Although the blue long-hair is now a distinct variety, the colour was first obtained by crossing a self-black with a pure white.

The first specimens were shown at the Crystal Palace, England, in the year 1871. Of course, no fancier at the present time would find it necessary to resort to a crossing of blacks and whites to obtain blues, there being plenty of good specimens of this variety obtainable; although, even in this longestablished colour, first-class specimens are not by any means plentiful. The blues first exhibited were a great deal darker in colour than those now bred, and were known at that time as "London smokes." These dark blues can still win under most judges, if their other points are good, but the lighter, more lavender tone is the most sought after, if sound in colour.

It is certainly a far more attractive hue, although it is said by many old fanciers that the darker blues were sounder, both in colour and eyes, than many of those now shown. By soundness of colour we mean that the hair should be all of one, a slaty lavender from tip to root, showing no trace of a silvery under coat, which latter fault is a sign of a smoke cross, sometimes resorted to in an effort to obtain the very pale colour.

When the light blue first became the rage in England, many were shown and won high honors, although their eyes were of no definte colour.

The Blue Society in England wished to encourage the breeding of the light blue with deep orange eyes, and we think, by careful selection, this end is being attained by breeders of blues.

A really good pale blue with deep orange eyes is truly "a thing of beauty," and we would like to see many more of them at our cat shows here.

They are not difficult to breed, if you start with a good orange-eyed strain, and certainly they are one of the hardiest and easiest raised of any of the long-haired varieties. The great thing to avoid is the tendency to large, upright ears, which is a failing in many of the best blues.

The ears should, as in other varieties, be small, and set low on the head, well feathered with hair of the same shade as the coat. Ear tufts or whiskers, either white or silver in colour, are counted as a bad fault.

Blues are about the largest specimens of long-haired cats, and carry very thick, heavy coats, more woolly in texture and more even in length than the other breeds, though lately some have been bred with the long, flowing coat.

If, in breeding blues, they are inclined to get too light in colour, it is sometimes advisable to cross your pale-coloured cat with a good black, preferably one bred from blues, or else with a good sound black.

They are apt to vary as much in shade as the ordinary Maltese - some dark, some medium, and some light blue.

With blues, as with other colors, it is often possible to obtain fine specimens without having both parents blue or even of blue pedigree.

The great difficulty in breeding this colour is to keep them strictly uniform throughout, as shading on the frill or any part of the body coat is not desirable; a light-coloured under coat is a great fault. In breeding blues, as in all other colours, one must at first select the nearest to perfection in all points; then, when a good type has been obtained, select for eye-colouring, soundness of colour, etc.

Never start breeding by showing undue partiality for any special point; it is time enough to do this after you have bred specimens fair in all points. You will find this the quickest way to obtain almost perfection.

It is very difficult, both in judging and purchasing a blue, to be sure of its colour, unless it is in full coat, as the under coat rarely becomes unsound until the cat has obtained its full length of hair; therefore, a cat in half coat is almost sure to be sound, and it is hardly fair to give a cat in this condition a premier position in classes where there are full-coated specimens; and in purchasing, remember this point also, or the sound-coloured specimen which a few months before you have purchased as "absolutely" sound in colour, may in a few months develop a light under coat, much to your disappointment and surprise. The eye-colouring changes with age, fading from even deepest orange to a pale yellow or even greenish yellow; this is especially the case with the males. Then, again, the pale eye-colour of a young cat will often deepen when it gets old, the correct colour, of course, being deep orange. Owing to the great thickness of their coats, blues are often very troublesome to keep in show form, and owners of this variety should keep them carefully combed, if not daily, at least frequently, or they will suddenly find their best show specimen with its under coat in hopeless mats, and no remedy but to cut the coat right off. Otherwise, the matting of the fur will cause most intense irritation to the animal's skin, and the cat or kitten, as the case may be, will scratch and bite itself so violently that the hair will come out by the roots wherever the mats have formed.