3i8 



THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG. 



cracking like fire, and in less than a minute 

 out came one of the finest otters I had ever 

 seen in my life. He crossed to another planting 

 before the terrier could get at him, and there, 

 of course, we lost him. As it was four in the 

 afternoon before we first found the trail and 

 five o'clock when we found the otter, we calcu- 

 lated that the trail was at least fourteen hours 

 old, and yet Boxer could hunt him single- 

 handed." 



Boxer was a creamy white, rough-haired 

 terrier, of the strain kept by the Rev. 

 John Russell in Devonshire and distributed 

 among privileged sportsmen about Somer- 

 setshire and Gloucestershire. The working 

 attributes of these energetic terriers have 

 long been understood, and the smart, plucky 

 little dogs have been constantly coveted by 

 breeders all over the country, but they have 

 never won the popularity they deserve. 



" I have kept the Jack Russell type of 

 terrier for nearly twenty years," says Mr. 

 Reginald Bates, " and have used them for 

 fox and badger digging. One of my uncles 

 brought the strain with him from Gloucester- 

 shire many years ago, and I have always kept 

 a few of the same sort for work. I have found 

 them verj' hardy game, and much more in- 

 telligent, tractable, and easily broken than 

 the modern show terrier, although I have 

 used the latter as an out-cross at different 

 times. 



" Some breeders have shown a desire to breed 

 them very small, bitches as low as 9 lb. or 

 10 lb. in weight. This, in my opinion, is a 

 mistake, as they are too delicate and weedy 

 for the rough work thev meet with in badger 

 digging. The best weight for a working terrier 

 is, dogs 16 lb., bitches 14 lb. ; and they should 

 not stand more than 14 in. at the shoulder. 

 At this weight I have had dogs that could go 

 to ground well, and. moreover, stay there 

 also for three or four hours without leaving 

 the badger or fox. The working terrier should 

 stand on short straight legs, have a thick skin, 

 good, rough, weather-resisting coat, with a 

 strong wide head, strong jaws, and — last but 

 not least — a big heart in a little body. Such a 

 terrier will provide many a good day's sport 

 for his owner, and prove his worth in manv 

 ways. As regards colour, there is no doubt 

 that a white dog is much the best, especially 

 if for work with fox or otter hounds." 



The late Mr. H. P. Eart, of Kent, kept 

 some very good Russell Terriers. A bitch 

 that Mr. Bates had from him had a pedigree 

 going back to the celebrated Fuss, belonging 

 to Jack Russell. There also is— or was re- 

 cently—a very good strain of these work- 

 ing terriers kept in Yorkshire by the Messrs. 

 Pease, who used them largely for fox and 

 badger. They are also kept in nearly all 

 sporting towns and villages in West Somer- 

 set and Devonshire. 



In entering them for work, they should 

 be broken to ferrets and rats at about six 

 months old. It is not advisable to use them 

 for badger much under eighteen months, 

 as they get such a mauling that they may 

 be of no use afterwards, and then thev 

 should be worked with an old experienced 

 dog. As a rule, they turn out game, keen 

 and staunch, while for endurance they will 

 run all through a long day's otter hunting 

 and then walk home with their sterns up. 



Those who have kept both varieties 

 prefer the Russell to the Sealy Ham Terrier, 

 which is nevertheless an excellent worker. 

 It is on record that one of these, a bitch 

 of only 9 lb. weight, fought and killed, 

 single-handed, a full-grown dog-fox. The 

 Sealy Ham derives its breed name from the 

 seat of the Edwardes family, near Haver- 

 fordwest, in Pembrokeshire, where the strain 

 has been carefully preserved for well over 

 a century. It is a long-bodied, short- 

 legged terrier, with a hard, wiry coat, 

 frequently whole white, but also white 

 with black or brown markings or brown 

 with black. They may be as heavy as 

 17 lb., but 12 lb. is the average weight. 

 Some years ago the breed seemed to be on 

 the down grade, requiring fresh blood from 

 a well-chosen out-cross. One hears very 

 little concerning them nowadays, but it 

 is certain that when in their prime they 

 possessed all the grit, determination, and 

 endurance that are looked for in a good 

 working terrier. 



A wire-haired black and tan terrier was 

 once common in Suffolk and Norfolk, 

 where it was much used for rabbiting, 

 but it may now be extinct, or, if not extinct, 

 probably identified with the Welsh Terrier, 



