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CHAPTER XVI.

OTHER TERRIERS.

ALTHOUGH in the foregoing pages I have devoted many chapters to what may well be called different varieties of the terrier, several of the race remain yet unrepresented, and without any reproach on the character of those already described, there are other terriers quite equal to such as are given place in the "Stud Book" and precedence by

me.

A few years ago an "Old English Terrier Club" was formed, and it sought to bring out of various country districts that hardy, hard-bitten game dog common thereto, and which was used for work. This club during its short reign, it is now dead, did its work but moderately; a few good dogs were through it introduced, but too often the winners, in the special classes provided, were either Airedale terriers or Welsh terriers, and a case has been known where a dog was by the judges given honours in its own class as an Airedale terrier and in that

for the so-called Old English variety, which is no variety at all.

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Few sporting country districts are or were without their own special strain of terriers, in which appearance was of little object so long as gameness predominated. By "gameness I do not mean partiality for fighting and cat-killing, and standing being cut up piece-meal without flinching or whimpering, but killing vermin and going to ground after fox, or badger, or otter-wild animals, and not tame, domesticated, and semi-tame creatures. I have seen a dog of great excellence and gameness n a street fight, which would run away and yelp when a big buck rat seized him by the nose. One injury dog shows have done is discernible in the fact that they have been the means of withdrawing attention from the hardy, intelligent, maybe crossbred terrier, to that which is generally a more effeminate creature, though maybe handsomer in markings and narrower in the chest. As a matter of fact, a really first-class dog for the show bench is far too valuable a creature to run any risk of being killed underground by a badger or by earth or rock that might fall upon him.

Imagine a five hundred pound fox terrier running after Tommy Dobson's hounds over the mountains round about Eskdale, or doing the rough work that

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