"Rural Sports." 21 



recently for one and twenty guineas, and these are as true 

 a breed of the small sort as any in England." 



A pleasing, if rather ponderous, eulogy on the fox 

 terrier, and one which most members of the fox terrier 

 clubs at the present day should fully appreciate, though 

 they would scarcely consider their choicest puppies well 

 sold at three guineas apiece. 



Still, in their lines, our terrier had admirers possibly as 

 ardent ninety or a hundred years ago as is the case now. 

 Then masters of foxhounds were extremely particular in 

 their selection, requiring in their terriers at the same time 

 strength, intelligence, and gameness. Another author, 

 about that period, tells us that the black, and black and 

 tanned, or rough wire-haired pied are preferred, as those 

 inclining to a reddish colour are sometimes in the clamour 

 of the chase taken for the fox, and halloaed to as such. 



Although I have mentioned at length so many writers on 

 terriers, allusion must again be made to Mr. Delabere 

 Blaine, who, in 1840, published his "Encyclopaedia of Rural 

 Sports," which no doubt gave Mr. J. H. Walsh his idea of 

 his " Rural Sports," which followed some fifteen years 

 later. Blaine provides much nice reading and useful infor- 

 mation in his immense volume, and, amongst other illustra- 

 tions, gives us a team of terriers attacking a badger. Some 

 of these little dogs are white with markings, others being 

 whole coloured, dark pepper and salts, or black and tans. 

 This writer, thus early, laments that " the occupation of 

 the fox terrier is almost gone, for the fox is less frequently 

 dug out than formerly, and it was thus only that the terrier 

 was of use, either to draw the fox or to inform the digger 

 by his baying of his whereabouts. So, his occupation being 

 gone, he is dispensed with by most masters of hounds of 



