376 THE AMEKICAN BOOK OF THE DOG. 



foxes from their earth by dogs represent, as a rule, rather 

 dark and not prettily marked Terriers, often with prick 

 ears. 



Here and there a clew is given by some author or artist to 

 white and pied Terriers, both smooth and rough coated ; but 

 there is no such thing as an absolute and exact type trace- 

 able in the Fox Terrier, as is the case with Greyhounds 

 and different species of Hounds used in the chase for cent- 

 uries past. It will have to satisfy the Fox Terrier lover 

 who desires to establish the claim of his pet breed to purity 

 of blood, to say that the best Foxhound kennels in the 

 beginning of the century were possessed of good Terriers, 

 and are known to have given their breeding the most care- 

 ful attention ; so that when recourse was had to such 

 kennels as the Grove, Belvoir, and Quorn to build the pres- 

 ent breed of Fox Terriers upon, Terriers were easily found 

 in and about those kennels as true in type as the best of 

 to-day, although perhaps not so perfect in the special 

 points which breeding purely for the bench shows has 

 since produced. 



During the early part of the century, the indications are 

 that the Terrier which accompanied the earth-stopper or 

 the pack was often dark in color. I have myself an old 

 print of 1825, which I found at Oxford ten years ago, rep- 

 resenting Sir Tatton Sykes' Hounds drawing covert. In 

 the lower corner is depicted the earth-stopper, spade in 

 hand, watching the workings of the Hounds, with an excel- 

 lent pale-colored Black and Tan Terrier by his side ; good 

 drop ears, straight legs though apparently standing a 

 little higher from the ground than is desirable at the pres- 

 ent time. 



The history of the Fox Terrier resolves itself into three 

 periods; the first dating from about the sixteenth century 

 to the end of the eighteenth, during which time we have 

 evidence of his existence, along with the rest of the genus 

 Terrier bred in the stable-yard and by gamekeepers, as 

 a rule among plebeian masters. Then the Fox Terrier grad- 

 uates, and we read careful descriptions of him and records 



