Of course, in breeding-in a selection of the fittest must be made, for it is one of the facts connected therewith which should never be lost sight of, that there is a strong tendency in nature to reproduce individual characteristics as well as the features common to the family. It will also be admitted that the closer dogs can be bred without loss of vitality, the better, when the desire is to preserve type; for in-and-in breeding is the best safeguard against throwing back to any one of, it may be, the somewhat discordant elements out of which the breed was originally formed.

As to points, with the exception of colour, the White English

Terrier (Fig. 107) may be judged by those of the Black-and-tan Terrier. The colour should be pure white, the eye small, rather oval shaped, and black, the nose black, the head well balanced, level, and gradually tapering. The ears used to be always cropped, which was a great pity, for some of these dogs have naturally pretty drop ears, thin and neat. Smartness of build, a close, dense, but smooth coat, and what is known as a "Terrier expression," are desiderata. As already said, the wheel back and hooped tail, inherited from no very remote ancestor, are very objectionable, and are generally accompanied by a soft, "unvarmint" look.

This variety does not gain in popularity, nor do the numbers exhibited increase, the present-day specimens showing little im

provement on their predecessors of the last twenty years. Cropping probably in the past prevented this smart-looking Terrier from having more admirers, and that was also responsible for the number of deaf specimens one met with a defect that is not altogether eliminated from the modern dog. Yet another cause working against the popularity of the breed was the amount of fining that the tails received and the general touching-up necessary before a dog was considered in good condition for the judging-ring. Mr. Yardley, of Birmingham, was for years known as a successful breeder of these Terriers, and his Spring (K.C.S.B. 8,717), although not so great a prize-winner as many others, proved most valuable at the stud, and a good number of the best now living are descended from him. Spring was by a dog of the same name, an own brother to Bill (K.C.S.B. 2,719), and therefore a small Bull-terrier. Spring's dam was by Joe out of Mystery.

Of younger sires, Mr. Tonk's Prince Bismarck, by Mr. Willet's Prince out of his Lady, proved very successful, many winners appearing among his progeny, the best of which was probably Mr. Heelis's Chessett's Model (K.C.S. B. 21,407).

Dog shows have increased in Scotland very much of late years, and White English Terriers are now encouraged there. Amongst the most constant breeders and exhibitors of this variety of late years have been Mr. W. Ballantyne (whose Champion Queen, now seven years old, is still amongst the winners), Mr. J. H. Walsh (who has shown many good specimens), Mr. James Cheadle (whose Champion Lady Superior has taken numerous prizes at the best shows), Miss Creswell, Mr. Samuel Hawkins, Mrs. A. Stafford, and Mr. Roger Hughes.

Some years since, when the lighter weight Bull-terriers were more popular than they are now, they were undoubtedly extensively crossed with White English Terriers to get down their size, and some the writer has had and many he has seen had some of the Bull-terrier blood in them. This could be traced in their skulls showing rather more fulness than the breed should possess, and in their more warlike dispositions. A good specimen of the White English Terrier is quite an aristocrat amongst Terriers-a high-class, superior type of dog, fit company for any one.

In selecting, take care that the colour is absolutely pure white, refusing any marked specimen, however slight. The skull should be narrow, long, level, and wedge-shaped, and any tendency to apple-head or a Bull-terrier-like head should not be lightly passed over. Small dark eyes, straight fore legs, and small V-shaped ears are also points to look for, though the last named in the case of a puppy not over teething troubles should not be too seriously considered, as young animals not infrequently carry their ears indifferently at such times.

The following is a description of the breed as now constituted :

Head.-Long and narrow, flat from the back of the skull to the nose, and with no bumps at sides or cheeks.

Muzzle.-Long and tapering, but not weak.

Jaws.-Strong, teeth close-fitting and even, with no lippiness.

Eyes.--Small, oval shaped, bright in expression, and dark, nearly black, in

colour.

Nose.-Well defined, quite black, and of moderate size.

Ears.-Small, fine in texture, V-shaped, and hanging close to the head.
Neck.-Light and graceful, rather long, slightly arched.
Shoulders.-Sloping; chest rather narrow, but deep.

Body.-A little arched, with good back ribs.

Fore Legs.--Quite straight, with well-arched toes and black nails.
Hindquarters.-Strong and powerful, with hocks well let down.

Tail.—Very fine, and carried almost straight or with a slight curve, but never

curled over the back.

Coat.-Short, fine, and glossy.

Colour.- Pure white.

Weight.-Should not exceed 20lb., even less is desirable.

General Appearance. That of a well-bred and high-class, smart and neatlooking dog, well suited for a companion or a house-guard.

FOR this variety one is certainly entitled to claim ancient lineage, as on very early monuments and inscriptions dogs more or less resembling Poodles in appearance have been found. We know that in France and Germany, for ages, Poodles have been kept as companions and used for sporting purposes, and in many old prints and pictures of people and scenery in France Poodles have been depicted as the national dogs, in the same way as we see the Bulldog shown in pictures of Englishmen.

Irrespective of coats or colours, there are at least three sizes of Poodles the large, which may scale up to 70lb. in weight; the medium-sized, varying between 15lb. and 30lb; and the small, running from 4lb. or 5lb. to 9lb. or 10lb. The large and the small are almost invariably either black or white in colour, most of the off colours being amongst those of the medium sizes.

The majority of those Poodles seen in this country had their origin on the Continent of Europe, where they may still be found in France, Germany, Italy, and Russia. Nearly all the Blacks used to be called Russian Poodles; but the writer has seen more of the larger-sized specimens in Germany than anywhere else, and he is aware that many of the best shown here have been imported from that country. Poodles used to be favourite canine companions of the students of the German universities, where many dogs worthy of exhibition at our best shows might be seen accompanying them.

That this breed has made rapid strides during the last twentyfive years is proved not only by the numbers seen during our walks abroad, but by the greatly increased entries at any shows where the classification and judges are acceptable to the many owners of these sagacious animals.

In most of the books on dogs written within the last century, although the authors hold many different views respecting minor matters, they seem unanimous in their opinions that the old Large Water-dog was one of the ancestors of the large-sized Poodle of the present day; indeed, Youatt (who wrote about sixty years ago)

went so far as to give a picture of the old Water-dog as a Poodle proper. They also agree that the Small Water-dog was one of the progenitors of the smaller Poodles.

Though the writer is disposed to concur in this opinion, yet, at this length of time, it is not possible to decide what other variety of dog was used to produce the Poodles now seen, for it must be admitted that although he had some family connection with the modern Curly-coated Retriever and the Irish Water-spaniel, as well as the Poodle, the old Large Water-dog mentioned and drawn by early writers was much shorter and thicker in head and muzzle. In fact, he was a coarser and heavier dog altogether, and he was never clipped, trimmed, or made a pet of, as are his modern prototypes.

In a rough and general way Poodles may be divided into three sections-Corded, Non-corded, and Toys. In the first named (Fig. 108) the coat hangs in long strands, or ringlets, often more than reaching to the ground, requiring much care and attention to prevent the matting or felting sure to attend neglect of the necessary grooming. The Non-corded may be subdivided into Curly and Fluffy. The former is shown with a quasi-natural coat composed of small curls, something like those seen on Curly-coated Retrievers and Irish Water Spaniels, but not usually so tightly curled. The latter is shown with the hair combed and teased out till little of the curl is apparent, but the parts unshorn are a mass of soft fluffy hair on head, ears, shoulders, etc., giving that leonine aspect so much admired by many fanciers. Toys have come more into vogue of late years, and with them may be found all the variations of coat named-Corded, Curly, and Fluffy; but, as with their larger brethren, the last two are far more numerous than the first named.

With this chapter is given two typical specimens (Figs. 108 and 109); these will convey better ideas of the animals than any detailed descriptions of them in writing.

In the several varieties of Poodles the colours are numerous, although when first the writer was asked to judge them at some of our largest shows whites were in the majority. At present the preponderance is much in favour of blacks; but there are also browns of various shades, blues, greys, reds, as well as particoloured specimens. Amongst those shown with corded coats, the colours are mostly confined to black and white, any variation from these being exceedingly rare. The greatest number of those other than black or white are found amongst the Curlies, Fluffies, and Toys. Many persons interested in the breed consider that black and white are the only proper Poodle colours. Be this as it may, many beautiful browns, greys, blues, and reds are occasionally seen. The parti-coloured ones, on the other hand, have somewhat the appearance of freaks of nature, and are not so worthy of encourage