SKYE TERRIER. 81 



legs and on tlie top of the head it is lighter in colour than on 

 the body, and is softer and more silky. This dog is little used as 

 a sporting or vermin dog, being chiefly reserved for the companion- 

 ship of man, but he is sometimes employed as a vermin-killer, and 

 is as game as the rest of the terriers when employed for that pur- 

 pose. His weight is from 10 to 18 lbs-, averaging about 14. But 

 the variations in this particular, as indeed in almost all the points 

 of the Skye terrier, are numerous beyond description. Thus there 

 are, first of all, two if not three kinds of the pure Skye : one 

 rather small in size, with long soft hair ; another considerably 

 larger, and with hard wiry hair ; while again, between these two, 

 a third may, by hair-splitters, be readily made out. Then there is 

 also a cross between the Skye and Dandie, which partakes in 

 nearly equal proportions of the characteristics of each ; and, lastly, 

 most of the Skye terriers about London are crossed with the 

 spaniel, giving them that silky coat and jet black colour which are 

 admired by the ladies, but mark impurity of blood. This cross is 

 detected by the worn-out appearance of the hair on the face up to 

 the brow. The Skye is a very good vermin dog, and will hunt 

 anything. 



The Fox Terrier was originally kept as an addition to every pack 

 of foxhounds, being always so handy as to be up within a very 

 few minutes of running; to g-round. Now hounds are so fast that 

 he would be left many miles behind in a run, and dependence is 

 therefore placed upon any chance terrier at hand when one is 

 wanted. But in proportion as he has ceased to be used in the 



hunting-field, he has attained popularity as the most fashionable 



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