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had a bitch or two even better than either of these, and no doubt the whole of the inhabitants of his kennel were extremely well bred. They had been "boomed" somewhat, and it came as a great disappointment to many that at the Border Counties Show they were passed over altogether, owing to bad condition. Dirk was one of the batch entered. As a matter of fact, the Blackwood House kennels had for years required a change of blood, they having become so inbred as to be delicate, weedy, and generally unsatisfactory. This was greatly to be deplored, as I believe they had originally been excellent dogs in every way, and Mr Cook tells us, in his monograph on the breed, that some of them would kill a badger outright. On an occasion when their courage was put to a severe test it was the custom to slip a terrier at two badgers at once, when the dog would "pin" the one and at the same time the other badger was inflicting severe punishment, which was borne without a murmur. The same authority says that in 1880 five of the Blackwood House Dandie Dinmonts were wilfully poisoned, and unfortunately the miscreant who did the deed was never discovered. When Mr. Bradshaw Smith died in 1882 the kennel consisted of thirteen terriers, which with a single exception were dispersed.

About this time Messrs. Robert and Paul Scott, of Jedburgh, who tramped their district as pedlars or hawkers, were well known for the excellent Dandie Dinmonts they possessed, and right proud were the two brothers of their strain, and of their dog Peachem. Robert brought his favourite southwards on one or two occasions, winning first at the Crystal Palace Show in 1872, and he also had second given him at Birmingham. Peachem was to my idea an ideal of his race-not too big, not too little, good in coat, colour, and top knot, nicely domed in skull, shapely, well arched in body, and not too crooked in front. Robert Scott was wont to say, "Eh, eh! Its ainlie the joodges can beat Peachem."

Dr. Grant's, of Hawick, Dandie Dinmonts and hounds are pleasantly alluded to by "The Druid " in Turf, Field, and Farm. Mr. Nicol Milne, of Faldonside; Mr. F. Somner, West Morriston; Mr. James Atkins, Maryfield; Mr. Hugh Purvis, Leaderfoot ; Mr. Nisbet, Rumbleton; with some few others, had leading kennels of this variety when it first came to be recognised by the wily southerns as a desirable dog to keep. They and others bred a good many of them, with which the market was soon supplied, and of such we find those that are with us at the time I write.

A somewhat noteworthy show was held at Carlisle

later in the seventies, viz., in 1877, when it was announced that the awards would be made by points, the judges being Messrs. Pool and J. B. Richardson. There was the largest entry which had hitherto been brought together, eighty-five of the Dandie Dinmont terriers competing. There was no particular uniformity in the awards of prizes after all, and two of the chief honours went to animals of quite distinct type the one to Shamrock, already alluded to, who then weighed 20lb. and was given seventy-eight points out of the possible hundred; the other to Mr. W. Carrick's mustard dog Harry Bertram, who weighed 27 lb., and was given fifty-nine points out of the possible hundred. This, I fancy, was the beginning and ending of judging Dandie Dinmonts by points, and there were some odd awards made by the Scotsmen in those days, whatever they might say about those made by English judges. One of the latter had written that a Dandie Dinmont should have erect ears!

The terrier of which I write was, at this period, in the hey-day of his popularity. Leading exhibitors and the chief shows were supporting him. The late Mr. J. H. Murchison, the Rev. J. C. Macdona, Mr. James Locke, Selkirk; Mr. W. Carrick, Carlisle ; Mr. James Cook, Edinburgh; Mr. A. Irving and Mr. Pool, Dumfries; Capt H. Ashton, Mr. A. H. T.

Newcomen, Kirkleatham; Mr. W. Dorchester, Reading; Mr. Slater, Carlisle; Mr. J. Finchett, Wales; and Mr. Coupland at one time or another were working in the dog's interests. Following them, or almost contemporary with them, came Mr. Archibald Steel, the Earl of Antrim, Capt. Keene, Mr. R. Stordy, Mr. D. J. T. Gray, Mr. A. Weaver, Mr. A. Kemball Cook, Mr. W. Walker, Mr. J. Sherwood, jun., the Rev. S. Tiddeman, Mr. Houleston, Mr. T. Maxwell, Mr. J. Clarke, Mr. G. Shiel, Mr. J. E. Dennis, Mr. E. W. Blogg, and Mr. G. A. B. Leatham, of Tadcaster, Yorkshire; Mr. J. Flinn, Portobello; and Dr. Hadden, Melrose. All have at one period or another owned excellent specimens, and for a time the Earl of Antrim was a most enthusiastic admirer of the variety. He tried various crosses, and was so fortunate that at one of the south country shows about eight years ago he made entries in both the Dandie Dinmont and Bedlington terrier classes, obtaining a prize or honourable mention in each with two dogs out of the same bitch and by the same sire. This can really be called successful breeding, and it certainly shows how nearly allied are these two strains of terrier. It must not be forgotten that both varieties sprang pretty much from the same locality.

Mr. Leatham, at Thorp Arch, Boston Spa, who

has kept the breed for over twenty years, has at the present time the largest and best kennel of Dandie Dinmont terriers ever owned by one man, and has seldom less than ten couple running about, not counting the young puppies. The catalogues and the Kennel Stud Books show their winnings, and so even an entry can Mr. Leatham turn out that on more than one occasion he has won the prize for the best team of terriers in the show, and so recently as 1893 his entry was awarded the special at Edinburgh for the best team of non-sporting dogs in the show. However, more than this the Thorp Arch Dandie Dinmonts are properly trained and educated in all the duties which a good terrier ought to perform. Mr. Leatham, with the pride of an enthusiast, says "they are the gamest terriers on land or in water he ever saw." He proceeds to say "that they are first-rate ratters; he has bolted foxes with them when hounds have run them to ground, and they do their duty willingly. But," says Mr. Leatham, "the best test is with badgers,' which he has every opportunity of utilising in their wild state, as there are several earths in the neighbourhood in which he resides. He has never known one of his Dandies show the "white feather, though he has seen fox terriers bolt directly the badger came in sight. On the contrary, the Dandies will

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