Long Heads. 207 



there are judges who have recently gone to extremes 

 in awarding honours to these so-called " narrow-fronted " 

 terriers. Such have been produced at a sacrifice of 

 power and strength. Most of these very narrow chested 

 dogs move stiffly, are too flat in the ribs ; they are 

 deficient in breathing and heart room, and can never be 

 able to do a week's hard work in the country, either 

 with hounds or round about the badger earths or rabbit 

 burrows. 



A sine qua non with some people appears to be a long 

 lean head, perhaps not quite so long and lean a one as 

 that engraved near the end of this volume, still a head and 

 jaw long enough, figuratively writing, to "reach to the 

 bottom of a pint pot." There is danger, too, in an 

 exaggeration in this direction, for, ninety-nine times out 

 of a hundred, the longest and narrowest heads, greyhound- 

 like in shape, are found on that stamp of terrier fittest for 

 coursing matches. 



I fancy, whatever has been said to the contrary, that 

 three people could not be got who, acting thoroughly in 

 independence of each other, would judge alike a class of a 

 score of dogs, especially if the quality were pretty even. 

 It is even unlikely that the same two would select the 

 same animal for leading honours. It is possible they 

 might do this, but highly improbable. Fancy goes for a 

 great deal, and we never yet had a couple of dogs, or 

 other animals, brought together which were absolutely 

 alike. They may resemble each other, have a family 

 appearance possibly, but exact counterparts of each other 

 never. 



This difference of opinion is occasionally noted, but as 

 many judges in the ring lean towards the decisions of 



