When, after a provokingly long period, she again consented to appear clothed, her dress was of palest silver, unadorned by any markings except a very faint smudge on her forehead and - which, alas. spoilt her for show - a darker tinge on her broken tail. How is it that to our best some accident always happens ? So, as I could not exhibit her, I sold her to a delightful home in the North of England, and her en-thiusiastic owner wrote to me a few weeks since that her big babies by 'Lord Hampton' were as pale as the mother, who herself grew steadily of a fainter silver.

"Silver Blossom's " Two Buds (Photo : Mrs. G. H. Walker.)

"Unfortunately, silvers more than any other breed of cats lack bone, caused, of course, by the unavoidable in-breeding practised when this variety of cat was first introduced and so enthusiastically welcomed, and when but one or two fanciers owned a cat of such shade. Another article on this subject, by a lady who may really claim to have established this breed, will explain to the reader more than it is in my power or province to declare.

"To go back to the subject of our small silvers, in-bred to delicacy. We should now remember how many good sires, absolutely unrelated and within easy reach, are placed at our disposal. Therefore, surely there can be no possible excuse if in a comparatively short time we do not manage to own silvers big in bone and limb, and owning ah ! happy accompaniment - greater constitutional vigour.

"We are, I believe, too apt, if owning a pale queen, to mate her with the palest known stud, disregarding other very important considerations in the all-absorbing wish to breed the wonderful 'dirty white' king or queen of silvers. Sometimes this atom (verily so) of perfection does make its appearance, and is enthusiastically greeted. But what of the mite itself? A tiny, sickly scrap of a kitten, constantly ailing. refusing to grow or to weigh, except at a rate of less than half the average blue kitten of its own age. But extraordinary care keeps the mite alive until one day some chance draught or a maid's carelessness ends our careful nursing, and the poor owner of that 'lovely dirty white kit' at last realises that this other good-bye means it may be wiser to mate that same pale queen to the strongest, hardiest, biggest-boned stud possible to be found among our silver studs, even if he is rather barred.

"Now mark. From the result of this mating, keep the best of the female kittens and marry her - if possible, not before she is eighteen (at any rate, fifteen) months old - to a stud unrelated, sturdy, of undoubtedly splendid health, for preference paler than herself, and boasting grand head and the essential tiny ears and short nose. Then you may dream your dream-with a chance of their resulting in a golden reality.

"If breeders would but spend rather more thought when they select husbands for their pussies, they would be indeed repaid. I am not speaking, of course, to the fortunate few who have won their laurels, and of whom I would I might learn; although I rather suspect their secret of success is but the result of continual study, coupled with extreme care. Would not an enormous increase of size and weight soon become evident in the occupants of our catteries if, when a queen was about to be mated, her owner would first carefully study the list of points provided by the Silver and Smoke Persian Cat Society (previously quoted in this work), jotting down those good qualities to which she believes her queen may lay claim, and then selecting that sire possessing the points most wanting in her own cat - of course, never forgetting relationship? The old rule about in-breeding is' once in, twice oat,' as all old fanciers know; but where silver Persian cats are in question, I would most strongly urge that this adage be disregarded, and, as a rule, avoid in-breeding entirely until a stronger race of silver cats is established, cats with frames equal to those big blue beauties we see at our shows.

I think that in a comparatively short time - of course, always avoiding tabby blood, breeding chiefly for bone - our silver cats may be very different to those of today, those who own too fairylike limbs to be beautiful.

"Wild Tom Silver. Bred By Mrs. G.H. Walker. (Photo: Mrs. G. H. Walker)

"A word about our famous sires - and, by the way, we may congratulate ourselves on having within reach so many beauties. Often I have letters asking for advice as to which stud such and such a queen shall visit ; and, in addition to the above suggestions, I would remind the owner that length of journey should be taken into consideration, and the fact that if the chosen sire is extremely popular it may be that a better result may be gained if the queen is sent to one not so much in request, especially if the owner of the stud cat has not been warned before of the visit of your pussie. However, most owners of stud cats are extremely careful in limiting the number of visitors, and few object to keeping Sir Thomas free for a week beforehand if given due notice.

"Do let me urge all whom it may concern to keep Madame in close confinement for several days after her return home. Indeed, in the interest of the owner of both stud and queen this is of vast importance, and many a disappointment is due to this seemingly small neglect. Puss does not always return as one would wish, however great the care given her whilst away on her holiday, and may take her matrimonial affairs into her own paws with results most unsatisfactory to everyone but herself. When the kits arrive, do not - if you have reason to expect valuable kittens as a result of the mating - leave more than two or three with the mother (I am, of course, speaking of silver kittens) for reasons I shall directly state. By far the best plan is to procure (some time before the birth of both litters) a good big English cat as foster mother, one known to have brought up a previous litter - not an old cat. The usual method of substituting her foster for her own babies is to take away the mother cat for a few minutes - of course, out of sight - and, removing one of her own kittens, rub the little silver baby with the hay of the nest and against the other kittens so that the strange smell - sense of all others so wonderfully developed in animals - may not raise suspicion in the foster mother.

Then the next day remove one or two more.