30 8 British Dogs. 



be used comparatively ; there is not a single breed in existence worth a 

 Spratt's biscuit that can claim absolute purity. We have got them to 

 their present state of high development by careful selection and judicious 

 crossings, and it should be quite sufficient for us to know that there are 

 hundreds of Dandies now living that are to all intents and purposes pure 

 bred, in so far as they have at least more or less of the blood of Dandie 

 Dinmont's Mustards and Peppers, and have the recognised characteristics 

 of the breed so fixed in themselves as to be depended on to reproduce the- 

 same with almost absolute faithfulness. Much as has been written anent 

 Dandie Dinmont terriers, that much has for the most part been in 

 ephemeral form, chiefly in the various contributions to the controversies 

 on the subject that have been raised from time to time in the newspapers 

 (notably in the "Field" and the "Country"), and a good deal of in- 

 formation and many valuable opinions are therein met with. 



The Eev. J. C. Macdona was, I believe, the first to give publicity to 

 the following unquestionably important document, which he met with in 

 researches he made some ten or twelve years ago into the early history of 

 the breed ; it is described as being in the handwriting of James David- 

 son, with his initials attached, written on old hand-made letter paper, 

 yellow with years and bearing all the evidences of being genuine. The 

 memorandum was originally sent by Mr. Davidson to the Hon. George 

 H. Bailie, of Mellerstain, and is as follows : 



"1800. 



" Tuggin, from A. Armstrong, reddish and wiry. 

 Tarr, reddish and wiry-haired, a bitch. 

 Pepper, shaggy and light, Mr. Brown, of Bonjedward. 

 The race of Dandies are bred from the two last. " J. D." 



Mr. James Scott, of Newstead, who contributed much useful inform- 

 ation respecting the breed in the correspondence on the subject in 

 the "Field " some years back, speaking from a personal knowledge of 

 " Dandie Dinmont " and his dogs, says he had two varieties of terriers, 

 one large and leggy, the other short on the fore leg and small, and that 

 it was only the latter that Davidson would allow to be called Dandie 

 Dinmonts, and it has been assumed that these smaller terriers were the 

 produce of the two dogs, Pepper and Tarr, given to him by Dr. Brown, of 

 Bonjedward. When Sir Walter Scott made Davidson's Pepper and 



