The Skye Terrier. 347 



girth round chest, from 15in. to 16iin. ; tail, about Gin. or 7in. long, 

 slightly curved ; height will vary from 7Jin. to 9|in. Legs should be 

 short, and well covered with muscle. Many of the breed are bandy- 

 legged, but some breeders prefer straight ones. The length of foreleg will 

 vary from 4in. to 5in. (inside measurement), and the girth of ditto 

 should be equal, or nearly so. A dog requires legs to walk and run upon, 

 also to scratch with ; hence a leg of, say, Sin. would be rather unsuitable 

 to a vermin terrier, though it might be much prized in the show ring. 

 Coat should be short, exceedingly thick, and wiry ; no curls this 

 would show a cross. The best and most practical sportsmen with whom 

 I am acquainted prefer the coat not to exceed from 2^in. to Sin. or 3|in. 

 in length, as a longer coat would very much impede the dog when work- 

 ing. This fact I have, and many others as well, practically tested, and 

 invariably found a long coat of, say, 6in., prove a great obstacle to a 

 terrier, either under the earth or above it. However, many try to obtain 

 as long a coat on their dogs as possible, especially those who keep them 

 for exhibition purposes, as English judges generally select a long coat, 

 which is entirely wrong, and is not a characteristic of the pure Skye or 

 Highland terrier, and a long coat greatly loses in density and hardness of 

 texture, giving the animal more the appearance of a Maltese terrier, from 

 which many of the so-called Skye terriers are, no doubt, descended. I 

 remember, many years ago, seeing in London ' white Skyes,' which were 

 brought from Portree, and one of these was honoured with a prize at 

 an English show. The proper colour of a genuine Skye is either dark 

 grey, reddish yellow, or black, but if of a reddish colour, they ought 

 to have a dark muzzle and dark ear-tips ; these are greatly valued by 

 gentlemen in the north. The weight of the Skye terrier may vary from 

 91b. to 121b. in females, and from 121b. to 161b. in males. However, 

 for my own use, I should like one about 141b. ; still, I would not be 

 particular to a pound or two in weight, were the other points of the 

 dog good ; but any terrier over 181b. I should not much fancy for 

 work. Now let us look at the generally accepted type of dog of this 

 breed selected for honours at shows by English judges, but whose 

 opinions should have little weight, for the simple reason that many of 

 these gentlemen, who are valued authorities on setters, retrievers, and 

 other breeds, know absolutely nothing of the Highland terrier, having 

 neither studied their points nor characteristics, nor used them at work .; 



