60 Modern Dogs. 



than I4lb. weight cleanly and elegant, but he is not 

 particularly noted for his intelligence, as I am sorry 

 to write is the case with all these smaller smooth 

 coated terriers that for generations have had their 

 ears cut. This is unfortunately the custom with the 

 one of which I write at any rate, this evil result of 

 cropping is my experience, as it has been of others 

 who have kept this variety, and the black and tan 

 terrier likewise. 



There are other drawbacks to his becoming a 

 fashionable favourite, for, however his elegance and 

 the purity of his white coat may fill the eye, he is 

 by no means a hardy dog. Then he is difficult to 

 breed in perfection ; the puppies are as likely to 

 come with patches on them as not, and terrier heads 

 or greyhound shaped bodies and vice versa are by 

 no means unusual. They are not easy to keep 

 in condition for exhibition ; it is troublesome and 

 dangerous (to say nothing about being illegal) 

 to have their ears cut or cropped, and, unless a 

 white terrier carries its ears smartly up and cut to a 

 point almost, he is a sorry looking object. Again, he 

 is particularly subject to total or partial deafness, 

 which may be hereditary or arise from other causes, 

 such as a delicacy that is supposed to appertain to 

 some totally white animals, especially such as are 

 inbred to a great extent, as is the case here. I 



