362 British Dogs. 



CHAPTER XXIV. THE SCOTCH TERRIER. 



BY COBSINCON. 



V 



SCOTLAND is prolific in terriers, and for the most part these are long- 

 backed and short-legged dogs. Such is the Dandie Dinmont, the Skye, 

 and the Aberdeen terrier ; but the old hard and shorthaired " terry" of 

 the West of Scotland, as I recollect him when a boy, was much nearer in 

 shape to a modern fox terrier, but with a shorter and rounder head, the 

 colour of their hard wiry coat mostly sandy, the face free from long hair, 

 although some showing a beard, and the small ears carried in most 

 instances semi-erect, in some pricked. 



The Kennel Club has on several occasions instituted classes for the 

 old Scotch terrier at their shows, but these have never obtained sufficient 

 entries to encourage the club to keep the class open, until at their sum- 

 mer show, 1879, when they received the support and co-operation of the 

 recently formed Scotch terrier club, or of those who had discussed the 

 propriety of forming such a club, and who, I believe, subscribed the 

 prize money, found or suggested the judge, and made most of the entries, 

 which latter amounted to fifteen. 



Unfortunately, those selected for prizes, although undoubtedly hard- 

 haired Scotch terriers, as the schedule described them, were not the old 

 hard-haired Scotch terrier, but a well-known distinct variety yclept the 

 Aberdeen terrier, several of the winners being in fact imports from the 

 granite city or the district. The best in the class, judged as an old Scotch 

 terrier, was Mr. J. C. Carrick's Pig, and as the judge, Mr. J. B. Morrison, 

 was brought specially from the West of Scotland to judge this class, 

 his going for the short-legged Aberdonians was the more astonishing. 

 It may, however, be accounted for, if we recollect that Mr. Morrison is a 

 Skye terrier fancier, and suppose that breed, in common parlance, to have 

 " filled his eye." 



The true old Scotch terrier should be a stoutly built dog, leggy in 

 comparison with the Skye, Dandie, or Aberdeen, varying in size, as all 

 breeds little cared for do, but easily to be kept near to a standard of 

 151b. to 181b., which I hold to be the most useful for a working "var- 

 mint ' ' dog, even if he is not wanted to go to ground. 



