42 Modem Dogs. 



languish ; the classes provided for them did not fill, 

 and with the result that now stares us in the face, 

 the little bull terrier is no more at least, he is no 

 more in that perfection of form we saw him on the 

 benches in Birmingham and in London, when Mr. 

 Shirley's gallant little dog Nelson ruled the roast. 



In 1866 there were twenty entries of bull terriers 

 under lolb. weight at the London show, and at 

 Laycock's Dairy Yard three years later there were 

 thirty-two bull terriers under I5lb. weight against 

 nineteen over that size. Then the former had two 

 classes provided, the latter one class. Now things 

 are reversed, nor can I agree that the fittest survive. 

 Most of these terriers came from the Midlands, 

 Birmingham being responsible for the best of them. 

 Nelson was so bred ; but another good one of Mr. 

 Shirley's, Dick, had some strains of London blood 

 in him. Unfortunately the pedigrees of these early- 

 date little bull terriers were no more reliable than 

 are those of their larger cousins, and I fancy that 

 they were bred so in and in that they became 

 difficult to rear, and so degenerated. They were 

 never toys, like the small black and tan terriers, and 

 even when crossed with the white English terrier, 

 then more numerous than he is to-day, they 

 maintained their distinguishing character as well as 

 could be expected under the circumstances. 



