212 Modern Dogs. 



Barney, however, excelled himself one day when 

 he brought into the house a teacup containing an 

 egg. The former was carried by the rim, and 

 carefully deposited into the hands of my house- 

 keeper, the egg uncracked, the feat a record. One 

 of the neighbours had given them to the dog, who 

 evidently thought he could not do better with the 

 presents than hand them over to his best friend. 

 He was never trained to retrieve and fetch and 

 carry ; the accomplishment is a natural one. 



I can also speak personally of the capabilities of the 

 Irish terrier as a water dog, for I have seen puppies 

 at four months old swim across a strong stream 

 fifty yards wide, follow the older ones hunting, and 

 as keen " on rats " as the fully grown dogs could 

 possibly be. These juveniles would also kill rabbits, 

 and generally their precocity was quite astonishing. 

 But it must be borne in mind that these young 

 " Irishmen " had not been reared in kennels, they, 

 on the contrary, having a free range in which to 

 play, and where they could hunt either rats or 

 rabbits when so inclined. 



Mention may be made here of an Irish terrier who, 

 perhaps, rejoiced in the name of Rags. Anyhow, he 

 was a performer on the stage, his great feat being 

 turning somersaults, which he did backwards, and, 

 as a variety, turned l< double somersaults," the latter 



