"Nearly all our best terriers trace their pedigree back to a bitch named Erin, bought by the late Mr. W. Graham, of Belfast, before being shown at Dublin in 1879. This bitch was perhaps the best Irish terrier ever seen, and I very much doubt if any terrier of to-day is her superior, if her equal. Killiney Boy was, I believe, the first dog that served Erin, the cross being particularly successful, but, as a fact, with whatever animal Erin was mated the result was the same. Both Killiney Boy and Erin were cropped; in their first litter there was a puppy born whose ears were so good that they were allowed to remain as nature made them. This puppy was afterwards named Play Boy; the others in the litter were Poppy, Pagan II., Gerald, Pretty Lass, with Peggy, who later was dam of Garryford. This must be acknowledged as a most extraordinary litter, and such a one has seldom been produced at one time.

"Erin was afterwards mated with another dog named Paddy II., and Garryowen and Glory were two of their puppies, and a bitch named Jess, who, put to Killiney Boy, threw a dog called Gripper. The latter was not successful at the stud, and bitches by him when put to dogs by either Killiney Boy or dogs descended from him, are very apt to throw black and tan, brindle, or grey.

"Of the earlier terriers none come up to Erin,

who, bar her feet and cropped ears, was nearly perfect, and, until her own celebrated litter, was unrivalled. The late Mr. W. Graham, Newtownbreda, one of the leading authorities on the variety, and who in his time had perhaps bred and owned more good dogs than any other individual, considered Erin to be the best Irish terrier he had ever seen (an opinion endorsed by the writer of this volume).

"The competition between the brother and sister, Play Boy and Poppy, was always very keen, the bitch being cropped; but the dog carried a pair of beautiful ears. Poppy was the richer in colour, and when young had a very keen and intelligent expression. Play Boy possessed the more substance, but his eyes were rather too full, which made him look somewhat quiet and hardly sharp enough.

Play Boy was not a success at the stud, though he sired a dog named Bogie Rattler, owned by myself, who took after him in looks and good ears, but was lower on the leg, more cloddy, and not of Play Boy's quality. Bogie mated with Biddy III., by Gripper ex Cora (drop ears), produced first Bachelor, and, in the next litter, Benedict, which I sold to Mr. Graham. Benedict became the most celebrated stud dog of the day, for he was sire or grandsire of more winners than any other Irish terrier.

"Bachelor was very successful in the show ring, and took after his sire and grandsire in having a good pair of ears. He had also a very hard coat, of good colour, yellow tipped with red, a long neck, which was very muscular, and a well-shaped head, which never grew too thick; his hind quarters were rather short, and his shoulders somewhat coarse, the latter no doubt caused by the amount of work he did. Benedict was a darker colour, with a lot of coat on his fore quarters, but little on his loins or hindquarters, and of rather a lighter make than Bachelor.

It may interest my readers to know that in the litter which included Bachelor there were three red, one grey, and five rough black and tan coloured puppies, and in that in which Benedict was produced, there were three red and five rough black and tan in hue.

"A noted rival of Bachelor's on the show bench was Mr. Graham's Extreme Carelessness (afterwards sold to Mr. Graves, of Liverpool), a bitch that when a puppy was almost black, or rather, nearly every hair was more black than yellow. At four At four years of age the tips of a few hairs only were black, and two years ago, just before she died, I saw the old bitch in Ireland, looking very fit and well, but of a beautiful yellow-red colour, and entirely free from any black tinge. She was given back to Mr. Graham after she had finished her show career. Extreme Carelessness

was cropped, her head rather heavy, and she had a slight slackness behind the shoulders, otherwise she was a charming bitch of great character and of good quality. She and Bachelor had many hard struggles for 'specials,' their successes being about equal.

Erin, two years after her celebrated litter, again. visited Killiney Boy, and threw a bitch, Droleen, who, put to a long-headed dog named Michael, by Pagan II., a grandson of both Killiney Boy and Erin, threw for her owner, Mr. E. A. Wiener, what was, up to the time of her death, the best dog since Bachelor's days, Brickbat by name, who had a most successful show career, winning the Challenge Cup given by the Irish Terrier Club twelve times without once being defeated, and finally he secured it outright.

"Brickbat was unfortunately cropped, and his expression required greater smartness; he was rather too big, and had a mere apology for a stern. Otherwise this excellent terrier was very nearly perfect.

Poppy, to the best of my recollection, only bred one good puppy, called Poppy II., very like her dam, but of a lighter build, and too leggy. I think the above a rough outline of the earlier generation of Irish terriers, bringing them down to the present time, for Brickbat has unfortunately gone over to the majority.

'Although so popular on the show bench, it is as a companion that the Irish terrier has won his way into the hearts of those who own a dog for the house and to keep down vermin. I am I am glad to say that the show bench has not yet spoiled their good qualities; although many are 'kennel fools,' this is their misfortune, not their fault. I have entered my terriers to all kinds of vermin, except otter, at that they have not had the chance; but one small terrier, bred by a friend from my dogs and given to Mr. Harry Clift, when hunting the otter hounds he kept at Newbury, Berks, was one of the gamest little terriers he ever owned, almost too keen, and quite fearless.

"I remember turning out a badger to see if Bachelor, when he was under a year old, would seize and hold it. At first they fought until almost tired out, then the dog got the badger by the cheek and there held him until they were both quite exhausted. The badger earths in our Buckinghamshire chalk hills are not large, but run very deep, often 16ft. to 18ft., so one cannot dig, and it is little short of cruelty to put a terrier in, as he may get blocked; it is too deep to hear a sound, and Irish terriers are not noisy enough, fighting and taking their punishment in silence, nor do they 'bay' their game like some other terriers. I have often run two of my