Division of Classes. 65 



Venture (the late Mr. W. Cropper's, Minting House, 

 Horncastle) by Tyrant, already described. It was rather 

 strange that Venture — who, by the way, was said to be 

 unable to get stock — by his alliance with Fussy produced 

 so heavily-marked a bitch as Procter's Patch, and Henry 

 Gibson's Vexer, with little colour about her, whilst the 

 latter's Vanity from Cottingham Nettle had likewise 

 Venture for her sire. Patch was a good one if almost 

 black, and certainly well beat her dam in length and 

 strength of jaw, in which respects Fussy was sadly 

 deficient. 



About the year 1872 the entries of fox terriers became 

 unusually numerous, and, strange though it may seem, 

 actually included more individual animals than are found 

 even in the special terrier shows held at the present time. 

 Now the classes are divided in a most inexplicable 

 fashion, there being at the most recent show of the Fox 

 Terrier Club held at Cheltenham in 1901, no fewer than 

 thirty-four classes for smooth-coated fox terriers, they 

 including puppies and novices, with limit classes, challenge 

 classes, the same for veterans, " birthday " stakes, produce 

 stakes, " graduate " classes, as well as the " Derby," the 

 "Oaks," and various " selling" divisions. Indeed, consider- 

 able ingenuity must have been exercised in the ''invention" 

 and arrangement of so many different competitions. 

 Whether such are altogether an advantage is an open 

 question, they certainly give all dogs a chance of winning, 

 so much so that in some of the " birthday " and " produce " 

 classes I have seen puppies awarded a prize of greater value 

 than the dog which won it. Thus the latter, as a winner at 

 a Fox Terrier Club's show, obtains a fictitious reputation. 

 Before this new classification a couple of champion classes 



F 



