The Scottish Terrier. 259 



of the Scottish terrier, although I do not know 

 them so well) is an inherited deformity unlike 

 anything in nature." 



Mr. H. J. Ludlow, one of our oldest admirers of 

 the variety, is likewise of my opinion as to the 

 deformity of the crooked legs, and, in allusion to the 

 above, says this statement from South Kensington 

 is more of an argument in favour of straight fore legs 

 in a Scottish terrier than all the asseverations that 

 have been made by breeders of dogs crooked fronted, 

 that a straight front means ruination. " I take it that 

 if Nature thought bent fore legs were a necessary 

 formation for animals that depend upon burrowing 

 for their safety, nay, for their very existence, she 

 would have produced the requisite curve in at least 

 some of them. I am satisfied to have Nature for 

 my guide in breeding, and so long as I produce 

 terriers that have to follow and do to death these 

 straight-legged diggers, I shall be content with the 

 spades that I find she has supplied her creatures 

 with rather than run after the ' inherited deformities ' 

 that some prejudiced persons go rabid over. Look- 

 ing at the question from a show point of view, there 

 can be no doubt that a terrier with straight fore legs 

 is a far more taking animal than one with crooked 

 limbs, and, if for that reason alone, Scottish terriers 

 are, sooner or later, bound to be bred with fronts 



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