Old Strains. 157 



the varieties, rough and smooth, have grown up side by side, 

 one man preferring the one, another the other. The smooth 

 variety has always been the more numerous — latterly the 

 more popular, because the smarter, the more thoroughbred 

 looking animal, and besides, on wet days he does not take 

 so much dirt into the house. Still, just now the " wire- 

 haired " fox terrier is almost making a fight with his smooth 

 cousins for supremacy. As to gameness, Jack is as good 

 as his master, but by reason of. the denser covering to his 

 skin, the " wire-hair" can stand the cold, inclement weather 

 of our north country climate better than his cousin ; still, 

 after all, a cross-bred dog is best for the really arduous 

 work required with fox-hounds hunting in a mountainous 

 district, and with otter hounds. 



Some old engravers and painters have given us portraits 

 of wire-haired terriers black and tan, blue grizzle and tan, 

 pepper and salt, and of various shades in red and fawn and 

 yellow, as well as of the present time orthodox white 

 and marked with fawn, or black and tan. Modern fancy 

 has developed the black and tan into a new variety, 

 whilst the others, of whole colour, equally useful in every 

 wav, have eone to the wall. In various districts of North 

 Durham and Yorkshire the wire-haired terriers appear to 

 have been produced in greatest numbers, but Devonshire 

 also had them in the form they were wont to be used by 

 the Rev. John Russell, a name so familiar to every sports- 

 man throughout the many countries where the English 

 language is spoken. The late and much respected " Robin 

 Hood," so long the Field's well-known coursing correspon- 

 dent, told me that even in Nottingham, supposed to be the 

 home of the smooth variety, the " wire-hairs " were common 

 enough fifty or more years ago. And how visions of his 



