Our English readers will, no doubt, wonder at a good many things we do in America; but, never having had the experience of our conditions, they would not be able to appreciate what it is that keeps the fancy back. In the first place, on this continent anything except poultry shows and dog shows is an unknown quantity, and many of those who take up the cat fancy with enthusiasm are perfectly innocent of any show experiences, and have few to teach them; so that until a show or two has been held in a certain neighbourhood our affairs are apt to be a little mixed. For instance, the common idea of a tortoiseshell cat is as often as not a heavily marked tabby of the brown tabby persuasion, or it may be an orange tabby, or it may be a mixture of many colours. Until a show has been held in a town, very few of the inhabitants know whether they have good cats or not, and they are as likely to bring the bad as the good. The idea has prevailed to a large extent that it is very expensive to get up shows, and so the only opportunity made use of has been when a poultry show is being held and the promoters of this are asked for a little space, which they may grant, as the cats are found to be very conducive to a gate; but the drawback of this arrangement is that in most cases the poultry people want to make as much money as possible, and so keep the cats penned for four or five days, which in many cases means death to the cats.

The cost of the hall being so great, and the prize money being consequently kept down to try to balance things, with the entry fees also put away up, which, all added to the travelling long distances and the added expense of hotel bills, makes the lot of the American cat exhibitor not too rosy, and it is something to wonder at that the fancy has ever developed at all.

Distance from place to place is another factor, and when you read in England of the New York and then the Chicago show the week after, you hardly realise that they are 1,000 miles apart, and that if living in New York and you want to show in Chicago it may cost you £20 in travelling expenses alone.

Another thing show committees have to face is the expense of the judge, and the difficulty of finding suitable sires within reasonable distance is one of the many drawbacks with which American fanciers have to contend.

" The Blessed Damozel." Owned and Bred by Mrs. E. N. Barker. (Photo: Jos. Hubner, Rutherford, NJ.)