CHARACTER OF THE IRISH TERRIER. 127 



part of Ireland's national economy, and are worthily embodied in the Sportsman's toast 

 ' Irish women, Irish horses, and Irish dogs ' (which means, Irish terriers, setters, and 

 spaniels). 



" One's first acquaintance with this ' Pre-historic Terrier ' is apt to be disappointing 

 (except to a really ' doggy ' terrier man), that is, because there is no meretricious flash 

 about them; but there is that about them which you learn to like, they grow upon you. 

 They supply the want so often expressed for 'a smart-looking dog with something in him.' 

 There is that about their rough-and-ready appearance which can only be described as 

 genuine terrier, or more emphatically ' tarrier-character! They are facile princeps the sports- 

 man's terrier, and having never yet been made fashion's darlings still retain in all its purity 

 their instinctive love of hard work. Their characters do not suit them for ladies' pets, but 

 render them the best dogs out for the man that loves his gun and quiet sport. 



"Amongst those wise old fellows that one comes across in the country, who like a dog 

 with something in him and a ' terrier ' of course, the Irishman is prime favourite. And they 

 know what they are about, those old fellows, and are sportsmen, too, in their own sort of way, 

 when the sun has gone down. This reminds, me of a discreditable fact in the history of 

 Irish Terriers, that were not always only ' the poor man's sentinel,' but oftentimes some- 

 thing more, when by the aid of their marvellous noses and long legs they, when the shades 

 of night had fallen, provided the pot with that which gave forth the savoury smell and 

 imparted a flavour to the 'spuds.' This, however, if it injured their moral principles, 

 certainly sustained their love and capability for rabbiting. In olden times, too, the larger 

 sizes were bred and used for fighting, and there is still a dash of the old fighting blood 

 in their descendants. They dearly love a mill, and though it would be calumny to 

 say they are quarrelsome, yet it must be admitted that the male portion of the 

 breed are perhaps a little too ready to resent any attempt at interfering with their 

 coats ; but are they not Irish, and when did an Irishman shirk a shindy ? My dog 

 Sporter is very true to character in this respect. Small dogs, or even those of his 

 own size, he never deigns to notice ; but if some large specimen of the genus canis 

 approaches him, putting on 'side' and airs, Sporter immediately stiffens up visibly, his tail 

 assumes a defiant angle above the horizontal, his ears are cocked forward alertly, and there is 

 an ominous twitching of his upper lips which says as plain as looks can speak, ' Lave 

 rne alone, ye spalpeen.' Should his warning not be accepted, a scrimmage ensues, which 

 I speedily terminate by whipping him up under my arm by his tail and marching him off. 

 En passant, I recommend this as a very effectual and safe manner of putting a stop to 

 a canine mtUe. ' Hitting off' Irish Terriers when fighting I have found useless ; they think 

 the pain comes from their opponent, and this only serves to rouse them to fresh efforts. 



Now although they have always been Ireland's national terrier, yet it must be admitted, and 

 it is only too patent, that for many years the breed had been much neglected ; allowed to 

 'grow wild," in fact, and left too much in the hands of one class. I cast no reflection on 

 ' the foinest pisintry in Europe ' when I say that, knowing nothing of dog-shows, they bred 

 to no standard and kept their dogs for work ; and if they thought a cross with neighbour 

 Micky's dog would improve their own in that quality they did not stop to inquire about 

 pedigree. In this manner the breed depreciated, and Scotch and other blood crept in to 

 the injury of the pure breed ; but, fortunately, when the tide in their favour set in the 

 genuine breeder found plenty of pure, unadulterated material to commence upon. 



" I cannot with accuracy give the date when Irish Terriers first made their advent upon 



