The Scottish Terrier. 255 



I suppose, he thought it a shame to waste it when 

 his master had shot it. This chap had a great 

 friend, a mastiff bitch, and he used to swim along 

 water-rat infested streams, and she applying her 

 nose to the landward hole would snort a rat out of 

 his wits into the water, and into the terrier's jaws, 

 who, silently swimming, was keeping pace with his 

 friend. They are said in the kennels to have a trick 

 of suddenly turning upon one of their number and 

 putting it to death, and when they do this they leave 

 but little mark of their work, as they eat their 

 victim. They are kept for work fox and otter 

 hunting. They have consequently to be kept small, 

 and without the power which seems to be of such 

 value on the show bench. This could easily be got 

 by feeding up, but then the dogs would be of no 

 use in the fox cairns. As it is, they often push in 

 between rocks they cannot escape from, and so the 

 best get lost." 



Of the original Scottish terriers some there were 

 with semi-erect ears, others with prick ears, as so 

 admirably produced in Mr. Wardle's picture at the 

 commencement of this chapter. The prick ears 

 are acknowledged now as the more fashionable, 

 though I fancy years ago the semi-prick ear was 

 the more common. I have seen some excellent 

 little dogs with semi-erect ears, as good as those 



