THE WHITE ENGLISH TERRIER. 



BY E. F. BURNS. 



>HIS is an old breed, and a very popular one in Eng- 

 land, but is as yet little known in this country. It 

 is destined to become more widely distributed and 

 more popular here, however, for its bright, merry, sprightly, 

 affectionate disposition, its elegant and symmetrical shape, 

 its undaunted courage, its brilliant white coat, its spark- 

 ling black eye, and its generally handsome appearance are 

 such as to commend it to everyone who may want a small 

 dog for the house or for a companion. It is fond of human 

 society, either of children or adults, and is never more 

 highly delighted than when petted by master or mistress, 

 young or old. 



The White Terrier, while by no means quarrelsome, is 

 game from the tip of his nose to the end of his tail. He 

 will brook no intrusion on his domain, and will assail a dog 

 five times his own size as savagely and as confidently as he 

 would a rat, if the stranger but approach his master or 

 mistress. 



He has an excellent nose, is the natural enemy of ver- 

 min, and no dog is more eager in its pursuit or more suc- 

 cessful in exterminating it. It is as utterly impossible for 

 a rat to live, on the premises where a White Terrier is kept, 

 as for water to run up-stream. This breed differs from the 

 Black and Tan Terrier principally in the matter of color; in 

 many other respects the two breeds are nearly identical. 



Concerning the status of the White Terrier in England, 

 " Idstone" says: 



The English smooth-coated Terrier is a dog seldom seen except in the pos- 

 session of dog-traders and "fanciers," as they call themselves, being bred for 

 show more than for use. Ten or twelve years ago it was at most of our dog 

 28 f433) 



