" Idstone's" Opinion. 55 



terrier, written by those who knew what they were writing 

 of and how to put their ideas into words. The respective 

 merits of Jock and Tartar were freely discussed, and " W. J. M ." 

 (the late Rev. W. J. Mellor), who then resided at Colwick 

 Rectory, near Nottingham, received a rather warm retort 

 from the owner of Tartar, the Hon. T. W. Fitzwilliam, for 

 suggesting that the little champion was "too much of the 

 bull terrier/' 



"Idstone" (the late Rev. T. Pearse), whose charming 

 articles so often delighted his readers, also wrote all 

 he knew about fox terriers, and this was what he said : 

 " . . . First, I think the coat of the terrier they breed is 

 frequently too fine; a harder, denser description of jacket 

 would be a more suitable protection for a dog who has to 

 face all weather, and to submit all day to the splash of the 

 huntsman's horse. I believe if he could choose for himself 

 he would pick out something more like bristles, although 

 lying closely, as offering a better defence to the weather or 

 to that angry thong he always is within reach of except 

 when he has gone to ground. . . . I am no advocate for 

 broken-haired fox terriers," continues "Idstone," "and am 

 thoroughly of opinion that the smooth dog, as a class, beats 

 the rough dog in pluck and staying powers." He would, 

 indeed, be a bold man who could say this to-day, for there 

 are now, as then, good and bad of both varieties, and that 

 dog the better trained and with the greatest amount of hard 

 work to do will always be the one to do it properly. 



" Idstone " further remarks that " a pure fox terrier is 

 not required to draw badgers, nor should he be so 'hard 

 bitten' as to slaughter a fox in the earth. . . . The 

 kennel dog is, and must be kept, a distinct family, and he 

 ought to have quite enough courage to destroy vermin 



