Incompetent Judges. 149 



time when the smooth variety had been prominently brought 

 forward. Some of the stud books have the wire-haired 

 fox terrier entered amongst non-sporting dogs, sandwiched 

 between the Pomeranians and Bedlington terriers, and so he 

 continued till 1875, whilst a little earlier the same refer- 

 ence volume mixes the wire-haired fox terriers with the 

 Irish terriers. Here is reason for a delay in popularisa- 

 tion, which undoubtedly arose from the incompetence of 

 some of the judges who were asked to give their opinions 

 on the breed, and whose knowledge thereof was quite on 

 a par with what it might be with regard to white elephants 

 and crocodiles. My nerves never received so severe a 

 shock at any show as they did at Curzon Hall in 1872, 

 when the first prize for wire-haired terriers was withheld 

 through " want of merit," though in the class was that 

 reliable and undoubtedly very high-class specimen Venture, 

 then shown by Mr. Gordon Sanderson, of Cottingham, 

 near Hull. Mr. J. Nisbet, a reputed judge of Dandie 

 Dinmonts, gave this foolish decision, which, however, did 

 not lower the dog one iota in the eyes of those who 

 knew his excellence. Mr. W. Carrick, of Carlisle, subse- 

 quently became his owner, and made him useful in the 

 foundation of a kennel of terriers which for excellence has 

 not yet been surpassed. 



This Venture was as good a terrier of his variety as I 

 ever saw, without the slightest particle of bulldog appear- 

 ance, built on proper lines, with a coat above the average 

 in hardness and denseness, and a head in length and 

 quality of the best ; it was, indeed, ill luck that the in- 

 competence of the judge so dishonoured him by withhold- 

 ing the first prize and giving him but the second. Ah ! but 

 someone may say Venture was, perhaps, in bad condition 



