The Late Captain Handy. 49 



bitten ' as to slaughter a fox in the earth. . . . The 

 kennel dog is, and must be kept, a distinct family, and he 

 ought to have quite enough courage to destroy vermin 

 without possessing the bulldog cross. The one is generally 

 a useful animal, adapted for ratting, rabbit hunting, and 

 working a hedgerow or bit O of gorse, providing his coat is 

 hard enough. The other is good for vermin, but will very 

 likely not let a cat live about the premises, and is anxious 

 for a ' turn-up ' with any outsider of his own species two 

 inconvenient and undesirable proclivities." The above ex- 

 pression of opinion holds good at the present time, although 

 the advice contained therein, written more than twenty- 

 five years ago, was then especially valuable, as there was a 

 strong inclination to infuse a dash of the bulldog into the 

 ordinary terrier. 



"W. J. M." also wrote in favour of the smooth-coated 

 variety, and so did the late Captain Handy, who at that 

 time was a popular sportsman at Malmesbury. Later he 

 was on the staff of one of the London newspapers, where he 

 did good work, and died in harness about three years ago. 

 Under the signature of " J. A. H.," he said, " I am quite of 

 opinion that a fox terrier should be smooth coated, and I much 

 doubt whether any dog showing a rough or broken-haired 

 coat is pure bred ; but where such is the case, I believe 

 there must be a cross (more or less remote) of the Scotch 

 terrier. I daresay there are rough-coated terriers as good 

 as any smooth-coated ones, but they are not fox terriers. 

 I well remember the fox terriers that used to run with the 

 Duke of Beaufort's hounds in Will Long's time, and I 

 believe the breed had been kept there for very many years. 

 You will see a specimen amongst the hounds in the picture 

 of ' The Lawn Meet at Badminton.' They were nearly 



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