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THE CATS OF SIAM.

WE present herewith illustrations of the cats of Siam which are now exhibited in the Jardin des Plantes, Paris. These cats belong to a pure race widely different from that of our domestic cat. Their body is longer and is leaner than is that of the domestic animal. Their coat is a uniform gray, sometimes a little tawny, and is darker on the legs, ears, and tail. The eyes are blue, with black pupils. The cats shown in the illustrations are in the laboratory of M. Milne-Edwards and in the monkey house. Probably a dozen persons in Paris also have specimens of this fine breed of cats. The Siamese cats are more prolific than are those of the north, but succumb far more easily to the rigors of the climate, many dying of consumption. In the family of Siamese cats at the Jardin des Plantes reigns Kiki, a grand male cat that suggests by the general lines of his figure the tiger and the panther. He also carries himself like the larger members of the cat family and possesses their well known suppleness When he arrived at the laboratory he was very violent. The female cats are, on the contrary. far less fierce. The cats spend a large part of the day huddled up together. There is good comradeship among the cats and the young kittens receive care from all the members of the Siamese cat family. The animals shown in the engraving come from different parties, three having been given by M. Waldeck-Rousseau and another by Mme. Paul Bert. The cat descending the bust of the late Maurice, the regretted orangutan of the Jardin d'Acclimatation as sketched by the artist, is regarded by her family. For our engravings and the foregoing particulars we are indebted to L'Illustration.

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