CHAPTER XXXV 



THE SKYE TERRIER 



HE terriers of the North of Scotland are so similar in their 

 bodily appearance as to admit of little doubt that they 

 are well established varieties of the same family. We 

 refer to the Skye terrier and what is now known as the 

 Scottish terrier. There can be no question that the family 

 is a very old one, probably the oldest of all the terriers. 

 Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Hamilton Smith, who wrote the two volumes on 

 the dogs, wolves and foxes, for the Naturalists' Library, published in 

 1840, draws attention to the fact that the Agasseus of Oppian is not 

 the gazehound mentioned by early English writers. Agasseus was a 

 rendering of the old Celtic word agass, which simply meant dog, and 

 Oppian describes them as "Crooked, slender, rugged and full eyed." 

 Oppian's description has been quoted as being a reference to the 

 beagle, but Lieutenant-Colonel Hamilton Smith decides that on the 

 whole the above description, together with what follows concerning 

 the powers of scent, is more applicable to the native terrier. That 

 authority also held that the agassei were what were called in old English 

 Teasers, and says: "Although the Celtic agass denotes simply a dog, it 

 may be observed that the modern French agacer, to tease, to provoke, is 

 neither of Latin or Prankish origin, and therefore most likely is derived 

 from an original Gallic root. The meaning of the verb is perfectly applica- 

 ble to this ancient lurcher, and to the large terriers still used in the German 

 hunting packs for the purpose of rousing or provoking the wild boar from 

 his lair and make him break cover. Ridinger figured this ancient dog 

 under the name of sau-finder, and our diminutive terrier, particularly 

 the Scottish rough-haired breed, is therefore the race we look upon as the 

 most ancient dog of Britain, though the opinion that would make it in- 

 digenous is very questionable. These lurcher terriers, or agassei, were 

 originally all more or less buff or sandy coloured, with rugged and coarse 

 hair, pointed ears, hairy tail, short legged, but of very high courage, grappling 



