Increasing Popularity. 29 



Jock, exhibited by Mr. Thomas Wootton, of Nottingham, 

 Mr. Bayly being second with Trap, whilst Mr. Stevenson 

 (Chester) was third with Jack. In bitches, Mr. Wootton 

 was second with Venom, and a Mrs. Mawes first, with a 

 white bitch called Pepper, that afterwards went to Lieu- 

 tenant-Colonel Clowes, of Worcester. 



Thus did the fox terriers first attract public attention, 

 and so much was this the case that the following year, viz., 

 1863, the Birmingham Committee provided two classes for 

 them, though a similar thing had been done at a couple of 

 London shows held in March and May, also in 1863. 



At that time there was an opening for a popular dog, 

 the swell of the period was becoming a little less effeminate 

 than he had been, and was tired of lolloping my lady's toy 

 spaniel on his knees. He had tasted and enjoyed the Tom 

 and Jerry days in the rat pit, at the public-house dog show, 

 and in the occasional baiting of a semi-domesticated badger. 

 Many of the ladies themselves had grown discontented 

 with the continued snortings of their over-fed pets, and the 

 unodoriferous smells which sprung from obese King Charles 

 and Blenheim spaniels. The Yorkshire terrier was fairly 

 well known in parts of the North of England and elsewhere, 

 but his coat was troublesome, and the graceful Italian grey- 

 hound was far too delicate and fragile a creature for ordinary 

 " comforting" purposes. The lovely Maltese, with his coat 

 in texture and appearance like spun glass, was scarce, and 

 an uncertain mother with her puppies, whilst the appear- 

 ance of the often goggle-eyed, " apple-headed," black and 

 tan toy terrier was not sufficiently aristocratic to tempt the 

 connoisseur in such live stock. Besides, these black and 

 tans were bred and reared in the East End of London, the 

 back streets of Birmingham and of other large towns so- 



