happened. In that case we might surmisethat these " Siamese " <strong>in</strong> SouthernRussia were the result <strong>of</strong> the passage <strong>of</strong>a catavat along the trade routes betweenEast and West. A s<strong>in</strong>gle virile cat,hetrozygos for the Siamese factor, escap<strong>in</strong>gfrom a merchant,s caravan and fend_<strong>in</strong>g for itself on the outskirts <strong>of</strong> a villagewould pass on the I'actor to its <strong>of</strong>fspr<strong>in</strong>gand <strong>in</strong> time the homozygos Siamese catwould appear <strong>in</strong> all its strik<strong>in</strong>g strangenessoI'colour.The other l<strong>in</strong>e <strong>of</strong> thought is that whata chromosome has done once, anothersimilar chromosome can do aga<strong>in</strong> with asimilar result and that thc same murations,or very similar mutations, may l.ravcoccurred more than once <strong>in</strong> differentparts <strong>of</strong> the world. I hope I have correctlyrecorded Dr. Archer,s verv <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>gdeductions.Hand-coloured PlatesIf Herr Pallas had been enterpris<strong>in</strong>g,or not otherwise engaged, and importedthese cats with the idea <strong>of</strong> breed<strong>in</strong>g fromthcm, the cat rvc now call Siamese mightbe known as a Caspian or e ven a <strong>Russian</strong> IfJnfortunately the plates <strong>in</strong> this 140-year-old volume are hand-coloured andthc exact colour<strong>in</strong>g ol the cat shownvaries <strong>in</strong> different volumes. In all the" po<strong>in</strong>ts " are unmistakable, but <strong>in</strong> somethe cat is very much darker than wcshould expect with a Siamese. In theLondon Library copy, on the other hand,it is unmistakably light chestnut. Nodoubt the people responsible for thepiatcs <strong>in</strong> London <strong>in</strong> 1812, never hav<strong>in</strong>gseen a " Siamese " had difficulty <strong>in</strong>imag<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g just what it was like ! Thebook and plate will be shown, I hope, agthe " <strong>Cats</strong> Through the Ages ,, Exhibitronat the R.W.S. Gallery <strong>in</strong> July.Not the Pallas CatI shouid make it clear that this catdescribed by Pallas is not the same catas that called " Pallas's Cat," first describedby Pallas <strong>in</strong> 1776. A specimen<strong>of</strong> this beautiful cat was recently acquiredby the London Zoo but it hasunfortunately died. Pallas's Cat is rathersmaller than the average cat, has a thickLong coat, a short r<strong>in</strong>ged tail, with blackmark<strong>in</strong>gs on its chest and upper limbs.Its head is broad and high above theeyes. Much ol' the hair appears to be" ticked " runn<strong>in</strong>g through grey, yeliowand white. For those who take an <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong> the orig<strong>in</strong>s <strong>of</strong> their pets, it has beensuggested that Pallas's cat bears the samcrelation to the Angora or Persian as theCaflre Cat <strong>of</strong> Africa to the Shorthair.See sketches on the opposite page.BO'SUN !We regret that up to the tirne <strong>of</strong>clos<strong>in</strong>g for press with this issueno further news had been receivedfrorn the yacht .. Mary Hillier,ttand we are therefore unable toresulnc with the adventures <strong>of</strong> ourSailor Siarnese,This is roorth th<strong>in</strong>lcirtg about. A Sub-scription- t-o this Magaz<strong>in</strong>e makcs th€ ideal presentroungfor . c.treratlve or triend . . . . for a birthday or any othcraoccreion. ft'csift that lasts the whole year through..-Wc sha.ll be pleased to send OUR CATS to any partrr<strong>of</strong> thcocsrred,wortdtoud.eaclose your personal greetiDg or message to the recipient,_9_:1,_!opr.-ptior rate is. l7s, 6d.- (which <strong>in</strong>cludes post4ge)montnryfor rwelvcr_ss_ues. I(caders <strong>in</strong> America should rehit-ThreE Dollars (bvcneca o^r brrls) and- those on the cont<strong>in</strong>ent curuoneyobta<strong>in</strong>Urderan Internationalthrousb their local pogt omce. The addrese lor subscriptionii"_.9!rn CATS Malaz<strong>in</strong>e. 4 Car-lt;; v".ii",i-Ciil;;;s.w.9.R;"d;-i;,-e;;;26
EGYPTIAN OR CAFFRALr,\tMMPALLAS'S WILD CATSketches by Alexander Ro.rs Bryant27