. Nott's sweet, round-faced, yellow-eyed Queen of the Blues carried all before them, and Mr. Furze's smart orange Manx, Bob of Birmingham, headed the tailless brigade. Miss M. Attenborough's blue male kitten, Admiral Togo, is a grand specimen, and won all the specials for which he was eligible, including that for the best self-coloured kitten and that for the kitten having the best eyes. In the female class his sister, Laburnum, occupied the same enviable position, and was promptly claimed by Miss Sangster at the extremely low catalogue price of £3 3s. This was a bargain, as the kitten is really good n all points. Mrs. Norris took second and third in this class and first in the pair class with Kew Clondy and Kew Iris, by the same sire as Togo and Laburnum, Kew Blue San Toy II. Miss Bruno's pair of blues, The Catch of the Season and Blue Planchette, though unnoticed, are smart kittens, and should be heard of again.

Mrs. Humphreys won with Ebenezer and Dick, a pair of promising and pale coloured, but very juvenile, chinchillas. I was pleased to sec Mrs. Slingsby again to the fore with a grand silver tabby of her own breeding, Cobweb of Thorpe, by Ch. Don Pedro ex Butterfly, who won the Collingwood cup, the special for best other than self-coloured, and innumerable other honours. Miss Lee's debut as a breeder-exhibitor was successful, as Lingmoor Tuff-Tuff won first and the O. C. and T. S. cup, while her brother, Algy, was second. Both are good level-coloured creams.

The litter classes filled well, but I think double pens should always be provided for litters. I suppose on this occasion space was a consideration, but five or six kittens in a single pen amounts to overcrowding. Mr. Witt was delighted that his five blues by the defunct Goliath II. were placed first. Mrs. Pizzi's winning silvers have good heads and coats, but are just a shade rusty in colour; second, Miss Marriott's litter are altogether too dark; third, Mrs. Herbert's litter of four are a good litter of most promising chinchillas and must have pressed the winners very close. Miss Long's five fine rich-coloured orange tabbies by Torrington Sunnysides were awarded the special for best litter in the show, but many people preferred Mrs. Cubitt's five lovely smokes by Ch. Teufel, a month older, and a real credit to their well-known sire and dam, Ch. Teufel and Minouche of Bromholme.

I WAS extremely sorry to hear of the death of Mrs. Dewar, wife of that well-known cage-bird and cat fancier and judge, Mr. J. F. Dewar, of Edinburgh. Mrs. Dewar had always taken a very practical interest in her husband's pets, which will miss her care and attention.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.
(For Reules see previous issues.)
VALMAR. - From what you tell me I think the licking of his coat probably has a good deal to do with the cat's cough, as, if he is moulting, he no doubt swallows a good deal of hair. Give him a dessertspoonful of warm castor oil, and note the result. Repeat the dose in three days time. Meanwhile brush and comb him every day, and remove as much loose hair as possible.
DARSI. - Continue bathing the eyes with boracic lotion three or four times daily. You might discontinue using the ointment for a few days, and see if the improvement is greater. It is most important to change the bedding frequently, as the discharge from the eyes is almost certain to cause reinfection if it is allowed to remain on anything with which the kittens come in contact. If the paws are soiled with the discharge wash them frequently with Condy's fluid and water. Give nothing but the raw meat.
A. M. ADAMS. - One good meal - or two smaller ones - in the day is sufficient for a pet cat. Do not give your cat fish or milk, but feed him entirely on raw meat for a time, giving about 4 oz. a day. He eats grass when he does not feel well and wishes to be sick. Try the raw meat diet for one month, and if he is not better write again and I will prescribe a tonic. I think the trouble comes from liver and digestive weakness.
DANDY. - Your cat's dirty habits are, no doubt, caused by illness. Milk food, porridge, liver, and lights are all likely to cause and aggravate the trouble. For a time feed him twice daily, giving at each meal one and a half ounces of lean raw beef, over which sprinkle a pinch of carbonate of bismuth. After a time his diet may be more varied, but at present he wants care. At night shut him in a room in which is a shallow tin pan containing clean dry garden mould, sawdust, or peat moss. You can show the cat in classes provided for neuters only. There is a proper and very simple method of dosing cats. Hold the cat by the scruff of its neck with the left hand and tilt the head back till the fore-paws are almost lifted off the ground; the mouth will then open mechanically, and the dose can be tipped down with the right hand. Pills and capsules are more difficult to administer, and I always poke them down with a twist of stiff paper. - DICK WHITTINGTON

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, July 22, 1905, pg 269.

AN advance copy of the Crystal Palace schedule has been published, and I think no breed can claim to have been neglected. Classes are provided for black and white pied cats, both long and short-haired, and cream short-hairs have a class. There are breeders', novice, selling, and working-men's classes, and Abyssinian, Siamese, and Manx cats are well provided for. The committee has very wisely declined to give classes for foreign short-haired blues. Such classes would undoubtedly cause much trouble. The names of the judges are not at the time of writing published, but I hear that Mr. Furze is likely to judge the Manx cats.

THAT well-known chinchilla male, Pathan, has becn sold to go to America.

OUR CATS publishes some quite new facts concerning cats, but does not mention the source from which they are derived. I do not think that Mrs. Ransome evolved them out of her own inner consciousness. We are told that tortoiseshell cats are docile, affectionate, tidy, and good mousers; they are also long lived. Grey cats are quickest tempered; black cats are slowest. Large cats denote sagacity. A long tail is the sign of a hunter. Yellow eyes with very small sights are not so desirable as greyish eyes, half covered by the black pupils. Truly this is most startling information. It is a curious fact that tortoiseshell cats are very often really bad-tempered, while when the colour is mixed with white the wearer is usually most amiable. Long tails may denote hunters, but I have found Manx cats the best of all hunters. With regard to the eyes, the pupil of a cat's eye contracts and expands according to the light to which it is exposed.

I HAVE always read with wonder and admiration the advertisements of patent dog medicines. The same pill cures all canine diseases from distemper and worms to mange and ear canker, but cat remedies are far more wonderful. True there is more variety; a separate bottle is provided for every possible ailment, and we are not asked to believe that the same treatment will cure ophthalmia and mend a broken leg, but what a number of bottles and capsules there are. Surely the veterinary surgeon's occupation is gone, for there is not a disease or an accident from which a cat can suffer which is not instantly cured by a capsule of some patent preparation, Christian Science is not in it. By the way, speaking of that reminds me that I heard the other day of a lady who was endeavouring to train an unruly fox-terrier by Christian Science. From what I heard I do not think the experiment was entirely a success.

THE greatest risk our kittens run at this time of year is of being soaked I by a sudden thunderstorm when shut out in the garden. Some kittens are even so foolish as to remain in their runs in the rain when their house doors are open. For this reason when the owner goes out for the day it is wise to shut the kittens indoors, unless there is someone left at home who can be trusted to think of the kittens at once when cloud comes up.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, July 29, 1905, pg 334.

IT is now some months since I heard that Neila Billi was likely to become the property of Mrs. Slingsby, but, as the transaction was not completed, I was not permitted to mention it. Mrs. Wyndham has now sold this grand young cat to Mrs. Slingsby. It will be remembered that Neila Billi, a son of Ch. Orange Blossom of Thorpe, won the gold medal for best long-hair at the Crystal Palace in 1903, though he was then only a kitten. He is a really good all-round cat of a sound, level, medium shade of blue, with orange eyes, good bone, and a grand broad head.

MRS. SLINGSBY, Mr. Mason, and Mr. Ambrose will judge at Harrogate on August 10th, and at the Crystal Palace the proposed list of judges includes the names of Mrs. Herbert Ransome, Mrs. Balding, Miss Cope, Mr. Louis Wain, Mr. T. B. Mason, Sir Claud Alexander, and Lord Decies.

THE question of whether kittens do better reared in houses or running about has not been definitely settled. I am certain that wired runs are not satisfactory, and, if complete liberty cannot be allowed, the kittens will do better kept indoors altogether. A certain amount of floor and air space is essential to their well-being, and an empty room in the house makes the best kitten nursery possible. The window should be open day and night, shallow pans of dry mould should be provided, and the floor should be washed over once a week with disinfectant, the kittens being meanwhile removed to another apartment.

IF outdoor buildings are the order of the day remember when having them built that the summer sun requires guarding against almost as much as the winter storms. Wooden buildings with galvanized iron roofs set right in the sun soon become like ovens. Were it possible it would be a great advantage to have two sets of houses, one for summer and one for winter, or, what would be simpler, have the houses mounted on wheels so that they can be easily moved into the shade.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.
DICK WHITTINGTON will be pleased to give advice on all matters concerning cats and their ailments, and will be glad to receive for insertion any interesting items of cat news that her readers may send. Queries must be written on one side of a separate sheet of paper, and must be signed with a pseudonym only for publication, but a letter giving full name and address of sender must accompany each query. A postal reply will be sent if the fee of 2s. 6d. is enclosed.. Letters should be addressed, "DICK WHITTINGTON, care of Editor, THE LADIES' FIELD."
BLUE BOY. - The two cats are not likely to fight with one another under the circumstances named. They might, at times, have a slight difference of opinion, but nothing to signify. They would not be likely to fight with a male cat.
JANE. - I do not advise you to keep your own stud cat until you have gained a little experience. You might rear a good male kitten this year and mate him with one or two of your own queens next season.
PUZZLED. - Certainly stud cats, if successful, are the most paying branch of the fancy, but to be successful they must be of the very highest quality. You must thoroughly understand the treatment of cats in general and of stud cats in particular, and have ample and suitable accommodation for the stud cats and for the visiting queens. You must also have plenty of time on your hands, be prepared to give your cats constant personal care and attention, and have businesslike habits and an absolutely even temper.
JACK. - As soon as your cat has cast all its coat the daily brushing is unnecessary, though it would help the growth of the new coat. Frequent combing is necessary to keep fleas away.
VIOLA. - 1. Feed the kitten twice daily, giving at each meal an ounce of lean meat, raw for preference, mixed with double the quantity of stale brown bread or biscuit crumbs, "Force," or any similar food. 2. The rusty tinge is of no importance at present, and will probably disappear when he changes his coat. 3. A female cat does not, as a rule, grow much after twelve months, or a male after two years, but a neuter goes on developing sometimes for another year. 4. There is a cat show at Harrogate and one at Sandy in August, and the N.C.C. Show at the Crystal Palace takes place in October. For the points of a cat I must refer you to "The Cat Manual," which is full of information. I could not possibly give you all the points of different coloured Persian cats in this column.
LITTLE CHIN. - I think that quite possibly if your cat was allowed to rear a litter her health would improve. I expect she has been fretting and got in a low state. I suppose she has not been swallowing her hair? If so a tablespoonful of warm castor oil should be given at once. Your feeding is excellent, but she would be better without the bread and milk. Continue the cod-liver oil. - DICK WHITIINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, August 5, 1905, pg 345.

THE demand for really good Manx cats is considerably greater than the supply. I have during the last few weeks been asked to sell two or three stumpless queens at good prices, but I have none to part with and do not know where to procure good ones. It is not safe to buy from strangers or even from well-known fanciers, unless they have a special knowledge of Manx cats, for cats which they honestly believe to be stumpless will be found on investigation to possess half an inch of tail.

AT a cat show to be held at Toronto on August 30th jumping classes are provided! This is an advance upon our ring classes, but I hope English show promoters will not think of following suit. Ring classes are sufficiently ridiculous, and we do not want anything further in that line.

MRS. KENNAWAY has not been so successful as usual in rearing her long-haired kittens this year, but Tamsen has just had a litter of six fine blues which their mistress hopes may be ready for the autumn shows.

AN appeal to Mrs. Herbert Ransome for news of her cattery brings the unwelcome tidings that it has almost ceased to exist. Darius IV, a cat I have always much admired, is still at Sunnybank, but Mrs. Ransome does not think it wise, in her position, to do much in the exhibition line, and she has no time to attend to kittens.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.
(For Rules see last week's issue.)
A. E. F. - Yellow and odd-eyed cats are of but little value, though the latter are useful to breed from. The eyes should both be bright blue. Half-bred kittens are only worth a few shillings, as pets. The kitten is a handsome one with good bone, but is long in face and large in ears.
BLUETTE. - Write to Mrs. Kennaway, Garboldisham Rectory, East Harling, Norfolk, for a good orange-eyed blue queen at a reasonable price.
SAMBO. - The rusty tinge on the coats of your black kittens is of no account, as it will probably disappear as the coat changes. In the reply referred to the word black was omitted, and that changed the sense of the remark. Long-haired cats are certainly not a neglected breed, but long-haired blacks are.
MARY. - l do not think a chicken-killing cat can be cured. It is really wonderful how few cats acquire this vice. Your best plan is to keep the cat shut up when there are young chickens about. - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, August 12, 1905, pg 409.

THRILLING news reaches me from Mrs. Kennaway. Monte, the Argentine wild cat which was shown at the Crystal Palace, and which has been for eighteen months in the care of Mr. W. R. Temple, has had two kittens, which are believed to be the first of the breed ever born in England. The sire is Mr. Temple's property, and is as tame and friendly as Monte is. One of the kittens unfortunately died, but the other, a male, is, at the time of writing, about a fortnight old and is doing well.

THE Northern Counties Cat Club will not hold a kitten show this year. Much regret will be felt that this pleasant and well-managed fixture should be allowed to lapse, as it has always been a successful and popular show. As my readers know I strongly disapprove of the exhibition of kittens, but I greatly fear that some badly managed kitten shows may now rise up to try and take the place of the Manchester Kitten Show.

IT is curious to notice how quickly cats, once well known, are forgotten. I see inquiries are being made as to the pedigrees of Lord Wimborne and Camera. Both were bred by Mrs. Cartwright, and their sire was Timkins, by Timothy Perkins ex Tide Bond. The dam of Lord Wimborne was Mater, by Lewis ex Betsy, and Camera's dam was Upwood Nebula, by Cloudy ex Vashti.

EVERY cat lover will rejoice at the severity of the sentence passed upon the master of otter-hounds for "drawing" cats from a drainpipe with the aid of terriers. It is difficult to see where the sport comes in when every precaution has been taken to prevent the victim having a chance of escape. The statement that the performance was necessary to enter young terriers to their work was ridiculous, as everyone with any knowledge of dog training is aware of the danger of allowing a young terrier to receive severe punishment before it is properly entered. A terrified cat penned up in a drainpipe would be more than likely to scratch the eyes of the dogs sent in after her.

A CAT show is being held at the Vicarage, Sturminster Newton, tomorrow (Thursday), and classes are, among others, provided for the ugliest cat, the best behaved cat in the show, and the cat with the most beautiful tail. Whether such classes will do any good to the fancy is a question, but they will probably do more harm. More objectionable is the dog classification at the same show, for it is surely inadvisable to encourage the fattest dog, the ugliest dog, and the biggest mongrel.

IT has finally been decided to hold the Southern Counties Cat Club Show in January, at Bath, under the management of Mr. Wyatt, who previously ran the very successful specialist clubs' show. It is hoped that fanciers will generously help the club by guaranteeing classes and giving specials. A few classes are already guaranteed, and the N.C.C. championships are promised.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, August 19, 1905, pg 428.

THE Midland Counties Cat Club proposes to hold a one-day kitten show in Birmingham on September 20th, to take the place of the Manchester Kitten Show, which has been abandoned by the N.C.C.C.

MISS CLIFTON has had the misfortune to lose her good short-haired white queen Fulmer Forget-me-Not, but as she is convinced that the little cat died of old age she does not feel the loss very acutely.

BEFORE these lines appear Harrogate Show will be a thing of the past, but I have heard of several good cats which are to appear there. Mrs. Collingwood cannot resist taking Ch. Miss Toodles, as she is looking so beautiful, while her kittens are visions of beauty. Mrs. Collingwood has now about fifty cats and kittens.

Mr. WITT writes to tell me of a lovely silver tabby queen which he has bred from Blue Robin and Rosalind, a blue queen, and which he hopes to show at Harrogate. Mr. Witt has owned this cat, Houdina of Lozells, so called from her capacity for escaping from confinement, since March, 1904, but she has been boarded out, and now her appearance has given him a very pleasant surprise. Mr. Witt suggests that it would have been well to try crossing our silvers with Robin to get bone, substance, and head. I may say that I did this before the cat became Mr. Witt's property and bred some good chinchillas from him. One of these was the well-known Gossamer. It should be remembered that Robin comes from the same strain as Ch. Fulmer Zaida. Mr. Kerr writes from New Zealand that Robin is doing well, and siring some really good kittens.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, August 26, 1905, pg 506.

THE SILVER LAMBKIN.
THE name of The Silver Lambkin has been a household word among cat fanciers for many years, and it is greatly to the credit of his owner that so great a celebrity is still alive and well. He has been rightly termed the father of the chinchilla breed, a and I think it would be hard to prove that any one good chinchilla was not descended from him. It is a significant fact that any cats which claim to be unconnected with the Lambkin strain have a considerable number of blanks in their pedigrees. We have heard less of Silver Lambkin during the last few years than formerly, as his owner, Mrs. Balding, has not been taking so active an interest in the cat fancy as she used to do; but I sincerely hope her retirement is only temporary. I well remember receiving a letter from her describing a beautiful young chinchilla male, aged two years, which she possessed, but which she dared not show for fear of losing him. It may not be out of place to mention here a little matter which has occasionally puzzled fanciers who have taken up cats in the last few years. Mrs. Balding's older sister, then Miss Mary Gresham, possessed a pair of chinchilla kittens from the same dam as The Silver Lambkin, but a previous litter, and with these she won first at the Crystal Palace, and the kittens were afterwards illustrated in Mr. Harrison Weir's book, "Our Cats." I fancy that one of these kittens died, and that the other was sold to go abroad. In any case they were not heard of again in this country, and as they were known to fame as The Silver Lambkins, their younger brother was named after them.

Seeing my reference to her cat in THE LADIES' FIELD the other day, Mrs. Balding wrote me a short account of his life. The photographs with which the article is illustrated have been very kindly lent by Mrs. Smyth from her collection, with the exception of two or three which I had by me. Silver Lambkin lived with Mrs. Smyth until he was three years old, and she therefore takes a special interest in his career. Mrs. Balding says: "In your recent interesting notice of the death of one of the most noted and beautiful long-haired cats I observed your kindly allusion to Silver Lambkin. It may interest your readers to hear the simple details of this veteran's home life. He is fourteen years old, and is at the present moment as hardy and vigorous in every respect as he ever was. Indeed, he is more alert and enthusiastic over the episodes of his domestic life than many younger cats. As a kitten he ran wild about a country farm, but from the age of eleven months he has never known a moment's freedom, though he has unlimited sunshine and air in a good-sized outhouse with a large open wire run. This never has artificial heat of any kind, even during the hardest winters. Lambkin has always been able to obtain egress to his open run in all weathers and at all hours, and often in the moonlight I have seen him sitting out in the snow on his tree stump. His diet consists chiefly of raw horseflesh, raw eggs, and milk; the only medicine he ever had consisted of one Beecham's pill! As the dose was not repeated, either he did not require it or it must be considered a most excellent advertisement for that famous firm. Though a mettlesome cat, Lambkin is charmingly loving, his courtesy with kittens and lady companions being most amusing; but the distant view or scent of a male cat throws him into a rage that almost amounts to madness. In some hands this useful career would probably have been terminated in early life, on account of the care required to manage such a curious temper. The method resorted to has been to study even apparently heedless details in order to avoid irritating him, with the result that for eleven years Lambkin has probably not known the discomfort of even a passing "breeze" of temper. An absolutely self-possessed cat, he has never felt a moment's fear or nervousness in his life, has never been to a show, this with the object of avoiding excitement, and for the same reason has only taken three railway journeys, on each occasion his basket being carried by hand. Perhaps this simple existence has had something to do with his successes and longevity. - THE HAPPy OWNER OF SILVER LAMBKIN."

HARROGATE SHOW.
IT appears to me that exhibitors in general might have given Mrs. Slingsby and Mrs. Weston better support than they did. Many classes were poorly filled, and a number of prizes were withheld, presumably for want of merit. With so many good cats in the country this surely need not be, but, of course, the long-hairs are still quite out of coat, and many short-hairs are moulting badly. The show was, of course, excellently managed, and was in all respects a most enjoyable one.

To get to the cats. Only one long-haired black male appeared, Mrs. Moore's Holmefield Black Boy, whose eyes are beautiful. The three winning females, Schwartzie, Mir Fille, and Orleans Mimosa, are all so good that it is hard to say which is best. In whites Mr. Godfrey Shaw's Ch. Heath Pearl, as usual, kept well in front. In blue males Mrs. Slingsby entered five cats "not for competition," but they were absent. Three only remained. Of these Oulton Best Man was undoubtedly far the best, his head, eyes, and shape all being grand. The Misses Powis won in the blue female class with Shazada Lorelei, closely followed by Eastbury Mimosa and Nineveh. The best silver tabby shown was Miss Cope's Roiall Marabout, only a baby of four months, but a nice one, and good enough to beat all the adult males.

Miss Chamberlayne's pale chinchilla, Pearl Maiden, was the cat of her colour shown, and received second only, doubtless owing to her lack coat. Mrs. Roberts's smoke, Everton Duchess, and Miss beal's Romaldkirk Jackal occupied the same position. Ch. Holmefield Mandarina was well ahead of th Romaldkirk representative in the orange female class. In cream males Ch. Kew Ronald, having youth, condition and eye colouring in his favour, beat old Romaldkirk Admiral, but Miss Beal brought out a promising young cat in Romaldkirk Lieutenant II. What a name! The winning brown tabby, Mr. Kitching's Norton beauty, is one of the best yet exhibited, and the winning neuter, Mrs. Baker's Cairn Badge, is the most magnificent sable imaginable.

The long-haired kitten classes were well filled, and Mrs. Norris was well to the fore with her blues, which are already well-known winners. Nothing else of startling merit appeared, if we except Miss Cope's silver tabbies. Very few of our best short-hairs turned up. In blacks no first was awarded; second, Mrs. Collingwood's Miss Black Mouse, good in shape and eye, but out of coat; third, Miss Clifton's Weybourne Maria. Whites, first and second, Miss Clifton's Ch. Fulmer Snowflake, a grand cat, but a trifle pale in eye, and Weybourne Alfred; third, Miss Harper's Blue-eyed Susan, nice shape, but pale in eye. In red tabby males Mrs. Pratt's Rochdale Hero, rich in colour and good in markings, won easily. In the silver tabby class Mrs. Collingwood's Ch. Miss Toodles, looking her best, won well, also receiving the special for the best cat in the show. Mrs. Bonny's Ch. Dame Fortune was second, while among the brown tabbies Mrs. Collingwood's Ch. Flash Jack, whose markings always stand him in good stead, carried all before him. In the Manx class The Deemster, a big fine cat and well shaped, won; second being Boygym, the best Manx male I know of at present by a long way, but dead out of coat. Weybourne Henry, a fine cat, but losing in shape of quarters was third. Mrs. Bonny's silver tabby kitten, Dame Fortune II., promises well.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.
(For Rules see previous issues.)
DUNBAR. - l do not think you will find that there is much to be "made" out of breeding short-haired cats, and very little out of long-hairs.
SAFFRON. - In the red short-hair markings are essential, but in the long-hair it seems to be a matter of taste, some fanciers boasting that their cats are almost unmarked, others that theirs are well marked. The latter are certainly correct, as an almost unmarked cat merely makes a bad attempt at being a self colour.
JUVENILE. - A young male of ten months, if of good quality, well grown and in full coat, would stand an excellent chance against older cats; in fact, a kitten of under a year has frequently won as "best cat" at the Crystal Palace.
SARAH. - Do not wash kittens on any account, and do not wash cats if it is avoidable. They can easily be cleaned by brushing prepared white fuller's earth through their coats. - DICK WHITTINGTON

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, September 2, 1905, pg 506.

LADY RACHEL BYNG is selling some of her good blue long-haired kittens. One litter is by Guilliam of Cademuir, by Ch. Orange Blossom of Thorpe ex a queen descended from Ch. Woolloomooloo, out of Wrotham Blue Girl by Darius. The other litter is by Robert of Cademuir by Blue Boy II., out of a descendant of Moko and Sensen. With such breeding the kittens should certainly be above the average.

MRS. CARTWRIGHT is rejoicing in the possession of eight of the most beautiful blue kittens, or, rather, young cats, I have ever beheld. They are sired by Goliath II. and Don Carlos, and their dams come from the old Timkins strain, and every kitten bears a strong resemblance to the old cat, for they have deep orange eyes with black rims and particularly sweet faces, and are very pale blue in colour.

I HEAR that, in addition to Miss Toodle's lovely silver tabby kittens, Mrs. Collingwood has this year bred a couple of really good brown tabbies, which have dark lips and chins.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, September 9, 1905, pg 11.

MRS. KENNAWAY is one of those successful breeders who really deserve success. For years she plodded steadily on, exhibiting cats and kittens of her own breeding and rarely winning more than third or v.h.c. Yet she never complained and was never discouraged, but kept steadily on sticking to he same strain and every year showing better stock, until at last, by sheer hard work and persistence, she has won her way to the top of the tree. She can now with a tolerable degree of certainty count on carrying off first prizes at all the best shows. Garboldisham Criquet is Mrs. Kennaway's favourite stud cat, and has, perhaps, done more good to her strain than any cat she has possessed. He is a beautifully made level coloured blue, with a fine broad head and yellow eyes. Not a great show cat himself, he has earned a reputation by the winnings of his kittens. Jolly Girl and Oscar are two young cats which have recently distinguished themselves in the show-pen.

IT is a curious coincidence that two well-known cream queens should have been regarded as non-breeders for some time, and after changing hands should immediately produce good litters. Creme d'Or, when the property of Mrs. Wellbye, though repeatedly mated, never had any kittens, but after she went to Mrs. Norris produced Kew Ronald and a brother, almost as good, now in America. I don't know if she had any other kittens. Miriam of the Durhams had always been regarded by Mrs. D'Arcy Hildyard as a non-breeder, and that lady presented her to Mrs. Gent. Quite recently Miriam has produced three fine kittens by Torrington Rufus.

I FAIL to see what is the attraction to some people in cats whose tails curl over their backs; personally, I would just as soon see a fox-terrier with a pug's tail. This deformity, for deformity it undoubtedly is, is fairly common, and I have frequently come across cats with curled tails, and have possessed several so-called "squirrel-tailed" cats, whose tails lay along their backs. The well-known smoke male, Lindfield Bogie, and a little blue queen, Scotch Mist, both had squirrel tails. Of course, such a defect, if noticed by the judge, would severely handicap a cat in the show-pen.

THE Midland Counties Cat Club holds out to exhibitors great inducements to support their kitten show at Birmingham on September 28th. The judges are Mrs. Herbert Ransome, Mr. Mason, and Mr. Furze. The age of kittens varies in the different classes, being from three to six, three to eight, three to nine, and six to nine months, and some classes being for those under six months. There are also litter classes, so everyone is provided for.

THIS changeable showery weather is bad for kittens and fatal to those which are kept in wire runs, for they are nearly certain to be caught and drenched by a sudden heavy shower. I have found half a camphor pill, promptly administered, very effectual in checking a sneezing cold. Kittens which live a semi-wild existence never seem to suffer from the wet. They take shelter when rain is actually falling, and immediately it stops rush about among the dripping bushes enjoying a shower bath.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, September 16, 1905, pg 52.

SANDY Show has, of course, been the event of the week so far as cat fanciers were concerned, and, enjoyable as the show was, I was sorry to note that there were sixty-four less entries in the cat section than last year. Quite a number of classes had to he cancelled for lack of support, and many prizes were withheld. Mrs. Western's successes in the long-haired section were phenomenal.

A GREAT drawback was the fact that a number of cats were entered of whom the sire and dam were not given in the catalogue. To people who, like myself, take a particular interest in noting the successes of various families this constitutes a most serious omission, and takes away much of the interest of the show.

MISS BEAL brought out a nice young blue male (pedigree not given), who was placed first, while her orange male took third and her creams second and third. Mrs. Slingsby's beautiful orange-eyed Lisabel of Thorpe won well in her own class, also taking first in the novice class. Mrs. Norris's blue kittens, Kew Cloudy, a well-known winner, and Kew Robin, of her own breeding, as usual, headed the blue kitten class. The oranges, Kew Red Comyn and Kew Red Spider, were first and third in their class, while Kew Ronald remained undefeated.

MR. WITT'S beautiful broad-headed silver tabby was placed second only, but Miss Chamberlayne's pale chinchilla, Pearl Maiden, took first on this occasion.

MRS. WESTERN'S winnings included first, second, and third in the cream female class, second with Wynnstay Crazy, second with her cream kitten, Wynnstay Tryphena, which shows great promise, second with the short-haired tortoise and white Wynnstay Patchwork, and first with a really good blue short-haired kitten, Blue Bess, capital in shape, colour, and eyes. The white short-hairs from this cattery were rather unlucky, as both Prickly Pear and Wynnstay Snowboy deserved notice.

THE winning short-haired white was Miss Clifton's well- e known Ch. Fulmer Snowflake, in good form; the second, Mrs. Press's Marquis of Bath, wants a bit of grooming, and loses in ears. Mrs. Hughes's good short-haired blue male, Sherdley Delves, was looking his best, and won easily. Nothing noteworthy appeared in red or brown tabbies, and in silver tabbies Ch. Dame Fortune, in very fair coat, had an easy task to win, as had Miss Clifton's good orange-eyed black, Maria, in the variety class.

IN the Manx class the rder was the same as at Harrogate, Boygyn first and The Deemster second, with Mr. Lowe's Missing Link third. Weybourne Henry would be better at home until his temper improves, as it is impossible to judge him. Many otherwise amiable cats take fits of fury when in the show pen, and repeated showing only makes them worse, while a long rest may calm them down. Dame Fortune II., who promises to surpass her mother in beauty, won first in kitten and novice classes.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, September 23, 1905, pg 112.

IT is a great pity that Lady Pink has decided to give up cat breeding. Her silver tabby long-hairs, of which, perhaps, Shrover II. was the best known, were remarkable for their purity of colour and dense black markings, the essential points of a good silver tabby.

MRS. SINKINS is very busy already over the preparation for the Southern Counties' Cat Club Show at Bath in January, and is wisely planning everything well in advance. Mrs. James has most kindly consented to act as show secretary and manager, and the suggested judges are Miss Jay, Mr. Mason, and Mr. Ambrose.

THE list of judges for the N.C.C. Show at the Crystal Palace is as follows: Mrs. Balding, white and chinchilla longhairs; Mrs. Herbert Ransome, long- haired blues; Miss Cope, silver tabby long-hairs; Mr. James, black and smoke long-hairs; Mr. Louis Wain, long-haired tortoiseshells and brown tabbies and short-haired neuters; Miss Forestier Walker, Siamese; Mr. Furze, Manx; Mr. Mason, orange and cream long-hairs and all the remaining short-hairs; and Lord Decies, the working men's classes. I do not think such a splendid list of judges has before officiated at any show. In almost every case the judge appointed is a specialist, and a popular specialist. I hope the reappearance of Mrs. Balding as a judge may bring about an improvement in the entry in the chinchilla classes, for these have been a lamentable failure at recent shows. At Harrogate and at Sandy I believe only one chinchilla cat was entered in the open classes. Mrs. Wilson has always been a generous supporter of the chinchilla classes at all shows, whether held north, south, east, or west, and the quality of her cats is enough to redeem any show from the charge of mediocrity, but, unfortunately, her health has of late prevented her from exhibiting.

I AM sorry to hear from Miss Clifton that distemper has broken out in her cattery.

MRS. COLLIINGWOOD'S silver tabby kittens must indeed be promising, for she tells me that she believes that two of them are good enough to beat Toodles.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, September 30, 1905.

SILVER-TABBY breeders will feel very sorry to know that Lady Pink has quite decided to give up cat breeding and has already parted with most of her cats. Though she did not very often exhibit, her cats were always well to the fore when they appeared in a show-pen, and Shrover II. and Seabreeze will be remembered by all showgoers. Lady Pink's cats were remarkable for their very pure silver colour and dense black markings, and these essential points, their mistress tells me, came from her first silver-tabby cat, Flossie, a very worthy young scion of the house. Shrover IV. of Dingley is now owned by Miss Anderson Leake, and should prove a most valuable cross for her well-known Topso strain.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.
(For Rules see last week's issue.)
DAPHNE. - The white spot on your black cat's chest would, I fear, prevent his winning at a good show.
Chickey. - I think £60 is the highest price ever paid for a cat, and that was for the chinchilla Ch. Lord Southampton. Various stories are told of cats costing £100, but they are simply exaggerations. The fact that a certain cat's catalogue price is £100, or even £20,000, is no proof that that is the animal's value, but merely an indication that the owner does not wish to sell it.
NOVA SCOTIA. - If you decide to try to hand-rear the kittens feed them on new milk (goat's for preference) and Plasmon, mixed according to the directions on the packet, until they are four weeks old, when they should have a little scraped raw beef.
ANXIOUS. - The diarrhoea is caused by the strain of rearing so large a family. Take the kittens away at once and give the mother a teaspoonful of castor oil, and then feed her on raw lean beef with a pinch of carbonate of bismuth. She will be all right in a few days. - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, October 7, 1905, pg 181.

MRS. SYNNET has been much struck by the resemblance of her cat to the descendants of Silver Lambkin, and though she does not know his pedigree she feels sure that he is a member of the same family. Be this the case or not, the cat in question is undoubtedly a very handsome animal, and he is much beloved by his mistress.

IT is quite time that breeding operations for the year were at an end. All brood queens should have as long a rest as they can be prevailed on to take from family cares, and if they are to be shown at the winter shows it is imperative that they should start growing their winter coats early. A majority of the queens mated after August miss, and if they do not, kittens born in November or December are often troublesome to rear; so, all things considered, it is well to make a rule that unless under exceptional circumstances no cat shall be mated after July.

I WAS asked the other day to advise someone how to tame a very savage cat. In the first place it must be ascertained whether the cat only bites and scratches because it is wild and shy, or if it is really savage. In the first case quiet, gentle treatment should be steadily persisted in, and though the cat should be gently stroked every day when he is fed, it is well not to insist on stroking and petting him if he shows signs of nervousness. At first he will probably run into a corner and hiss, but when he finds he is not followed up he will gain confidence, and after a few days will remain and eat his supper while being handled. A vicious or so-called vicious cat is usually a tom of of mature years. Siamese toms, if they change hands frequently, get into trouble for attacking and biting their opponents. The reason for this is, I am sure, that most people treat a strange cat with too much familiarity, and thereby offend its dignity. I have possessed many tom cats which had got into trouble for biting people, and some of them after leaving me disgraced themselves again, but not one ever bit me. I remember one Siamese tom was sent to me to take care of by a friend. He had been a pet house cat until my friend bought him. She boarded him out, but he was returned to her as dangerous because he flew at people's throats. I kept that cat for six weeks and never had the slightest trouble with him. My mode of procedure is to let the cat make the first advance. Take little or no notice of him until he offers to say "How do you do?" and then merely speak to him politely and withdraw. He will think all the better of you and every day will become more familiar. If it is necessary to pick him up do so with care and ceremony, and if he is to be moved even a short distance from pen to pen shut him into a basket first. On no account pet a strange tom cat for many minutes together, for it is a curious fact that when they seem most pleasant and affectionate they frequently are suddenly overcome with excitement and seize and bite the hand that caresses them.

IF it is possible - I do think it often is - when a cat seizes you by the wrist grasp him firmly by the scruff of the neck and make him release you, then holding him firmly give him a couple of good hard slaps. This is not sufficient to really scare or hurt him, but will show him that you are not afraid of him, and do not intend to put up with any nonsense. I once had a young tom cat of my own breeding who began to get very saucy, and I knew he would want checking soon. One day when I was combing him he suddenly seized me by the wrist with teeth and claws, and would have bitten me severely had I not been lucky enough to catch hold of him in time. I gave him several hard smacks down his shoulder, and he never showed temper again, even after I sold him.

MRS. WILSON was much pleased by the success of her lovely chinchilla kittens, Silver Roy and Vyvyenne of Arnrandale, at Birmingham. Both kittens are wonderfully pale and pure in colour, and have broad short faces, and Vyvyenne has not even got the usual face markings. Mrs. Wilson's health has not allowed of her attending shows lately, but, as she says, it has been hard to resist exhibiting such little gems s these.

I Am extremely sorry to hear that Mrs. Vinent Roberts is retiring from the cat fancy owing to ill health, and is parting with all her cats. The Chippenham House stud was got together regardless of expense, an contained such notable winners as Silver Starlight, Oulton Rajah, and Kew Sailor Boy, and it is a great pity that such a stud should be dispersed so soon.

MRS. KENNAWAY tells me that by an error her four orange kittens, which won third in the litter class at Birmingham, were entered as by Criquet ex Sheila - truly a strange family for two blue cats to produce! As a matter of fact, the kittens are by Junker, the cream, ex Goldie Locks. Junker, I hear, is siring some fine kittens. Sheila has five lovely blue kittens with grand heads by Zeus of Thorpe, and if these do well they should be heard of later, as Sheila's kittens generally manage to do some winning.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, October 14, 1905, pg 193.

ECZEMA is one of the greatest enemies of many cat fanciers. It usually comes, in the first place, from indigestion, and a complete change of diet is quite likely to effect a cure. Overcrowding and dirty ill-ventilated houses are also frequent causes of this tiresome ailment. Whether caused by neglect or by improper feeding it is a most troublesome complaint, difficult to get rid of and apt to recur, and for this reason I should never buy a cat which I knew to have recently suffered from any skin disorder. Cats are much more difficult to treat for skin diseases than dogs, for they cannot be muzzled, and they persist in licking off the dressings as fast as they are applied; therefore, only very mild and probably inefficient preparations can be applied by amateurs. A little sulphur or boracic ointment well rubbed into the skin is perhaps the safest application for general use.

FROM Mr. Witt, of Birmingham, comes a budget of interesting news. Blue Robin having died, Mr. Kerr, of New Zealand, wrote and asked Mr. Witt to send him out a good young blue stud cat. The cat selected was by Goliath II. ex Blue Patti, and was one of the first prize litter at Richmond. On returning home, after a short absence, the morning the kitten was to be sent off Mr. Witt did not think he looked his best, and so very reluctantly dispatched Cicero of Lozells instead. Mr. Witt was now left with but one blue stud cat, Royal Bobs, and, seeking for another, his choice fell upon Bobbie Burns, but, failing to buy him and being in Sheffield, he called to inspect Mrs. Vincent Roberts's cats, and ended by purchasing Oulton Rajah and Vareski. Oulton Rajah is a grand young cat, a son of Ch. Orange Blossom of Thorpe, and already a well-known winner. Vareski, whose name is to be altered to Goliath III., is smaller, but a cobby thick-set cat, with lots of bone and a particularly short nose.

MR. WITT is much elated by the success of Royal Bobs at stud, as he sired the first, second, and third prize litters at the Birmingham Kitten Show, and Mr. Witt has a grand litter of seven by Royal Bobs ex Queen of the Earth to bring out at the Crystal palace.

MANX CATS are certainly the most difficult of breeds to work with. Miss Samuel tells me that she has not yet bred one kitten this year. Her young male, Donald, has grown into a grand cat, and the blue Persian son of Brushwood Boy and Wrotham Beauty, though only seven months old, is a huge magnificent cat, and has been taught to follow his mistress about like a dog.

H.H. PRINCESS VICTORIA OF SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN has kindly consented to become president of the Southern Counties Cat Club, and the Dowager Lady Northesk will be vice-president.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, October 21, 1905.

AN article which appears in the Strand Magazine for October should, if it is to be taken seriously, provide interesting reading for breeders of live stock, for it deals with the effect of various articles of diet upon the face and features. It is impossible to quote largely from the article in question here, but cat fanciers should note that meat is apparently more satisfactory for cats than fish, which is said to decrease the size of the eyes. Bloodhound breeders will be able to pick up tips for producing wrinkles, and much other such information is given.

I AM sorry to hear of the death of old Ch. White Friar. This cat, of unknown ancestry, was first shown at the Botanic Gardens by Mrs. Horsfall, who had, I believe, kept him as a stable cat. He was then quite in the rough, but Mrs. Champion saw his good points, bought him, got him into form, and showed him with great success, and in her hands he made a great reputation as a stud cat, which reputation he maintained after he went to Scotland. White Friar was rather a small cat, and his eyes were pale in colour, but I think those were his only faults. His head and shape were beautiful, he had a particularly short nose and tiny ears, and carried a profuse coat of lovely texture. He has left many children and grandchildren to represent him in the show-pen.

SHEFFIELD SHOW.
SHEFFIELD SHOW was well supported, and the quality of the exhibits was first-class. Ch. Heath Pearl, Orleans Dorothy, and Neila Billi of Thorpe, Mrs. Slingsby's recent purchase, headed their respective classes, and need no eulogy from my pen. A new face was Mr. Mann's Lady Cutbarth, which won in the blue female class, a really lovely kitten by the late Ch. Orange Blossom of Thorpe. Miss Whitney brought a grand team of brown tabbies from Dublin, and won first, second, and third in open female and second and third in kitten classes. Her cats are all remarkable for their wealth of coat and warm sable colouring. Mrs. Norris's celebrated orange kittens, which have appeared successfully at every big show this year did well in cat and kitten classes, and her cream Ch. Kew Ronald, of course, won easily over Ch. Romaldkirk Admiral and Lieutenant. Mrs. Wilson brought out Sceptre of Arrandale again, after her long abstention from shows, and won with her. I consider this to be quite our best chinchilla queen at the present time. She is very large and heavily boned, has lovely eyes, is a clear pale colour, and carries a splendid coat. The pretty pale-coloured Pearl Maiden had to be content with second place. Miss Cope's exquisitely marked round-faced silver tabbies, Roiall Chieftain and Bartaline, were undoubtedly the best silver tabbies shown.

The Manx classes were well filled, but it was rather difficult to follow the judging. In open males Miss Clifton's Weybourne Henry was first and Weybourne Harold second, while Boygym, who I make an easy first in this or any company, and who was in lovely form, was placed third. In limit and female classes Mr. Ratcliffe won with Errol Perfection She is a beautiful clearly marked silver tabby, good in coat and shape but marred by a stump which should have put her out of competition. Orleans Billy, the brown tabby, is a real good Manx, and Witchampton Heads or Tails is a first-class black, and can hold her own with any Manx queen now exhibited. Mr. Ratcliffe also won well with a very nicely marked Siamese named Madcap.

In the white class Mrs. Heslop brought out a good new cat in Jack's Jacket, who won easily, though dead out of form; and in blacks Miss Clifton's orange-eyed Weybourne Richard was first. Mrs. Hughes's blue Sherdley Delves was in capital form, and deserved all he won. Mrs. Collingwood showed, and, of course, won with Ch. James II., looking well; and his daughter, Pretty Flower, an exquisite kitten, won a silver cup and special for the best short-haired kitten in the show.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, October 28, 1905, pg 325.

THE judges who have been invited to officiate at the Southern Counties Cat Club Show at Bath are: for longhaired blues, Miss Jay; chinchillas and all short-hairs, Mr. Mason; and Mr. Ambrose and Mr. Lane will take the remainder.

FROM Miss Samuel I hear that her Manx queen, Teenee Tinee, the dam of so many noted winners, has two lovely black female kittens, which, if they survive, will probably appear in the show-pen later on.

A SHORT-HAIRED red tabby cat was objected to at a northern show the other day for having colouring matter in its coat, and the case will shortly come before the N.C.C. committee. It is rumoured that this is a by no means isolated case, and that it is becoming a common practice to dye red tabby cats. If this is so the sooner measures are taken to stop it the better.

MANX exhibitors are filled with wrath on finding that the essential point, taillessness, of a Manx cat has been ignored at recent shows, and that stump-tailed cats have in several instances been placed over really good Manx. This will do great harm to the breed, as these "stumpy" cats will be bred from, and the good work of years will be undone. A year or two ago the stump-tailed cat had almost disappeared from the show-pen, but a very little encouragement in the shape of prizes has produced stumpies innumerable. Let the judge of Manx cats remember that in the first place they must be absolutely tailless; secondly, the hind legs must be long and muscular, with very well let-down hocks, high rump, and very short back; third, comes colour and markings; fourth, coat, which should be longer and more open than the British cat. The head is a point which does not receive much consideration. Personally, I favour the Eastern type, which is longer and narrower in face and has rather bigger ears than the British cat, as being more typical of the genuine Manx, but some fanciers, I believe, like the round short face.

I WISH some generous fancier would guarantee classes at some of our large shows for male cats over five years. These veterans are, as a rule, debarred, from lack of coat and youthful bloom, from successful competition with younger cats, but it would be most interesting to see them once more. Such paltry defects as the loss of an eye or a crumpled ear should not tell against them, and the age of each cat should be chalked up on his pen, and the judge instructed to make allowances accordingly.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, November 4, 1905, pg 363.

I HOPE none of my readers will be so foolish and cruel as to follow the example of a certain lady who publicly claims to have "starved" mange out of her cat by restricting him to very small meals of fish. It is worth noting that the cat in question is not yet well, but is supposed to be "on the high road to recovery." Everyone who knows anything about animal diseases knows that mange is a parasitic disease and must be treated by external applications; moreover, that it is a very trying and lowering complaint, and it is essential that the patient's general health should be kept up by particularly generous feeding. This being so, the treatment described is both incorrect and cruel. If the cat in question is cured by the starving system, I have no hesitation in stating that the case was one oi "mistaken diagnosis," and that the cat was not suffering from mange at all.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, November 11, 1905, pg 403.

CRYSTAL PALACE CAT SHOW.
THE N.C.C. Show at the Crystal Palace was a brilliant success, both quantity and quality being the order of the day. To Lady Decies's old Ch. Fulmer Zaida, who was looking lovely, went the award for the best cat in the show by the vote of four judges out of six. Mrs. Collingwood's exquisite silver tabby, Miss Toodles, was the best short-hair.

Mrs. Slingsby swept the board in blue long-haired males with Neila Billi, Authos, and Bertrand of Thorpe, the former not quite in his best form. In smoke males Mrs. Sinkins's Ch. Teufel won easily; his coat, colour, head, and eyes are exquisite. Miss Burchell's Treasure shows markings. In the female class Mrs. Roberts's Everton Duchess was a good first, and Miss Tiddleman's Warley Venus, whose ruff has grown again nicely, was second. Mrs. Cubitt's Minouche of Bromholme might have been higher, but she has just left six kittens, so her coat is a bit ragged.

Mrs. Norris's orange kittens, Kew Red Spider and Kew Red Comyn, first and third in the open male class, were very much admired, but most people preferred the third prize-winner to the first. Miss Chamberlayne's winning brown tabby male, Russet Boy, might well be warmer in colour and darker on chin, but Miss Whitney's winning team of females - Brayfort Honey, Brown Berrie, and Tip Topper - were a picture.

Chinchilla males were a poor class. First went to Miss Tyser's Argent King, a large cat in good coat, but showing dark markings and shadings; second was Miss Meeson's Prospero Duvals, who did so well in the kitten classes last year, also showing markings on legs and tail. He was beaten in eye colour, but his lovely colour and texture of coat are good. Chinchilla females were a good class. First, Lady Decies's Ch. Fulmer Zaida; second, Miss Ford's Roosalka, a pretty-faced cat in nice form, but heavily marked on legs and tail; third, Miss Chamberlayne's Pearl Maiden, good shape, pure colour, and free from markings, but a trifle dark on head, with lovely eyes. Mrs. Wilson's Lenore, a really beautiful cat, was unlucky here, perhaps owing to a slight accident to her hock; she beat the first prize-winner at Manchester last January.

In the smoke, silver tabby, or chinchilla breeders' class, Teufel, the winning smoke male, was first, a clear win; Roosalka, second; and third, Mrs. Wilson's Silver Orion. The last named, a son of Rob Roy, was also first in the chinchilla male kitten class, and is an exquisitely pale unmarked kitten; second, Miss Ford's Paul Pry, a very pretty kitten; and third, Mrs. Dunderdale, a well-grown kitten beaten in colour. Chinchilla female kittens: first, Mr. Brown's Gay Girl, pale in colour, but showing slight markings; second, Lady Decies's Fulmer Moonbeam, below the age limit, a charming baby; third, Mrs. G. Wilson's Evelynne of Arrandale, a gem. Mrs. Curwen's winning blue kitten, Mouflon Grey caused quite a sensation; its coat is marvellous.

The silver tabby classes showed a marked improvement in the breed. Don Pedro of Thorpe was entered "not for competition," and therefore, though the glory of a win is his, the substantial benefits must pass to the second prize-winner, Watership Fitzhamet, a wonderfully improved cat, round in head, and well marked. Next in order came Miss Leake's Dingley Autocrat and Dingley Fashion, the former a grand young cat with clear ground colour and dense markings and absolutely free from brown. But for show fright he might well have been higher. Dingley Fashion is not yet in coat and is a bit faded, but we already know him to be a real good cat. He and Fitzhamet are sons of Abdul Hamet of Dingley.

Much sympathy was expressed for Miss Lees at the defeat of her beautiful Lingmoor Tom, who, though looking his best, was awarded only v.h.c.; the lovely smoke, Omeewoo, occupied the same position.

Sir Claud Alexander's beautiful white Manx appeared once more, and were, of course, placed first and second, and Mrs. Fletcher's Lady Lucky went to join their cattery. Miss Clifton's black Manx males - Weybourne Harold, Henry, and Antony - did well, as did her females, Ramsay Empress and Witchampton Heads or Tails, but Boygym was hardly in his right place with second, though his cattery mate, Tynwald's Pride, won a first. It is rather amusing to note that every Manx cat or kitten received notice in each class in which it was entered. Miss Clifton did well to win the white short-haired male class with Weybourne Alfred, whose eyes are beautiful; but in blue males no male has yet appeared to compare with the really faultless Ballochmyle Brother Bump, though Ballochmyle Bumping Still made a good second. Lady Alexander showed a very fine blue queen in Ballochmyle Sister Bump, who has a round face with big orange eyes, and a capital sound coloured coat.

The short-haired silver tabby classes were of much interest, especially because of the breeding of the winners. Ch. James II. won well in the male class, second going to Miss Meilan Wilkinson's Sweet William, while the third prize-winner was Mrs. Bonny's beautiful kitten, Prince Fortunatus, who is by Sweet William out of Dame Fortune, a daughter of James II. This kitten was claimed by Lady Alexander. In the female class first went to Mrs. Collingwood's well-known Ch. Miss Toodles, by James II., second to Mrs. Bonny's Dame Fortune II., full sister to Prince Fortunatus; and third to Ch. Dame Fortune. James II. may rightly claim to be a pillar of the stud book. Lady Alexander brought out and won with a beautiful novice in Ballochmyle Bumpums II., a son of her champion and of Miss Muffet, who beat Bumping Still. Old Ch. Perfection, in his twelfth year, again won the red tabby championship.

A good many sales were recorded, and it is rumoured that several purchases were made for America.

MISS CATHCART has sent to Mrs. Collingwood from her American cattery, and under the care of her own man, a good young tortoiseshell cat by Ch. Bell of Bradford ex Ann; the latter was sold to her by Mrs. Collingwood last year.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.
DICK WHITTINGTON will be pleased to give advice on all matters concerning cats and their ailments, and will be glad to receive for insertion any interesting items of cat news that her readers may send. Queries must be written on one side of a separate sheet of paper, and must be signed with a pseudonym only for publication, but a letter giving full name and address of sender must accompany each query. A postal reply will be sent if the fee of 2s. 6d. is enclosed.. Letters should be addressed, "DICK WHITTINGTON, care of Editor, THE LADIES' FIELD."
PAMELA. - 1. If the stud cat in question is a proved stock-getter the fault must lie with your queen. I have known of cats missing several times, though they had previously bred good litters, and I have known of cats which would only breed when allowed to go astray. As the owner of the stud cat is so kind as to let you send again I should certainly do so in the spring, when I expect all will be well. If not, try another stud cat, or else let her have another mongrel litter before trying again. 2. I think there must be a little irritation inside the ears. Sponge them out occasionally with equal parts of methylated spirits and warm water, and then dry very thoroughly with absorbent cotton-wool and dust out with boracic powder.
JAFFA. - I think that to sell as pets blue kittens are, on the whole, best. Fashion changes more or less, but blues are popular, and they are good cats to keep in town, as their fur does not show dirt. Whites are very popular and very attractive, but many people will not have them at any price because of the trouble of keeping them clean.
SARAH. - I once had a cat like yours who would not touch raw meat and who loved milk. I gave way to his prejudices, and let him have a saucer of milk every morning and a plate of cooked meat at night, but I must say that he was the most difficult cat to keep in condition I ever possessed.
TURK. - Bathe the cat's eyes every morning with boracic lotion - a teaspoonful of boracic acid to half a pint of water. Use a clean scrap of absorbent cotton-wool for the operation. When the discharge, which is only caused by weakness of the eyes, stops the stain will disappear.
CECILY. - See answer above to "Turk™ in regard to the cat's eyes; the matter does not appear one to cause anxiety.
LUCASTA. - The kittens are not worth anything from a show point of view, but, as you suggest, they might fetch a few shillings at a bazaar. It does, indeed. seem a pity to drown them.
POOH-POOH. - For an answer to your question I must refer you to your doctor, as the matter is quite outside my province. It is, I suppose, possible that a cat would have such an effect upon some skins, but it is certainly very unusual. I do not think the cat has any disease if, as you say, his skin appears to be perfectly healthy and his coat is in good order. - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, November 18, 1905, pg 420.

MRS. WILSON writes to tell me that she has purchased Silver Starlight as an out-cross for queens of her own strain. Starlight is an old favourite of mine and a well-known winner, and has sired a great number of winners. He is a son of Mrs. Balding's late Silver Laddie, and therefore half-brother to Ch. Fulmer Zaida. His colour is particularly pure and pale, and he possesses that round kitten face so rarely found in a stud cat. Taken all round he is a chinchilla of great quality, and I congratulate his new owner on her purchase. Though not a young cat, he should, when he gets into Arrandale form, still hold his own in the show-pen. Mrs. Wilson is delighted at the success of Orion at the Crystal Palace, and certainly for a three-month-old kitten to beat the full-grown chinchilla males is an achievement to be proud of. Mrs. Wilson has decided not to show kittens again. She was anxious to prove that the progeny of Rob Roy and Ardpatrick could win, but, having done so, she thinks that discretion is the better part of valour.

IT is truly depressing at this time of day to hear one of the N.C.C. judges advocating classes for green-eyed blue cats. The reason given is that there are many very beautiful green-eyed cats in existence which would be useful for breeding from. If this is so there is nothing to prevent people breeding from them, though this is a course I deprecate. Green-eyed cats want very little encouragement, and if they get it the improvement in eye colouring noticeable during the last few years will quickly go to the winds. As well might we provide classes for chinchillas with brown noses, or brown tabbies with white chins, because many otherwise beautiful cats are marred by these defects. From the same point of view it would be well to approach the Kennel Club with a view to asking it to provide classes for prick-eared collies and ring-tailed Skyes in future.

THE Midland Counties Cat Club will hold their show at Birmingham on November 28th and 29th. As usual, a capital classification is offered. Kittens will be allowed to leave at the end of the first day.

THERE is much talk of a large show which it is proposed to hold in London in January under the management of Miss Simpson and Mr. Cox. I think it would be a great pity to hold another show during that month, when we have already a championship show at Bath and another at Manchester; but I hear that possibly the London show may be postponed till February. This would be much kinder to the executives of shows, who selected their dates many months ago so as to avoid all risk of clashing.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, November 25, 1905, pg 503.

A CIRCULAR giving the proposed classification at Bath Show has been sent round, and proves interesting reading. A large number of classes have been guaranteed, but there are still some which require support . While on this subject I would like to remark that there is no great generosity in guaranteeing classes which invariably fill well. What is wanted is pecuniary assistance for those classes which usually have a poor entry. With Miss Jay to judge the blue long-hairs, and Mr. Mason all the other classes, there is not much to complain of, and fifty-seven classes are included in the list.

MISS ANDERSON LEAKE has been rather hurt that a contemporary should have accused her beloved Dingley Autocrat of having a brown nose. As a matter of fact, Autocrat's pure colour is his strongest point, and his mistress specially prides herself on his freedom from brown hairs.

EVERY now and again some complaint is made, through the press, by donors of special prizes that the winners of these prizes do not invariably write and say "Thank you" for them. Let me commence by saying that when I used to show and win a number of specials I invariably wrote and thanked the donors, and that I am not speaking from a prejudiced point of view. I do not consider it by any means a duty to write these letters of thanks, I merely did it because I knew that many people expected it., As a matter of fact, the prizes are given to the show and not to the individual, and cannot be regarded as a generous present from one exhibitor to another, but are a contribution to the show funds. They are definitely offered for competition in the schedule, and the exhibitor when making entries pays for the chance of winning them. He is no more bound to write and e thank the donor for a special prize than the guarantor of a class in which he has won. In many cases the address of the donor is unknown to the winner, and it seems rather ridiculous to write and bother an overworked show secretary for an address in order to send out thanks to the giver of an eighteenpenny photograph frame. Yet, if we are to be consistent, the giver of the photograph frame is just as much entitled to thanks as the giver of a 10-guinea cup. I do not deny that it is a civil and a graceful act to write a few words of thanks and acknowledgment for any special prize received - as I said I have always done so myself - but I do not think it should be demanded as a duty. I consider that the person who writes to the papers complaining that he has been insufficiently thanked for his generosity is guilty of a worse error of taste than the ungrateful recipient of that generosity.

THE subject of pen-dressing is a constantly recurring source of argument and trouble. It is no doubt wise to avoid all appearance of evil, and, of course, as the N.C.C. forbids all pen-dressing and distinguishing marks, its rules should be carried into effect. I do not myself consider the matter of the least importance. If a judge is known to be so dishonest as to be led astray by such means he should not be asked to judge, and if any single individual has doubts of the honesty of a generally accepted judge it is easy to refrain from showing under him. On the other hand, does anyone for a moment believe that a judge who is worthy of his position does not instantly recognise every well-known cat at sight without the aid of special ribbons or hangings? At dog shows exhibitors show their own dogs, and in the ring classes at cat shows the same rule prevails, and I have never heard that there was more dishonesty in the judging of the ring classes than the rest of the show. What is really wanted in the cat fancy is some new blood among the judges. I mean no disrespect to those judges we already have; many of them are tried and capable officials, but there are too few of this stamp. Women judges, with a few notable exceptions, are not a great success. We want men with the courage of their opinions, a certain position in the fancy, and a determination to stand no nonsense from exhibitors

SILVER QUEEN. - Your questions demand a somewhat comprehensive reply, and I should suggest that you send for a copy of "The Cat Manual," procurable from George Newne Limited, price 1s. 6d. net, and study the points of cats in general. Your kitten, from her breeding, is presumably a chinchilla. If this is so her colour should be pale and clear silver, free from dark markings, and her eyes green; her other points the same as other long-haired cats, broad round head, short nose, short thick legs and tail, full coat and frill, large eyes, small low-set ears, etc. You ask me to recommend to you a suitable mate for her at a "reasonable price," but I have no idea what you consider a reasonable price. It might be anything from 1 to 5 guineas. Your best plan would be to send your queen to some well-known stud cat when she is old enough. If you really wish to buy a male kitten you can easily procure one through our private sales column, but I suppose you know that you cannot keep him indoors alter he grows up, but will have to keep him shut up outside.
BRASSY. - Dark hazel eyes are correct for both cream and orange cats. I quite agree with you that the washy greenish-yellow eyes spoil the expression and give that colourless plain look which I think is the reason these cats do not advance in general popularity.
STRIPES. - Very few silver tabby cats are quite clear in colour. The majority have a slight brownish tinge on the nose, if nowhere else, but specimens which are absolutely pure in colour do exist and are prized accordingly. - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, December 2, 1905, pg 538.

FROM Lady Alexander comes the interesting news that she has taken up silver tabby short-hairs and has purchased that good queen Sweet Phyllis, from Mrs. Herring. Phyllis has done a good bit of winning, but hardly so much as she deserved. My earliest recollection of her is her winning firsts at Westbourne Grove in a remarkably strong class, while Ch. James II., who had not then risen to fame, was second. Sweet Phyllis and the young tom Lady Alexander purchased at the Palace will make a beautiful brace, and if the same enterprise and enthusiasm be exerted on behalf of the silver tabbies that have been expended on the reds, blues, and whites at Faygate they will soon be a power in the land.

THERE is certainly room for another silver tabby exhibitor. Mrs, Bonny and Mrs. Collingwood are keen fanciers and own a few beautiful cats, but if their pens are empty the classes might as well be omitted, for there are no cats of the second grade to fill up.

MISS CLIFTON is advertising that good Manx tom, Strathcona, for sale. In my opinion he is the best shaped Manx cat I have ever seen, and when shown under a specialist judge he carried all before him. Of late he has only been shown under all-round judges, who, going by colour alone, put him below cats his inferior in every essential point of a Manx cat, because they did not care for his red and white jacket. Strathcona was imported from a farm in the Isle of Man where the breed has been kept pure for over twenty years.

MR. VICTOR LLOWE, the hon. secretary of the Manx Cat Club, will judge the Manx cats at the Birmingham Show in January, and it is hoped that a good classification will be guaranteed.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.
DICK WHITTINGTON will be pleased to give advice on all matters concerning cats and their ailments, and will be glad to receive for insertion any interesting items of cat news that her readers may send. Queries must be written on one side of a separate sheet of paper, and must be signed with a pseudonym only for publication, but a letter giving full name and address of sender must accompany each query. A postal reply will be sent if the fee of 2s. 6d. is enclosed.. Letters should be addressed, "DICK WHITTINGTON, care of Editor, THE LADIES' FIELD."
O. R. COOTE. - Your cat is certainly very large, but I think there were many cats at the Crystal Palace Show which were larger than he, though large pens dwarf them rather. Weight classes used to be given, and I think the highest recorded weight was between 24 lb. and 25 lb.
TWEEDLEDUM. - You do not tell me how the kitten is fed, or give any details as to his general health, the state of his bowels, etc., so it is impossible for me to advise you. You had better show the kitten to a veterinary surgeon in case there is a growth. If the trouble is caused by indigestion, and you will give me a few particulars of the case, I shall be pleased to help you.
NOVICE. - It is really impossible for me to diagnose or prescribe for a case where no details are given. How is the cat kept and fed? Are her general health and her appetite good? Where are the sores, and what is their size and general appearance? If you will tell me all this I can form an opinion. In the meantime feed the cat on raw beef, and apply boracic ointment to the sores. The other trouble appears to be a tumour, unusual in a cat under the circumstances, but unless very large it is better left alone, and it would be well, if possible, to prevent her having any more kittens.
ESPERANCE. - The cat must be shut up at night. Feed him just before dusk, and he will soon learn to come. Feed well, on raw beef if possible. Give a dessertspoonful of warm castor oil, and afterwards, daily, the same quantity of Kepler's extract of malt and cod-liver oil. If there is no improvement in three weeks please write again, and I will prescribe further.
DONATIS ROBIN - I wish you had asked for a postal reply, as the matter appears to be rather urgent. Poisoning from eating yew-berries appears to be the trouble, and I gather that though the kittens have been kept indoors the trouble continues, and this shows inflammation is still present. The kitten should be fed entirely on arrowroot, made with milk and thickened with isinglass and given cold, a dessertspoonful five times a day. When the passing of blood has quite stopped he may be given a small quantity of scraped raw beef once a day and arrowroot twice. If this causes no relapse he can gradually go on to raw beef entirely, and after a few weeks can resume his ordinary mixed diet, except that fish and vegetables must be excluded, and milk should be given in very small quantities, and the effect carefully noted. For the stud cat try feeding entirely on raw meat for a time, but do not give too much - about 4oz. or 5oz. a day should be sufficient; no milk. To the sore spot apply every day a powder composed of equal parts of black sulphur and alum. I suppose it is not ringworm? If so the spot should be painted with paraffin. I have often admired your beautiful sable kittens at shows, and I remember quite well the first you exhibited.
GIMCRACK. - I never advise people to let their cats "rough it"; - but I may say that my own cats and kittens, long and short-haired, run about out of doors, summer and winter alike, in wet weather or dry; some are shut in at night, and others run in and out as they choose, and I find they thrive on this treatment. Of course, all are meat fed. - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, December 9, 1905.

BY a slip of the pen I stated the fact that Mr. Lowe would judge at Birmingham. It is at Manchester, in January, that Mr. Lowe will undertake the Manx classes. Mr. Lowe informs me that, though his long-haired cats are few, they are of good quality, particularly some young silver tabbies which he bred himself from a Dingley Hill sire. They have very fine heads and hazel eyes, of which Mr. Lowe is an admirer.

IT is a curious fact that, while the health of indoor and cattery cats is often more or less affected by the weather, real outdoor, stable, and garden cats, whether of the common short-haired breed or the more delicate long-haired, seem to thrive equally well in wet or dry weather. I have always found that dry weather, frosty for choice, suited cattery cats best, and that damp had a depressing effect upon them; but my outdoor cats are as well during a wet autumn as during a dry spring. I had a cat which suffered from chronic snuffles, which did not inconvenience him so long as he was running free; but if he was shut up in a loft for a day he began to cough and sneeze. Eventually he developed a taste for infanticide, and it became necessary to shut him up more or less frequently, and the effect on his health was so bad that after a few weeks he had to be destroyed. Undoubtedly, the fresh-air cure is the treatment for most catty disorders.

I RECOLLECT being told by a leading veterinary authority that distemper was invariably fatal to wild animals, such as foxes, wolves, etc., when living in confinement, but he added that he believed if given their freedom they would recover. This statement seems to be borne out by the fact that there are on record several well-authenticated cases of valuable cats and dogs which, when apparently dying of distemper, have escaped from their happy homes, and after a night or two in the open have returned well on the road towards recovery., A well-known symptom of pneumonia in cats is a craving for fresh air, and a cat with inflammation of the lungs likes to sit with its nose glued to its door hinge.

I OWN I have a great belief in nature as a doctor, and I think if cat fanciers, without resorting to the extreme measure of turning their sick kittens out of doors on a wet night, would follow her teaching they would meet with better success. My own treatment for distemper would be to keep the patient in a room with the window open day and night, and feed on raw beef, with occasional doses of bismuth or salad oil, according to the state of the bowels, and if the patient refused to eat I should give it a very little Valentine's meat juice. It is a mistake to overfeed a feline patient when it refuses food.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, December 16, 1905, pg 98.

CATS AT HARROW.
THIS function, which was held in aid of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Society in the Public Hall, Harrow, on December 6th, proved a great success. Miss Ida Kirkpatrick, whose especial adventure it was, made an admirable secretary. The ladies of the committee added to the general well-being of all concerned. Mrs. Deans and Mrs. Hebert gave a charmingly arranged tea, and Mrs. Tremlitt catered for pussy. We greatly applauded the paper plates on which minced meat was served, their perishable attributes doing away with the chance of infection always possible in the feeding pans.

Mrs. Balding judged. The entries ran up forty-seven in advance of the similar show held two years ago. Of the eight classes provided, four, given respectively for long-haired, short-haired, kittens, and cottagers' cats any variety or sex, were confined to exhibitors within a radius of three miles: three were similarly arranged with a twelve-mile limit, and the cottagers' class was replaced by one for "children's pets," which proved quite exciting, particularly so, it may be imagined, for the judge, who, nobly supported by the handsome list of seven prizes, faced a conglomeration of birds and beasties, ranging from a pet lamb to a chameleon.

The winner of first and all specials for the best cat in the show was an exceptionally good Abyssinian - Mrs. Pitkin's Princess Alice. Mrs. Foote's Yashte, second in the class, is quite a good Siamese, failing only in a clouded body colour. Mrs. Zeph's Toby, a grand silver tabby neuter, second in the companion class within a three-mile radius, made a good third.

The winner for best long-haired, Mrs. Read's Silver Milord, an angel-faced chinchilla, is a grand boned cat, pale in colour. Following came a glorious blue neuter, who also carried off all specials for the best blue cat present, Mrs. Edwards's Plutarch, and a gem-like chinchilla, Mrs. Gunn's Lovely Mary.

In the twelve-mile radius Miss Kerwell's brace of azure-eyed whites, Una and Jessamine, sandwiched a blue, Mrs. Brewer's Rokeles Rip, a grandly grown youngster with a sunflower head. Una won also for best white in the show, the best black being discovered in Mrs. Thompson's Black Dream, reserve in the previous class. Mrs. Jenkins's Tib won first and all specials for best tabby and best orange tabby present. This cat will go higher; he is richly marked on a clear ground, and sound in chin and eye. In the two classes for kittens some moderate blues appeared. but were easily passed for first and leading specials by Queen Tossa, of unique tawny colour and very heavy coat, second going to Mrs. Tremlitt's red tabby, moderately well marked and good in chin and eye.

The cottagers' class produced two special winners in Smut, first prize, a neat satin-black female, and Lion Reserve, a huge rich-coloured orange neuter, who, in the absence of any orange or cream cat of superior merit, became the fortunate possessor of all specials offered for those colours.

BIRMINGHAM Show appears, from an exhibitor's point of view, to have been a brilliant success, the only grumble being that the hall was a long way from the city. This arose from the fact that the committee was too generous, and sacrificed its own interests and the gate-money to the comfort of the cats. The hall in question was an excellent one for the purpose and very well lighted. The quality of the exhibits was first class, and one exhibitor writes to me that it was "such a blue show," and blue of the right shade, too. Neila Billi, much improved since the Palace, carried all before him, and Don Pedro of Thorpe, shown for competition this time, was bearing off challenge cups, etc., galore. I am told that it was only necessary to see Mrs. Wilson's face to know that the Arrandale cats were successful, and that they were in their usual faultless condition, and the winning male, Argent King, attracted much admiration by his fine head and eyes.

A GOOD deal of surprise was expressed when Wildon Wily was placed ahead of Kew Ronald, who is a more massive cat, and, to my mind, better all round, but, of course, tastes differ, and Kew Red Spider kept up the credit of his cattery. Omeewee and Lingmoor Tom once more occupied their rightful positions in the neuter class. The special for best orange eyes in a blue went to Mrs. Baker's Askelon of Badger, who was, perhaps lucky in this award; that for longest frill in an adult blue female to Garboldisham Hetty, who, if I mistake not, was the winner of Mr. Witt's bangle last year. Miss Beal showed a blue male with wonderful eyes in Boatswain II. but he is, unfortunately, very small.

IN short-hairs Lady Alexander had an invincible team, and won for best short-hair with Ballochmyle King of Reds, while the Palace winning blue, Ballochmyle Bumping Still, was the best self-colour, and the red queen, the best of her sex and colour yet seen, named rightly Ballochmyle Pamela Perfection, headed open and novice classes, only going down in the breeders' class before Dame Fortune II. Crocna Tuppat. Ballochmyle Bo-peep, Black Bump and Snow King also won well deserved firsts, and several second went to the same cattery.

MRS. COLLINGWOOD'S silver tabbies had very bad luck, but they were not looking quite the best, and no doubt they will again head the list.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS
(For Rules see last week's Issue.)
EQUINE. - Fresh sound horseflesh is excellent food for cats when it can be obtained. The other day I received a couple of very fragile little eight-week kittens. Raw meat was scarce and they were fed on a mixed diet, and one promptly got diarrhoea. A change to two meals a day of horseflesh soon put matters right, and now both kittens are huge and fat.
TOPSY. - I do think it is rather cruel to take all the kittens from your cat at once. Why not let her rear one, then have it made neuter and give it away. Neuter cats are always easily disposed of.
SIMPLE SIMON. - Many long-haired cats never require combing, though all are the better for it at times, and some must be combed regularly when moulting.
JIM. - A Manx cat with a stump tail is really of no value except for breeding from, and not always for that. - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, December 23, 1905, pg 135.

I WAS pleased to hear again from Miss White Atkins, who has been very much "on the move" for the last year. She is still travelling about, and therefore practically lost to her "catty" circle; but she hopes to settle down again next year, possibly in Devonshire. Miss B White Atkins has, I think, only one cat left, a chinchilla queen, and that she intends to dispose of; but I do not think she will be long without a cattery when she once more has a settled home.

MISS SAMUEL tells me that she has had so many applications for black Manx kittens that she thinks of breeding some more, which is good news, but that for exhibition purposes she intends going in for blue Persians, a breed with which cat judges seem to feel more at home. I feel sorry for this decision, as if the people who know a good Manx cat drop out of the ranks of exhibitors the fancy will soon be left entirely in the hands of the ignorant and incapable.

THAT Miss Samuel is an expert in kitten rearing is proved by the fact that she has successfully brought up a Manx kitten by hand, a task which few people would undertake, and which has rarely been accomplished. The mother, Teenee-Tinee, had two kittens, one of which died and the other seemed inclined to follow suit, and, as cats often do under these circumstances, she became indifferent to it. A couple of Persian kittens were procured to make up a family, and with these she was delighted, but the little Manx was still left out in the cold. Miss Samuel then came to the rescue, and brought the kitten up on Nestle's milk given from a spoon, and it can now feed itself quite well and is fat and strong. It is destined for Mrs. Higgens's cattery.

I AM very sorry to hear that Dr. Roper, the hon. secretary of the N.C.C., has met with a serious accident and is laid up. For this reason it has been impossible to attend to all business matters connected with the late Crystal Palace Show, and those exhibitors who have been overlooked must have a little patience and their requests will ultimately receive attention.

THE question of excluding young kittens from cat shows has once again been brought up for discussion, and Mrs. Wilson, an exhibitor of considerable experience, is anxious that classes for young kittens should be done away with. This was one of the points on which the Cat Club was rather strong, and kittens under five months of age were not admitted to Cat Club Shows. There is no doubt that it is for the good of the kitten that he should stay at home, but I should go the length of keeping him there till he was eight months old, for I hear of as many kittens of six or seven months dying after shows as of three or four. The tiny babies of six or eight weeks seem to suffer least.

MR. LOWE has sold his well-known black Manx male, Boygym, to Mr. Hally. All the best Manx cats that Mr. Lowe brings out seem eventually to find their way to Mr. Hally's cattery, but I must say I regret the departure of Boygym to Scotland, for when Manx cats are so scarce we can ill spare so good a specimen.

I HEAR that Lady Alexander has presented to the Short-haired Cat Society a "magpie" cup, to be competed for by black and white cats.

I WAS very much amused to observe that a contemporary the other day questioned the existence of a cream short-haired cat, other than Manx. Lady Alexander has and exhibits a good male of this breed. I think Mrs. Collingwood bred some last year, but I do not know if she still has them, and I have recently heard of several others of the same hue. Mr. Kuhnel used to show a cream tabby.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.
DICK WHITTINGTON will be pleased to give advice on all matters concerning cats and their ailments, and will be glad to receive for insertion any interesting items of cat news that her readers may send. Queries must be written on one side of a separate sheet of paper, and must be signed with a pseudonym only for publication, but a letter giving full name and address of sender must accompany each query. A postal reply will be sent if the fee of 2s. 6d. is enclosed.. Letters should be addressed, "DICK WHITTINGTON, care of Editor, THE LADIES' FIELD."
AUNT CHLOE. - I am sorry to say that it is impossible to give a very definite answer to your questions, as individuals vary in this respect. 1. Probably next February or March. 2. Possibly for a few days, but possibly for several weeks. It would recur at irregular intervals of from three weeks to three months. 3. The best age is about ten or twelve months, 4. If they are very restless and troublesome I should select the earlier period; if not it would be better to wait till twelve or fourteen months. 5. It is not possible that I should recommend particular stud cats. I can only say that you should select a strain particularly sound in colour, as, by her breeding, that is where your cat is likely to fail. In all other points the cats you mention excel. Write to Mrs. Slingsby, Thorpe Underwood Hall, Great Ouseburn, Yorks, and ask for her advice. She has a large selection. 6. It is easy to sell good kittens at a price, but if you want to make much out of selling them you must acquire a reputation, and this can only be done at the cost of exhibiting or getting purchasers to exhibit cats of your breeding.
DOSSIE. - I hope I have got your pseudonym right, but I daresay you will recognise your reply. I think there must be some of the old teeth, which should have been shed, left in your cat's jaw, and these are causing abscesses in the gums. You should try to make a careful examination of his mouth. The best plan is to wrap the cat tightly in a thick bath towel, with his forelegs lying down his sides and his hindlegs well wrapped up. Twist the towel pretty tightly round his neck, so that he cannot get free. Then take him firmly (while he is held by an assistant) by the scruff of the neck and tilt his head back until his mouth opens. Slip a fold of towel between his front teeth to keep them apart, and then examine his back teeth. If any are discoloured and loose try if you can pull them out. This is often quite easily done. If they are not loose you must take him to a good veterinary surgeon to have them extracted. If the teeth are not at fault his digestion must be out of order. In this case try 2 grains bicarbonate of soda daily and feed on 3oz. of raw lean beef mixed with an equal bulk of brown bread-crumbs daily, given in two meals. Sponge the ears out with equal parts of methylated spirits and warm water, dry carefully, and powder with boracic powder.
WELSH CAT. - You do not say how long it is since the cat's tail was injured, and a good deal depends upon that. From what you tell me I think it is likely that the last joint may have to be amputated. and if this is so you must employ a skilful veterinary surgeon to perform the operation. You had better show the cat to your vet. as soon as possible and take his advice on the matter, as the sooner something is done the better.
JOEY. - I do not advise you to mate your queen yet. Kittens born in April and May are far less trouble than earlier ones or later ones. There is a superstition in many country places that kittens born in May are unlucky, and that they will bring frogs and snakes into the house, but I hardly think that this will affect you. - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, December 30, 1905, pg 153.

SOME YANKEE CATS.
CATS, like many other things in America, are rapidly coming to the front, and if English exhibitors are desirous of keeping up their reputation as the foremost cat fanciers in the world they will have to look to their laurels. Many felines, too, of English pedigree are making their way to the States, and when once Uncle Sam gets hold of them they quickly take out letters of naturalization, as it were, and John Bull seldom sees them return. Again, cats that have been born and bred in the States very rarely visit our shores, for their value is considerably higher across the water than it is here. The present writer some time ago visited the Cat Show at Madison Square Garden, New York, and had a few moments' conversation with a lady whose Angoras were formerly well-known in England. In one cage she had six kittens, blue Persians, for sale, for which she wanted 80dols. apiece, and I asked, with some curiosity, if she thought she would get such big prices. She replied that five had already been disposed of, and she was even then in negotiation for the sale of the sixth.

"It is no good offering prize cats or kittens for small sums here," she said, "for if you do the New Yorkers won't look at them. There is a friend of mine exhibiting at this show who had four kittens for sale, for which she was asking 40dols. each. They were beautiful creatures, but she never had even an enquiry. Then I suggested to her that she should double the price, and after some hesitation she did so. Before the day was over she had disposed of the entire quartet. No, Americans love to be able to say to their visitors: ‘How do you like my cat? Beauty, isn't he? Paid a hundred for him, but I think he was worth it, don't you?' " So it can scarcely be wondered at if English breeders are tempted at times to send over their prize cats to America when they wish to dispose of them.

There are many ladies in the States who, while they take an interest in the subject of cat rearing, confine their attention to a few animals only, not caring to take up the hobby with the seriousness that Englishwomen do. But what they lack in quantity they often make up for in quality, and some of the most beautiful cats in the States to-day are living lives of comparative loneliness in the houses of their mistresses. Mrs. Riser, for instance, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, has only a couple of cats and a few kittens, but the latter are so beautiful that I cannot refrain from reproducing their photographs here. Two of them are blue Persians, Acis and Galatea, and they should grow into fine animals during the next few months. According to Mrs. Riser they are the most accommodating little creatures when having their portraits taken that ever sat before a camera, and have been photographed so many times during their short lives that they have now come to look upon the operation as one of the necessities of life. Mrs. Riser formerly owned what was, perhaps, the finest cattery in Michigan, but as she found that her domestic duties would not permit of her giving it that attention which it required, she disposed of most of the tenants, only keeping Acis and Galatea, Lady Cissy, and Sweet Marie and her kittens. She could not part with them, and they are now the most important members of her household. Mrs. Riser thinks that, perhaps, later she may return seriously to the hobby of rearing cats, for she was remarkably successful, and many of her animals have taken numerous prizes at the various shows.

The cats of Miss Mabel Cornish Bond are well known in England, but I am giving photographs of three animals which, I think, have not before appeared in any English paper. These are Amytis of Pittsburg (a name which seems to fit this mysterious-looking little creature admirably), who has won many prizes and is regarded generally as the star inmate of the Khorassan cattery, and The Heavenly Twins, two remarkably intelligent and beautiful animals. These latter have had their portraits taken in various positions, and appear as friendly towards the camera as Mrs. Riser's kittens. I also give a photograph of a corner in Miss Bond's cattery, one of the best of the kind in the country. It was built according to Miss Bond's own designs, and the work carried out under her personal supervision. For her cattery Miss Bond utilized her back-yard, by enclosing some 26ft. by 50ft. with fence, lattice, and 2in, mesh wire, thus making one large cage. A brick stable was turned over for the use of the felines at night or during inclement weather. In summer a thick grape-vine coves the entire wire roof, converting the cage into a kind of arcadian bower.

"As it became necessary," says Miss Bond, "to keep the mothers and young kittens away from the older cats, and as queens living at a distance began to visit the stud, quarters had to be provided for their comfort. The large cage was then divided into four smaller ones, all communicating and all opening into the general yard. Each cage also leads into the stable, where sleeping accommodation is provided, with all cat conveniences and luxuries. Each cage is provided with posts, high shelves, and many other facilities to encourage climbing, jumping, and exercise generally. There are perches for sun-baths and observation of the surrounding back-yards, and cosy shelters from the weather. All the woodwork is painted red, the colour most beloved of cats because of its suggestion of warmth. In the dens are baskets, cheese boxes, barrels, etc., each with its bed of excelsior, newspaper, flannel blanket, or end of velvet carpet. The cats themselves are treated to sulphur baths every day during the season, as well as being carefully combed and brushed, and to these attentions I attribute the absolute freedom from disease of every kind in my cattery."

Miss Ava L. Pollard, a very young lady living in New Jersey, has been wonderfully successful with her cats, and though she does not possess a great number she has won innumerable prizes with her Persians and Angoras. Purity, shown here, has taken a great number of honours, and at the last Cat Show held in Madison Square Garden it was generally considered the finest pure white Angora on exhibition. The very effective photograph of Purity was taken by Miss Pollard herself, the pretty creature being "snapped" while watching a toy balloon which was gently floating up towards the ceiling. Miss Pollard confines herself almost entirely to the rearing of Persians and Angoras, and some of her kittens have fetched as much as £20 apiece. One of the prettiest of these is Martop, a light silver Persian shown contentedly sitting on an upturned basket. She has not yet made her appearance in the show-ring, but when she does so great things are expected of her, her mistress believing that she will turn out one of the finest cats she has ever reared.

Mrs. Brian Brown, of Brooklyn, possesses some beautiful cats, many of which, however, have been imported, so that they can hardly be regarded as pure Yankee. White Hussar, a fine big Persian, as brought when a kitten from England. Mrs. Brown gave no more, I believe, than a guinea for him, and has since refused to part with the animal for fifty times that amount. He won the first and special prizes at the New York Show in 1902, though he only secured a second the following year. This was to be accounted for by the fact that an extraordinary number of animals were entered in his class, and he had to stand against many of the tried champions of the country. Then there are Joe and Tiny, two silver Persians that are rapidly leaving their kittenhood behind, and are confidently anticipating their debut at the forthcoming shows. They are of noble family, their parents being Silver Lassie, a celebrated American cat, and Ch. Lord Southampton, consequently the expectations that they will keep up the credit of their pedigree and win numerous blue ribbons rest on a solid foundation. Mrs. Brian Brown has some fifteen cats in her home in Brooklyn, and expects this year to show several for the first time at New York, Boston, and Chicago.

Miss Estelle Ward, also of Brooklyn, makes a speciality of orange Persians and possesses some twenty handsome animals. Her cattery, one of the best kept and most successful in New York State, is looked after by the owner's sister, for Miss Ward spends much of her time away from home. The cat shown in our photograph is Daffodil, who was sired by Ch. Robin, also owned by Miss Ward. Daffodil, as her name implies, is of the gentler sex, and possesses a particularly friendly and affectionate nature. Miss Ward's cats, as a rule, strongly object to be photographed, and the one sent to me of Robin is, unfortunately, not sufficiently good for reproduction. The animals are allowed plenty of freedom, and, in consequence, are healthy and strong. They have secured prizes throughout the States, and are regarded as the finest collection of orange Persians in the country.

Mrs. Neel, of Bath, N.Y., sends me a photograph of what she considers at present the best cat in her cattery. This is King of Sunland, a pure white Persian that has won between twenty and thirty prizes at the various shows. He is a splendid animal, with a magnificent brush and a wonderful coat. He was awarded a first and a special at the last New York Show, and will possibly be seen again at Madison Square Garden this season. Though Mrs. Neel sends her cats to most of the long-distance shows, she does not approve of the custom, for she says it has a tendency to make the animals irritable and nervous. Mrs. Neel always contrives to accompany the cats herself, and many an hour has she spent with one or more of her pets on her knee while she endeavoured to quiet their excitement as the train rushed through the country. She invariably reaches the town in which the show is to be held a couple of days beforehand, as she then has an opportunity of calming the feelings of the animals before they are placed in their cages. This is a good rule, she thinks, and should be followed by all exhibitors who have the comfort of their pets at heart. - F.A.J.

MISS COPE, who is now one of our leading exhibitors in the long-haired silver tabby classes, has seen the value of a Shrover outcross, and has purchased from Lady Pink a good young stud cat in King Shrover.

MISS ANDERSON LEAKE is another breeder of note who appreciates this strain, and owns a really good stud cat of Lady Pink's breeding called Dingley Autocrat.

MRs. MACKENZIE STEWART, who was for a short time a keen breeder and exhibitor, has been for the last two years apparently lost to the show world, though she has kept her team of high-class stud cats and has bred a few kittens from time to time. It is pleasant to meet with her name once more as a successful exhibitor, and to hear that she has accepted a judging appointment.

A WRITER in a contemporary asks for advice as to the mating of a brown tabby queen when a stud cat of the same colour is not available. I strongly advise mating brown tabbies with orange tabbies, as by this means the much-desired warm red sable colour may be obtained. An orange with a deep-coloured chin, and with no immediate tortoiseshell relations, should be selected, as patches of colour quickly appear and are fatal in tabbies. if a brown tabby cat is too lightly marked (this is an exceedingly rare fault) it should be put to a black.

MESSYBEAST - OLD CAT BOOKS

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