concerning this dog, many of them written with considerable feeling, and I fancy more with the idea of puffing a particular strain than with any intention of arriving at what was the correct type, or what the origin of the dog had been. And as history repeats itself, a somewhat similar controversy was attempted quite recently, which drifted from a discussion on the weight of Dandie Dinmont terriers into one of a personal

nature.

Of the original Dandie Dinmont terrier many peculiar ideas had been promulgated; one writer urged that the odd shape and long body were obtained by a cross at some remote period with the dachshund; and, strangely enough, this belief is still common in some places. Others suggested a cross between the otter hound and some kind of terrier; whilst from another quarter the more correct solution of the mystery would come, that the Dandie Dinmont terrier had been originally produced in the same way as other varieties of the dog. He was like Topsy, "he had growed," and no one was old enough to bring proof as to when he did " grow or how. As some writers might say, and with exceeding truth, "the origin of the Dandie Dinmont is lost in the mists of obscurity," and the less I tell about him before he became known on

the show bench, the better for my readers and for future generations.

As I have inferred, the Border farmers and others kept a hardy race of short-legged terriers, answering to the description of the Dandie Dinmont, even before the end of the eighteenth century. They assisted hounds to kill the otters, and of themselves were hardy enough to destroy foxes in their holes, and the sweetmart and the foulmart whenever they were come across. The dogs, notwithstanding their short legs and long bodies, were fairly active, and "as hard as nails." But the original Dandie Dinmont terrier stood higher on the legs and was shorter in the body than the modern article. This may be observed by reference to early pictures of this dog, notably that by Landseer in his well-known. portrait of Sir Walter Scott. Here a "mustard" dog is introduced, said to have been painted from a terrier then at Abbotsford, and which originally came from James Davidson. Again in a portrait of a Dandie Dinmont by Landseer which was exhibited at Graves's Gallery in Pall Mall in 1897. This was the property of Her late Majesty Queen Victoria, and quite unlike the variety as it is known now.

As to how this terrier became crooked in front is more a matter for the scientist than for a writer about dogs, but I would suggest that at some earlier

46

SPECIAL FAULTS.

Muzzle. Either under or over hung.

Eyes. Large or light coloured.

"Ears.-Large, round at the points, or drop. It is a fault if they are too heavily covered with hair.

Legs.-Bent, or slightly bent, and out at elbows. "Coat.-Any silkiness, wave, or tendency to curl is a serious blemish, as is also an open coat. "Size.-Specimens of over 20lb. should be dis