"It is something like twenty years ago that, amongst the competitors in the classes for long-haired tabbies at the Crystal Palace and other important shows, was occasionally to be seen an alien with the ground colour of the silver tabby, but with very few stripes on the body. These cats were evidently sports from the silver tabby, so much so that the class for that section was the only one open to them; and, although they invariably showed great quality, breeders were loth to exhibit them in the medley of different coloured tabbies, where one of their chief beauties - the absence of stripes - became a disadvantage. Their only chance of distinction lay in putting in an appearance at provincial shows, where the authorities were sometimes to be induced to attach two cat classes to the rabbit division - one for longhaired of any colour, and the other for short-haired. In this indiscriminate assemblage, no colour having been stated, chinchillas when present wrought great havoc, although it cannot be denied that the judges of the day gave precedence to a well - marked silver tabby.

"Amongst these outcasts was a cat of striking beauty, whose like has not been seen again. This was 'Sylvie,' of unknown pedigree, owned by the late Mrs. Christopher, at whose death she became the property of the late Miss Saunders, of Peterborough. A beautiful portrait of this exquisite chinchilla is given in Mr. Harrison Weir's book 'Our Cats.' When judging at the Crystal Palace in 1886, this connoisseur and judge of worldwide repute awarded her first prize, medal, and special for the best long-haired cat, getting over the difficulty of her silvery, unmarked coat by calling her a very light blue tabby, though the puzzle was to find the tabby.

"Another chinchilla of the early 'eighties was Miss Florence Moore's 'Queenie,' who would, had chinchilla classes been provided at that time, have been loaded with championships and honours. In colour she was as light as any of our present-day celebrities, and might easily, from her freedom from markings, have earned the dubious compliment of the uninitiated so highly prized by owners of chinchillas of being mistaken for a grubby white. Miss Florence Moore, who later on had one of the best and largest catteries in the country, bred 'Queenie' from her 'Judy, ' winner of many first prizes, a heavily marked silver tabby of Mrs. Brydges' noted breed, and 'Fez,' a light silver cat with indefinite stripes.

Mrs. Balring's "Silver Lambkin. " (Photo: E. Landor, Ealing. )

"Mrs. Brydges can claim the distinction of having owned, something like half a century ago, some of the first long-haired cats ever imported into England. A coincidence worthy of note is that though there is no record of her having bred or possessed a chinchilla, two never-to-be-forgotten pairs of chinchilla kittens - Miss Florence Moore's 'Chloe' and 'Dinah,' winners of first and medal on three successive occasions at the Crystal Palace, Brighton, and Bexley, 1887 (they being the only chinchillas at any of these shows), and Miss Gresham's ' Silver Lambkins,' who swept the board in 1888, winning the specials at the Crystal Palace from forty-six pairs of other competitors of all colours - could in each case trace descent to the Cheltenham stock 'Chloe' and 'Dinah,' through the afore-mentioned 'Judy' and the 'Silver Lambkins,' through their sire 'Rahman,' also bred by Mrs. Brydges.

"Still more remarkable, these two couples of youthful prodigies were first cousins, on the other side of their pedigrees, the noted "Fluffy II.' and 'Beauty' being bred by Mrs. Vallance.

"'Chinnie,' the Mother of chinchillas, is familiar in name to every breeder of this lovely variety, and the following letter, of the early 'eighties, relating to her birth and buying, will perhaps prove interesting to the up-to-date silver fancier. It is copied from the original in the possession of Mrs. Vallance. One guinea appears to have been a price to talk of in those days. Now, one would be tempted to hide the fact of such a small amount, and if a specimen were offered to us at this low figure we should certainly desire it to be sent on approval.

The Vicarage, Sandal Mayner, near Wakefield,

October 14th, 1882. 'To Mrs. Vallance.

'Madam

The kitten I have to sell is quite pure bred. The mother I bought for £1 1s. when quite a kitten from prize parents. The father is one we bred partly from Mrs. Radford's breed and partly from a splendid torn cat that was found living wild at Babbicombe, and that we had in our possession for some months, but unfortunately he is lost again now - I am afraid permanently. I think this kitten promises to be very like the mother. She is very handsome and has good points - brush, ear tips, and so on - but I consider her rather small. But the kitten may be finer, as the father is a large cat. Miss Grant's are related to ours on the father's side, but Mrs. Radford's very distantly, if at all.

' I do not think these Angora kittens are delicate. We have never failed in rearing them. The more new milk they have, and the better feeding, the finer cats they are likely to make. We do not have much trouble in keeping ours at home, as we live some distance from the village. We always give ours their principal meal at 6 p. m., and keep them shut up in a hay-loft until next morning. If you have a box wherever the kitten lives, with sifted sand or cinders in it, kept in a corner, you will find that the best way to ensure habits of cleanliness. If I hear nothing from you to the contrary I will send the kitten on Wednesday morning, 19th, by the early train from Derby station; and if you are not satisfied with the kitten I am willing for it to be returned within a day or two, if the return journey is paid and I am let know beforehand when to expect it.

' I remain, yours truly,

' Grace Hurt. '