terrier classes. The letterpress description does not, however, tally with the picture, for after saying that the Scotch terrier is purest in point of breed, it proceeds to state that "the Scotch terrier is generally low in stature, seldom more than 12in. or 14in. in height, with a strong muscular body and stout legs; his ears small and half pricked; his head is rather large in proportion to the size of his body, and his muzzle is considerably pointed. His scent is extremely acute, so that he can trace the footsteps of other animals with certainty; he is generally of a sand colour or black, dogs of this colour being certainly the most hardy and most to be depended upon. When white or pied, it is a sure mark of the impurity of the breed. The hair of this terrier is long, matted, and hard over almost every part of his body. His bite is extremely keen." This is not a bad description of a Scottish terrier of the present day, excepting that the matted coat is not required, that the semi-erect ears are not fashionable, and that a white specimen of pure blood crops up occasionally.

However, the same writer goes on to state that "there are three distinct varieties of the Scotch terrier, viz., the one above described; another about the same size as the former, but with hair much longer and more flowing, which gives the legs the

appearance of being very short. This is the prevailing breed of the western isles of Scotland. This, of course, will answer for a description of our ordinary Skye terrier. Then of the third variety, which may be taken to be the ordinary or mongrel variety, the writer in the "Sportsman" says this "is much larger than the former two, being generally from 15 to 18in. in height, with the hair very hard and wiry, and much shorter than that of the others. It is from this breed that the best bull terriers have been produced."

Whoever wrote the above I do not know, but Thomson Gray, in his Dogs of Scotland," makes a similar quotation, which he says is from "Brown's Field Book," also published in 1833. However, I take the description to be interesting.

What to me appears to be the strangest part of all, is that even the Highland sportsmen of that time, and a little later, called their native terrier the Skye terrier. St. John in his "Highland Sports" (1846) alluded to some of his terriers as Skyes, when they were undoubtedly our "die-hards." The long silkycoated dogs of the western isles would have been no use to a sportsman such as he, and although game enough in their way, they, the Skyes, did not possess the activity nor the power to tackle the wild cat, the marten, and other vermin found in the wilds of

Sutherlandshire, where Charles St. John lived. Moreover, he also calls them "Highland terriers."

He says, "Why do Highland terriers so often run on three legs-particularly when bent on mischief? Is it to keep one in reserve in case of emergencies? I never had a Highland terrier who did not hop along constantly on three legs, keeping one of them. up as if to rest it.

"The Skye terrier has a great deal of quiet intelligence, learning to watch his master's looks and understand his meaning in a wonderful manner. . . This dog shows great impetuosity in attacking vermin of all kinds, though often his courage is accompanied by a kind of shyness and reserve; but when once roused by being bit or scratched in its attacks on vermin, the Skye terrier fights to the last, and shows a great deal of cunning and generalship as well as courage. Unless well entered when young they are apt to be noisy, and yelp and bark more than fight. The terriers I have had of this kind show some curious habits, unlike most other dogs. I have observed that when young they frequently make a kind of seat under a bush or hedge, where they will sit for hours together crouched like a wild animal. Unlike other dogs, too, they will eat (though not driven by hunger) almost anything that is given them, such as raw eggs, the

bones and meat of wild ducks or wood pigeons and other birds that every other kind of dog, however hungry, rejects with disgust. In fact, in many respects their habits resemble those of wild animals. They always are excellent swimmers, taking the water quietly and fearlessly when very young."

It

My favourite author then proceeds to write of their use in taking his master quickly up to a wounded deer, but, irrespective of the latter, no one can say that St. John's description does not altogether tally with that of the Scotch terrier. is nearly twenty years since the late Captain Mackie gave me a small, semi-prick eared dog he had got from the north of Scotland, from which the above description might have been taken. It ran at times on three legs, was slow to be the aggressor, but was a terrible punisher for a fourteen pound dog when he did start; and he, too, was at times shy and reserved, and would eat grouse and pigeon as freely as he would any butchers' meat.

Long before I owned this dog a friend of mine had a similar one sent out of Caithness-shire, which was called a Skye terrier," but again he turned out to be just a Scottish little fellow, short on the legs, hard in coat, and as game as possible. Both these were brown brindles in colour, which I fancy were at that time more plentiful than the black brindles or

almost black dogs, oftener seen on the show bench to-day.

It was about the year 1874 that a newspaper controversy brought the Scottish terrier prominently before the public, and the Crystal Palace shows and the one at Brighton the following year, viz., in 1876, provided classes for them, which, however, failed to fill. Then there came a lull, a club was formed, and in 1879 Mr. J. B. Morrison, of Greenock, was invited to the Alexandra Palace show to judge the Scotch terriers in a class which had been provided for them. A few months later divisions were given them at the Dundee show, when the winner, though a pure

Scottie," was called a Skye terrier, and came from that island. Birmingham provided a class in 1881, and with an incompetent judge the prizes were withheld, though such men as the late Captain Mackie, Mr. Ludlow, and Mr. J. A. Adamson were exhibitors. The Curzon Hall show appears to have been rather unfortunate in this sort of thing, for previously the leading prize in wire-haired fox terriers was withheld when there was as good a specimen of the variety as we ever saw on the bench or in the ring at any time. However, another year things went better with the Scottish terriers, as in 1883 Messrs. Ludlow and Blomfield, of Norwich, to whom much of the credit for the popularisation of the