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CHAPTER XLIV. 

 THE CLYDESDALE OR PAISLEY TERRIER. 



BY CAPTAIN W. WILMER. 



" Yes, inv puir beast, /hough friends me scorn, 

 Whom mair than life I valued dear. 

 An thraw me out to fight forlorn, 

 Wi' ills my heart can hardly hear. 



''T^HE Clydesdale or Paisley Terrier is 

 I the rarest, as he is the most beautiful, 

 of the terrier breed, and his origin 

 has been the occasion of much controversy, 

 especially among the Scottish fanciers. As 

 his name implies, he hails from the Valley 

 of the Clyde. Ignorance as to how this 

 attractive dog originated is not conlined 

 to southerners ; the Scot himself maintains 

 an ever discreet silence on this point, and 

 when questioned leaves his interrogator 

 in hopeless confusion. The Clydesdale was 

 one among the many breeds of Scotch dog 

 which raised such a storm of controversy in 

 the 'seventies of the last century, and he 

 figured in the comedy as one of the principal 

 characters. 



The result of these angry storms was, 

 however, beneficial to many varieties of 

 Scottish dog, and they were severally dis- 

 entangled from the knots which had tem- 

 porarily linked and herded them together in 

 an incongruous mass by being awarded 

 separate classification. But though the 

 Clydesdale thus received the impress of a 

 distinct species few knew anything as to 

 his antecedents, and fewer still even recog- 

 nised the dog when they saw him. Some 

 say, and with an apparent show of reason, 

 that this breed is a cross between the Skye 

 Terrier and the Yorkshire, to which latter 

 he approximates to some degree in appear- 

 ance. 



The Clydesdale may be described as an 

 anomaly. He stands as it were upon a 

 pedestal of his own ; and unlike other Scotch 

 terriers he is classified as non-sporting. 



" While I hae thee to hear a part — 



My health, my plaid, an' heezle rung. 

 I'll scorn the imfeeling haughty heart. 

 The saucy look, and slanderous tongue." 



James Hogg. 



Perhaps his marvellously fine and silky 

 coat precludes him from the rough work of 

 hunting after vermin, though it is certain 

 his game-like instincts would naturally lead 

 him to do so. Of all the Scottish dogs he 

 is perhaps the smallest ; his weight seldom 

 exceeding i8 lb. He is thus described by 

 the Skye Terrier Club of Scotland : 



1. General Appearance. — A long, low, level dog, 

 with heavily fringed erect ears, and a long coat 

 like the finest silk or spun glass, which hangs 

 quite straight and evenly down each .side, from 

 a parting extending f ro n the nose to the root of 

 the tail. 



2. Head. — Fairly long, skull flat and very 

 narrow between the ears, gradually widening 

 towards the eyes and tapering very slightly to 

 the nose, which must be black. The jaws strong 

 and the teeth level. 



3. Eyes. — Medium in size, dark in colour, not 

 prominent, but having a sharp, terrier-like ex- 

 pression, eyelids black. 



4. Ears. — Small, set very high on the top of 

 the head, carried perfectly erect, and covered 

 \\dth long silky hair, hanging in a heavy fringe 

 down the sides of the head. 



5. Body. — Long, deep in chest, well ribbed up, 

 the back being perfectly level. 



6. Tail. — Perfectly straight, carried almost 

 level with the back, and heavily feathered. 



7. Legs. — As short and straight as possible, 

 well set under the body, and entirely covered 

 with silky hair. Feet round and cat-like. 



8. Coat. — As long and straight as possible, free 

 from all trace of curl or waviness, very glossy 

 and silky in texture, with an entire absence of 

 undercoat. 



9. Colour. — A level, bright steel blue, extending 

 from the back of the head to the root of the tail, 

 and on no account intermingled with any fawn, 

 light or dark hairs. The head, legs, and feet 

 should be a clear, bright, golden tan, free from 



