440 THE AMERICAN BOOK OF THE DOG. 



Richardson himself owned a little bitch called Polly, who weighed six pounds, 

 and she was frequently put into a rat-pit with a dozen rats, the whole of which 

 she would speedily kill against time. She would also swim the river and hunt 

 with the ferret. This little bitch, I am told, had four or five inches of coat on 

 each side of her body, with a white or silver head. At that time, however, 

 the average specimen was a short r-coated dog, with grizzle-gray, hardish 

 coat. It however seems to me, and is also the opinion of many old fanciers 

 whom I have consulted, that they were the ancestors for the present breed. 

 There is no doubt, also, that the blood of the Skye Terrier was introduced at 

 some remote period, which may account for the longer coat and long body 

 that existed some ten or fifteen years later. No care or definite object, however, 

 seems to have been aimed at in breeding, at this time, beyond getting a dog 

 thoroughly game. It seems that it was more by good luck than management 

 that, about twenty or thirty years ago, a longer and softer coated dog became 

 known. It must also be borne in mind that at this time their coats were not 

 cultivated as they were later on. Dog shows were almost unknown in those 

 days, and even later were scarce. 



From these and other earlier writers, we would be led to 

 infer that the origin of this breed was of the greatest uncer- 

 tainty, and of a most mysterious nature. That such 

 writers were, however, highly qualified to offer sound and 

 most valuable opinions on the subject generally, is proved 

 by the admirable manner in which they have treated the 

 principal characteristics descriptive of the breed; and all 

 specially interested in the breed should read the entire 

 subject as treated by such writers as Shaw, Dalziel, Wil- 

 kinson, Bootman, Watson, and others. 



No doubt much difficulty has been experienced in 

 obtaining information relating to its early history; and one 

 opinion, as expressed by Shaw, seems to be that, substan- 

 tially, the history was known, but that it was kept a secret. 

 It would be manifestly unjust to deprive the Yorkshire 

 Terrier of the title to a pedigree running back to the pro- 

 genitors of the breed; and the continued correspondence on 

 and investigation into the subject by those most deeply 

 interested, together with their better acquaintance with old 

 breeders and fanciers a condition undoubtedly brought 

 about through the agency of the improved quality and 

 increased number of dog shows, and the intense desire on 

 the part of such people to arrive at an accurate, intelligent 

 explanation of the origin of such a popular breed relieves 



