I have said the first class at Birmingham had twenty-eight entries; I recollect at one of the Scottish shows (Edinburgh, 1871), there were about thirty-five competitors in the bull terrier classes, and scarcely a bad one in the lot. Now ten or a dozen in a class is considered a first-rate entry, and at Birmingham in 1893, with ten classes and thirtyseven competitors, the group was considered to be an unusually strong one.

So far I have only alluded to the large-sized bull terriers, and what there is to say about the smaller ones is yet to come. After this dog had become fairly well established in the schedules of the shows, the classes came to be sub-divided again, and for many years the classification at Birmingham was for dogs and bitches exceeding 15lb. and below that weight. The competition therein was usually keen, and at this time the names of Mr. S. E. Shirley (the present chairman of the Kennel Club), of Mr. J. H. Ryder, Mr. C. L. Boyce, Mr. J. F. Godfree, Mr. S. Handley, Pendleton, a noted judge, as well as those already mentioned, appeared in the prize lists, and I should say the bull terrier was never so fashionable or had so many admirers as he had, say, between 1868 to 1874. Still he did not bring much money, and from 12 to 25 would have purchased any of the

leading dogs of that day, with the exception of the patched Victor."

Later on, whether bull terriers actually became more valuable, or money was more plentiful, one cannot say, but bigger prices came to be paid for comparatively inferior dogs. One called Tarquin, a ferocious beast, did a considerable amount of winning, and he was one of the high priced division. Then some sort of a longing was apparent for the reintroduction of the patched or marked dogs. Thus classes for bull terriers other than white were provided at one or two of our leading shows, but the specimens shown were not sufficiently handsome to cause the public to fall in love with them. So their continuance was ephemeral, especially as it was very difficult to breed them to type. Lately the very best other than white bull terriers I have seen was one called Como II. belonging to Mr. E. H. Adcock. This was a brindled dog of pretty shape, but heavier and shorter in the head than the modern white dog. I believe that Mr. Adcock's endeavours to perpetuate the strain have not proved successful.

Following the death of James Hinks, of Birmingham, his two sons continued to show their partiality for their father's favourite dogs, and from their kennels many of the modern prize winners have come. For a considerable period Mr. R. J. Hartley,

of Altrincham, had a very excellent kennel. His Magnet and Violet, so long as they lasted, monopolised most of the prizes on the show bench, and both were undoubtedly very handsome specimens of their race, as was Mr. A. George's Mistress of the Robes, a daughter of Mr. J. Hinks's old Dutch, who had proved himself almost phenomenal as a sire. The "Stud Book " says Dutch was by old VictorChampion Countess. Mr. R. J. Hartley, who bred Dutch, tells me that his dam was by Young Gambler from old Daisy, but which Victor sired Dutch is a matter of uncertainty. It was certainly not the old Victor alluded to on a previous page as being found dead in his box in 1872. Dutch, in the 1884 "Stud Book," was said to be about six years old at that time, so his pedigree is doubtful.

With extended classification at shows, and further alterations therein in the matter of weight, the latter probably brought about by the scarcity of the small-sized bull terrier, good specimens went into more hands. The weights now are arranged as dogs and bitches exceeding 30lb., dogs and bitches between 20lb. and 30lb., and dogs and bitches under 20lb. Thus there is little or no inducement to produce those excellent little dogs of not more than 16lb. in weight, for such would have little chance of being successful against an equally

good specimen half as heavy again. That there is material for re-popularising the breed I am quite certain, and at the last Birmingham show, in November, 1893, several very nice little dogs were shown, at least their character and style were nice, but their crooked fore legs and wide shoulders kept them out of the prize list. Still, the material remains to be improved upon.

Messrs. Lea, of Birmingham, have lately shown some good bull terriers; so has Mr. S. Fielding, of Trentham; whilst Mr. F. North, of Streatham, has been particularly successful, and his Streatham Monarch, which was sold to America for about £80, was certainly one of the best bull terriers of the last year or two. Mr. G. Blair's White Queen (Edinburgh), was likewise another of our very best bull terriers; indeed, I consider these two quite equal to anything we have had since Mr. Hartley's brace, already mentioned. Grand Prior, who has won many prizes, is not deserving of a high place of excellence, solely on account of the fact that his mouth is not level, and for this reason Mr. S. E. Shirley put him out of the prize list at one of the Bath shows. Another celebrated bull terrier whose mouth was not quite level was Mr. Hartley's Magnet. I fancy that, in what I should call the palmy days of bull terriers, a dog with such a

malformation would never have been shown, or, at any rate, he would never have attained that high position which Grand Prior appears to have done.

Other modern large-sized bull terriers of more than ordinary excellence have been Messrs. C. and P. Lea's Greenhill Wonder and Faultless; Mr. T. F. Gibson's Sherbourne King; Mr. G. H. Marshall's Boston Wonder; Mr. J. W. Gibson's Bellerby Queen; Mr. J. R. Pratt's Greenhill Surprise; Mr. F. Bateson's Lord Gully, Perseverance, and Le Rose; Mr. R. J. Hartley's Hanover Daisy; and this list might be considerably extended, though I have probably mentioned the best bull terriers up to date.

Three years ago, the late Jesse Oswell, of Birmingham - a prize-fighter by profession, but a gentleman in nature-had some good dogs, nor must the names of Mr. F. Hinks, Birmingham; Mr. J. S. Diggle, Chorlton-upon-Medlock; Mr. James Chatwin, Edgbaston; Messrs. Mariott and Green, Gloucester; Mr. J. Rickards, Birmingham; Mr. J. H. Ryder, Manchester; Mr. W. J. Pegg, Woodcote, Epsom; Mr. Firmstone, Stourbridge; and Mr. C. L. Boyce, be forgotten, as the owners and breeders of choice specimens of this variety. In London, Mr. A. George, a son of the great Bill George, has given much attention to the breeding