36 The Fox Terrier. 



paratively poor specimen as compared with others in the 

 group. 



Poor old Jock! he died full of honours in 1871 whilst in 

 the possession of Mr. J. H. Murchison, who had bought 

 him from Mr. W. Cropper. S. W. Smith was at the time 

 of the purchase in charge of Mr. Murchison's kennels, in 

 Northamptonshire, and I will let him tell in his own words 

 how he brought Jock to his new home. " Old Jock, like 

 the others that had come from Mr. Cropper's, was not to be 

 sent — I was to go and fetch him from Minting House, the 

 residence of Mr. Cropper, near Horncastle, Lincolnshire, a 

 long way from the kennels at Titchmarsh. The instructions 

 I received respecting the old dog could not have been more 

 explicit had I been going to escort a Prince of the Royal 

 Blood. I was to take train to Horncastle, and then hire on 

 to Minting, as there were no trains there. I was to lock 

 the old dog up in a good box, and keep the key after I had 

 got possession of the dog, and let no one have it. I was 

 then to hire and come on by relays of horses and traps all 

 the way from Minting to Titchmarsh. This I did, and 

 arrived at the Great Northern Hotel, Peterborough, about 

 one o'clock on the night of the first day. After refreshing 

 the inner man and getting another horse and trap, off we 

 started again, arriving at the kennels about six a.m., having 

 had about enough. I had no sooner had a wash and 

 breakfast than a stranger came riding up on his bicycle — 

 the telegraph boy, with a message from Mr. Murchison 

 asking if 1 had arrived safely, &c. I drove to Thrapston 

 and wired back, and there I was kept nearly the whole of 

 the day sending and receiving messages to and from 

 Mr. Murchison. Next day Mr. Murchison came down, 

 bringing some gentlemen friends with him to see the old 



