58 The Fox Terrier. 



Horncastle) by Tyrant, already described. It was rather 

 strange that Venture who, by the way, was said to be 

 unable to get stock by his alliance with Fussy produced 

 so heavily-marked a bitch as Proctor's Patch, and Henry 

 Gibson's Vexer, with little colour about her, whilst his 

 Vanity from Cottingham Nettle had likewise Venture for 

 her sire. Patch was a good one if almost black, and 

 certainly well beat her dam in length and strength of jaw, 

 in which respects Fussy was sadly deficient. 



About the year 1872 the entries of fox terriers became 

 unusually numerous, and, strange though it may seem, 

 actually included more individual animals than are found 

 even in the special terrier shows held at the present time. 

 Now the classes are divided in an almost inexplicable 

 fashion, there being at the most recent show of the Fox 

 Terrier Club held at Derby in November, 1894, no fewer 

 than thirty-three classes for smooth-coated fox terriers, they 

 including puppies and novices, with limit classes, challenge 

 classes, the same for veterans, " birthday" stakes, produce 

 stakes," graduate " classes, as well as the " Derby," the "Oaks " 

 and various " selling" divisions. Indeed, considerable 

 ingenuity must have been exercised in the " invention" and 

 arrangement of so many different competitions. Whether 

 such are altogether an advantage is an open question, they 

 certainly give all dogs a chance of winning, so much so that 

 in some of the " birthday" and " produce " classes, I have 

 seen puppies win a prize of greater value than the dog 

 which won it. Thus the latter, as a prize winner at a Fox 

 Terrier Club's show might be given a fictitious value. Before 

 this new classification a couple of champion classes and as 

 many open ones were all the catalogues included, and there 

 were no duplicate entries, i.e , dogs were not allowed to 



