142 Modern Dogs. 



me from Shropshire, which originally came from the 

 huntsman of the Albrighton hounds. Anyhow, rare 

 good-looking dog though he seemed, his excellence 

 was sadly marred by his detestable disposition. He 

 was never safe, and always as willing to growl at his 

 owner as to take a piece out of the leg of a tramp or 

 anyone else. Entered for Darlington Show at a few 

 pounds, if he was not sold I had promised him as a 

 present to a friend ; as it happened he won the first 

 prize and the special cup, and was at once claimed 

 by a well-known admirer of the breed. Avenger (the 

 dog's name) was a little high on the legs, i81b. 

 weight, straight in front and terrier-like in head, with 

 a hard jacket but not much of it. I need scarcely 

 say he did not need trimming, or " faking," to make 

 him look his best. 



Owing to some cause or other, the wire-haired 

 fox terrier has occupied longer in popularising him- 

 self than the smooth-coated one. For years he was 

 without a class at any of the shows, and when he 

 became so important as to be honoured by being so 

 provided, he was relegated to the non-sporting 

 division ! Birmingham gave him his first class in 

 1872, nine years subsequent to the time when the 

 smooth variety had been prominently brought 

 forward. Some of the Stud Books have the wire- 

 haired fox terrier entered amongst non-sporting 



