Mr. Gibson, of Brockenhurst. 63 



Mr. Gibson had been an admirer of fox terriers, and, when 

 he had scarcely entered his teens, contrived to obtain a 

 crack dog of the breed, for which he paid the exorbitant 

 sum of fifty shillings, and that was about fifty years ago. 

 Later in life Mr. Gibson availed himself of the opportunity 

 thrown in his way, to cross this old strain of working 

 terriers with more modern ones, and thus he achieved the 

 honourable position occupied by the most successful 

 exhibitor of the day, which he certainly was about the 

 years 1873-6. Mr. Gibson still believes in the old time 

 terriers, and considers that the one mentioned above, 

 which he had purchased from Massey, Mr. Adderley's (now 

 Lord Norton) gamekeeper, of Hams Hall, Warwickshire, 

 was the best he ever possessed, and he treasures the same 

 strain even now. This family of terriers was as game as 

 possible, quite free from any of the bull terrier blood ; and 

 many and many a hard week's work have these Brocken- 

 hurst dogs done when their time was not occupied on the 

 benches, where they had a long and successful career. 

 Although most of these winners had been bred by their 

 owner, he was always ready in case of need to pick up 

 the plums which were to be had from other kennels. In 

 1874, he claimed Foiler at Birmingham (he was one of the 

 judges) for ioo/., where that dog had been placed second 

 to Tyke, who, catalogued at 5O/., could have been pur- 

 chased for less money. Foiler, a good-looking dog, with 

 a long, well-shaped head, but not level enough on his back 

 for my fancy, proved an indifferent animal to breed from, 

 although so well bred himself, having a treble strain of 

 Grove blood in him through Willie, Tartar, and Nettle. 

 Foiler, Diamond, Brockenhurst Joe, Vexer, Bitters, with 

 that extremely good bitch Dorcas, were some of the best 



