124 FOX TERRIERS, SMOOTH AND WIRE 



them individually, and you will soon find how, when 

 they understand the game and begin to feel at home 

 in a close, dark, narrow earth, some six or more 

 feet underground, out of earshot of the encouraging 

 voice of their master, and at close quarters with a 

 game and determined enemy who disputes every foot 

 of the ground, they will take their punishment with 

 a relish and astonish the inexperienced owner, who 

 was inclined to feel there was a want of * fire and 

 go.' I saw two perfectly quiet and peaceful little 

 ones, who had had but moderate experience of the 

 work, go to ground to badger last autumn and stick 

 to their quarry so closely that they were almost given 

 up for lost, and when dug to some twenty -seven hours 

 later were, after a drink of water, as keen as ever 

 to get back to work again. I do not think there 

 is any breed of terrier that is gamer or harder, but, 

 like horses, many good ones are spoiled in the break- 

 ing and entering. A good hard constitution serves 

 a terrier much, a jdelicate one failing to stand the cold 

 and exposure inseparable from his work. 



" Asked if the modern Fox Terrier is improving, 

 I would answer that it has done so steadily for years, 

 but at the present time is losing ground decidedly in 

 points that have gone to make the breed. I refer 

 particularly to legs, feet, and bone. During the past 

 few years there has been a decided retrograde move- 

 ment in these qualities, and to-day it is an exception 

 to find a class where these constructive and valuable 

 points are evident. In some of the classes at our 

 largest shows of late it has been difficult to find 

 more than two or three terriers with really good 

 feet and bone ; they have been replaced by clumsy 

 feet and coarse, gummy bone that would not have 



