CHAPTER XVI. 



THE IRISH TERRIER. 



THE Irish Terrier is a marvellous instance of the improvement which the steady and combined 

 perseverance of breeders can bring about in a variety of dog in the space of a few years. A 

 decade ago the breed was practically unknown, and now the Irish Terrier class is one of the 

 interesting features of our greatest shows. Like other breeds, it had to be known to be appre- 

 ciated at its proper value ; and like other breeds, when it once gained a fair footing amongst 

 "doggy" men, supporters sprung up on all sides. With the Irish Terrier it is essentially the 

 fact that " handsome is as handsome does," for though valuing the breed for the position it has 

 gained as a vermin dog, we are fain to admit that in personal attractions it is not equal to many 

 other varieties. A good, game, hard dog, his workmanlike jacket and somewhat plain outline 

 are in themselves likely to escape the observation of any but an ardent dog-lover ; but there is 

 a spirit within the dog which, when discovered, must make him friends wherever he goes. The 

 improvement to which allusion has been already made is mainly due to the energy and perse- 

 verance of a very few gentlemen ; and as most of the future prize dogs of this breed may 

 reasonably be expected to spring from the best-known winners which have been recently 

 exhibited, we propose, before going into the characteristics and description of the breed, to 

 give a brief summary of the best dogs up to the present time, and the several positions they 

 have occupied in the leading prize-lists. 



At Belfast in June, 1875, an Irish Terrier Club was for the first time spoken of, but 

 nothing came of it. Before this time a discussion upon the points of the breed had been 

 going on in the Live Stock Journal, and in July, 1875, an illustration was given of two of 

 Dr. Mark's dogs. The illustration, however, does not represent the modern type of Irish Terriers 

 at all ; they look like Scotch Terriers with a few drops of Irish blood in them. They have 

 long hair all over the head and neck, and it actually parts down the centre ; what could be 

 more Scotch ? The picture is worth preserving as showing what the head of an Irish Terrier 

 should not be. A correspondent, writing at the time, described this picture in the following 

 words : " The very look of them is enough to convince any fair-thinking man that Scotch 

 blood is in their composition. We will take, for instance, the dog at the left-hand side, 

 which I find is the splendid game bitch Kate. Look at the head and face of this dog ; 

 if Scotch blood is not stamped on it then I know nothing. Look at the long hair on 

 the forehead, with the vein or equal division in the centre. Look again at the long hair 

 on the muzzle and under the jaw, and if, as I say, this does not denote the Scotch cross, 

 and a good deal of it, then I know nothing about the points which constitute an Irish 

 Terrier. The surest sign of Scotch blood in a rough Terrier is the length of hair on 

 forehead. Another thing which goes to prove the Scotch cross is the vein or furrow running 

 up the centre of the forehead. This is not to be met with in Irish Terriers." 



At Belfast, in July, 1875, appeared the best lot of Irish Terriers brought together up to 

 that date. Mr. D. O'Connell was represented with Slasher, a capital stamp of a hard, wiry. 



