"Among the many notable males, 'Ballochmyle Perfection,' the property of Lady Alexander, winner of some 100 first prizes, championships, and specials, the sire of 'Champion Ballochmyle Goldfinder' and 'Ballochmyle No Fool' (the mother of 'Ballochmyle Red Prince'), stands out very prominently. 'Champion Perfection,' despite his ten years, has still the grand dense markings and colour as of old. In 'Ballochmyle Perfection' we have a chip of the old block. Then a later red tabby, Mrs. Colling-wood's 'Clem,' is a good-coloured red. Mr. Kuhnel, of Bradford, for many years held his own in this handsome breed - in fact, most of the present-day winners can be traced from that fancier's cattery.

"Blues (self-coloured). There seems to be a great difference of opinion as to the shape and make of head of these cats. Some judges look for a round, full head of the English-bred cat; others, the long head of the Eastern variety. I think that difference arises to a great extent according to where these cats originally came from. I have heard the opinions of some who give Archangel as the port of origin; others, Malta. If the cat originated from Archangel, one would naturally expect a long head of Eastern type. The specimens, however from Malta have certainly the round head and more of the English-bred type. The chief points, in my opinion, apart from the shape of head, is body colour, shape, colour of eye, and closeness of coat. They are no doubt a very handsome breed. In colour they are a light blue, with a delicate lavender bloom pervading the whole coat.

A Black-And-White Britisher {Photo: A. Warsehcawski, St. Leonards-on-Sea.)

Blue And White Short Haired Cats (From a Painting by IK. Luker, Jun.)

"Of the many good ones that come to my memory, 'Moscow' (Russian-bred), a big winner, owned by Mrs. Carew-Cox; 'Champion Ballochmyle Blue King,' winner of seven championships and first prizes, owned by Lady Alexander;' Champion Brookside Iris,' late owner Mrs. Pownall; 'Blue Boy,' owned by Mr. Sam Woodiwiss; 'Ballochmyle Brother Bump' and' Ballochmyle Sister Goose,' the property of Lady Alexander - a big winner.

"Champion Ballochmyle Otter," Tortoiseshell-And-White Owned by Lady Alexander.

"White English cats appear to have lost less in size than many others, as two of the largest winners of to-day - viz. 'Ballochmyle Snow King' and 'Ballochmyle Billie Blue Eyes' - will testify. The white retains the racy, workmanlike character of the true English-bred cat. One fault is very prevalent: they lean very much towards a broken coat (a good many of the white cats penned to-day have this failing); it is, no doubt, a very difficult fault to breed out. It is noticeable that the females in this breed are so very small, and in marked contrast to the toms.

"The chief points one desires in this breed are closeness of coat, size, and a distinct light blue eye (not washy). Among the numerous winners are 'Ballochmyle Snow King,' formerly owned by Mr. Sam Woodiwiss, and now the property of Lady Alexander; 'Ballochmyle Billie Blue Eyes' and 'Biddy Blue Eyes,' the property of Mrs. Herring.

"Blacks, I am sorry to say, are somewhat neglected, considering how striking they are. The dense black coat, the contrasting grand amber eye, should always find a weak spot in the heart of every exhibitor of the short-haired varieties. The points we look for are chiefly closeness of coat, the black of great density, pure amber eyes set in a good round head topped with small ears. I can well imagine my readers will say, 'A pure amber eye - how is it to be got ? It is such a. rarity.' I know, however, that by careful mating it is not only possible, but most distinctly certain, as Mr. R. J. Hughes, the late owner of that lovely female 'Amber Queen,' one of the best-eyed cats I have seen, can testify. He, in fact, has bred many of the best-eyed winners of late years: 'Amber Queen,' winner of numerous firsts and championships, the property of Miss Una Fox;

'Ballochmyle Black Bump,' owned by Lady Alexander, and formerly the property of Mr. Hughes; 'Sedgemere Black King,' winner of several championships and first prizes, originally owned by Mr. Sam Woodiwiss.

"An explanation may be deemed due to my readers for having included blues amongst the English types, but as the clubs have recognised this breed, and sanctioned their being catalogued amongst the English exhibits, I felt justified in adopting this course; more particularly as the country of origin still remains a matter of speculation."

" Champion Ballochmyle Perfection." Owned By Lady Alexander

Mr. T. B. Mason's name is a household one in the cat fancy, and this most popular judge has been kind enough to set down some of his many experiences, and a little of his universal knowledge, for the benefit of my readers.

"For more than twenty-five years I have taken a very great interest in all our minor pets, so the breeding and exhibiting of cats has had a large share of my attention. I look at the past, and compare it with the present, and I am more than satisfied with the progress made and the high-water mark of excellence attained. In the 'eighties, when that noted North Country breeder the late Mr. Young, of Harrogate, was hard at work laying the foundations of markings and colour in the silver tabby, orange tabby, and the tortoise-shells, which has resulted in making the strains of the North Country short-hairs so far ahead of all others, he had little or no idea that in so brief a time the cat fancy would develop into such an important one as it is at the present time. In recent years we have seen the National Cat Club, the Cat Club, and a great many specialist clubs formed for the special object of breeding cats to perfection in colour and markings. Standards have been made and issued by noted breeders, who have met together and have exchanged ideas, so that at the present time we have standards that are ideals of perfection. Shape, colour, markings, coat, and colour of eyes for each separate variety are all plainly stated.