THE WIRE-HAIR FOX-TERRIER. 



345 



terrier, and it seems liard to understand 

 whence comes the wire-hair jacket in the 

 one variety under notice, unless among his 

 numerous progenitors there was a dog simi- 

 larly blessed in this respect. The blaclv-and- 

 tan mentioned by Mr. O'Connell must be 

 assumed to be the old Manchester Terrier, a 

 smooth-coated dog of quite another stamp, 

 and if this be so none of the breeds men- 

 tioned by him could hi responsible for a 

 wire-hair jacket, though it may well be they 

 would be capable of producing a smooth 

 Fox-terrier. 



The wire-hair Fox-terrier is, with the 

 exception of its coat, identical with the 

 smooth Fox-terrier — full brother in fact to 

 him. The two varieties are much interbred, 

 and several litters in consequence include 

 representatives of both ; and not only this, 

 but it is quite a frequent occurrence to get 

 a smooth puppy from wire-hair parents, 

 although for some generations neither of 

 the parents may have had any smooth cross 

 in their pedigrees. 



The smooth variety has always, apparently 

 from the very beginning, had an advantage 

 over his wire-haired brother, in that he has 

 been a rich man's dog, whereas his brother 



life nearer akin to that of the pitman's 

 " tyke." Fabulous sums have for many 

 years frequently been paid for specimens 

 of the Fox-terrier, so long as their coats 



MR. T. J. STEPHENS' CH SYLVAN RESULT 



BY CH. CACKLEY OF NOTTS ENCLOSURE. 



has undoubtedly been of more plebeian 

 ownership ; the one, an aristocrat, almost 

 a parlour dog, as compared witli tlie other, 

 who has had to rough it, and has lived a 



MR. GEORGE RAPERS CH. ST. ANNS PRIMROSE 

 BY POULTON PLANET BECKSIDE BEAUTY. 



were smooth. He has had every chance ; 

 his popularity has been tremendous. Mil- 

 lionaires, successful merchants, people in 

 tlie higher walks of the dog " Fancy " have 

 ever aspired to own him, have always 

 fancied him more than his somewhat despised 

 brother, and some of his chief owners — even 

 at the present day — would become seriously 

 ill, if they awoke one tine day and found a 

 wire-hair terrier in their kennels, somehow 

 or other bred by themselves. 



This contempt for the subject of this 

 chapter is of course all nonsense ; the wire- 

 hair is in every way as good a companion, 

 as sporting and lovable as the smooth, and 

 if properly kept is certainly a smarter- 

 looking dog. He has quietly plodded on, 

 and though until recently no great prices 

 have been paid for him, no great amount of 

 brains has been employed on his behalf, 

 and he has not been so richly or aristocratic- 

 ally owned, yet if the truth will out, he is 

 in better state to-day than his more favoured 

 relati\e ; as a whole he has more all-round 

 excellence, and it will surprise no one if in 



44 



