"Mrs. Robinson's 'Ah Choo'. and Mr. Cooke's' Zetland Wanzes' are well-known cats of to-day. Lady Marcus Beresford's 'King of Siam' is imported, has glorious eyes of sapphire-blue, and sires exceptionally good kittens ; he is short on the leg, has a coat like satin and an excellent constitution. 'Royal Siam,' the property of Mrs. Spencer, of Eye Vicarage, Suffolk (who has bred some of the best kittens I have ever seen), is a superb creature with eyes of deepest blue; he was given to a friend of Mrs. Spencer in Siam, is a genuine royal palace-bred specimen with bright blue eyes, a handsome cat with, strictly typical points, and - he is never ill! Miss Harper's (late)

'Curly Tail,' a daughter of 'King Kesho,' was an excellent example of the breed, all her points were very good ; unfortunately her life was not of long duration - she died a victim to dropsy. It is so long ago since I first possessed a Siamese kitten that I cannot remember from whom I purchased her ; she was a very perfect little creature, absolutely adorable with her quaint ways appealing and yet assertive nature.

"After her death from rapid decline I tried to put aside all thoughts of securing another, and not until September, 1893, did I again fall a victim to the attractions of this breed, purchasing a female of about one year old from Zache, of Great Portland Street. I named her'Yuthia' ; she was supposed to have been imported, had very expressive blue eyes, and she lived until February, 1899.

"In October, 1893 - immediately after the Crystal Palace show - I became the owner of 'Kitza Kara,' a very perfect male, bred by Miss Forestier-Walker, which won first prize and several medals and specials. He also carried all before him at Bath in March, 1894. Unfortunately, he died that year from congestion of the lungs.

"'King Kesho,' the well-known male (sire of many beautiful kittens), I bought from Mr. Forsgate in 1894 ; he claimed descent from the Duchess of Bedford's, Mrs. Seton-Kerr's,. and Miss Forestier-Walker's cats; he had large bold eyes of a glorious shade of blue, and very dark points; he won many prizes and specials, but died in 1897. 'Lido,' a male bred by Mrs. Chapman and sired by' Champion Wankee,' was descended from some of the best of his time; he was of the long-bodied, narrow-faced type, most graceful in his movements.

"Amongst the many females I have possessed, 'Cameo' was one of my best, her pale body colour being relieved by intensely dark points; this little pet died suddenly in July, 1896, from failure of the heart's action.

'Koko' was a very large cat, comparatively coarse in appearance for one of this variety; she won the Duchess of Bedford's special at Holland Park in 1896, for the best adult Siamese. 'Princess To-To,' 1900, bred by Mrs. Bennet, became a great favourite; no words of mine could ever do justice to her remarkable individuality, her fascinating moods, her expressive little face and sense of the comic. She loved to be sung to sleep, closing her eyes with an unmistakable air of enjoyment and confidence, and clearly requesting an encore when the song ceased. I taught her to dance, and every night at ten o'clock she frantically enjoyed prancing round the room on her hind legs.

"Alas, that these little companions to whom we are permitted to become so deeply attached should be only lent us to brighten our weary way for so short a period ! 'To-To' was always very delicate, and after lying at death's door on several occasions she finally entered in; with her very last breath she crept into my arms to die. 'Yolanda,' the female I now own, was presented to me by Mrs. Hankey, and bred, I believe, by Mrs. Foote. She is a small cat with very blue eyes, and has recently had a litter of five kittens by Lady Marcus Beres-ford's 'King of Siam' ; these kittens all possessed the gloriously blue eyes to which both of their parents can lay claim.

"'Attache' (a neuter) was given to me in October, 1900, when six months old, by Mrs. Spencer, of Eye Vicarage, Suffolk ; he is a very large and powerful creature, with massive limbs, and an unconquerable an-tipathy to all other cats of any description, excepting only my Russian neuter, whose presence he tolerates. So great is his aversion to even the semblance of a cat, that he has attacked a life-size print of an assertive-looking Persian that acted as a stove ornament in the room he occupied during the summer months, scratching it several times across and across, and then retiring behind it, evidently to watch the effect from another point of view ! He has large and luminous eyes, in whose unfathomable depths linger many and varied expressions; he is of a peculiarly jealous disposition, capable of intense devotion. In spite of his living the life of a recluse, he is by no means a victim of ennui, possessing his own special playthings, which he keeps under one particular cushion, hunting them out when he feels inclined to play ; for so large a cat he is remarkably athletic, and as yet his health has caused me no anxiety.

"Romeo" And "Juliette." The Property of Mrs. Vary Campbell. (Photo : J. Clapperton, Galashiels.)

"It is highly desirable that all who own cats should keep a few simple medicines always at hand. Personally, I am never without the remedies previously alluded to. Delay, in neglecting to note and treat at the very commencement certain symptoms of illness, often proves fatal, whereas a 'stitch in time saves nine,' and may even save one of the nine lives that a cat is (or was) supposed to possess."

The love of Siamese cats has not seemed as yet to have developed in America, and specimens of the breed are few and far between. Lady Marcus Beresford sent out two good cats to Mrs. Clinton Locke, and I believe several fine litters have been reared, and some fine exhibits appeared at recent shows. I give an illustration of some of these pets, with Mrs. Robert Locke, on page 256.