128 THE BOOK OF THE Doc. 



the show-bench. I believe it was some time about 1870. At Dublin, in 1873, Mr. J. 

 O'Connor's bitch Daisy won one of the first prizes given for the breed. Speaking of the 

 breed at Newtownards Show, in 1874, where a class Avas given for 'Irish Rough Terriers,' 

 the reporter says: 'We were much struck with the Irish Rough Terriers, a "varmint" 

 looking lot of beggars, which well deserve a corner at any of our shows. They quite repaid 

 our visit, by the way, and " widened " our experience of the genus terrier. A Dubliner 

 present said " he'd loike to see ere a dog that 'ud bate thim." The pick was acknowledged 

 to be Mr. Morton's " Fly," the first prize bitch. She is a compactly-built, hard-haired, 

 yellow terrier, about 18 Ibs., with a face speaking kindliness, wisdom, and pluck.' The 

 ' Fly ' here spoken of had a very successful show career, and was the first one of the 

 breed that earned the title ' Champion.' She was also a remarkably game bitch, and I 

 will allude to her later when I discuss the qualities of the breed. At Dublin, in October, 

 1874, it is said there were a few good ones in the class. At Lisburn, in May, 1875, the 

 dog Stinger, about which there has been so much discussion, won. It is beyond a doubt 

 that Stinger was not of the present recognised type, he was long-backed and short-legged ; 

 a dark blue grizzle-coloured back, tan legs, and white turned-out feet ; in fact, full of Scotch 

 blood. His head and the texture of his coat were his only redeeming points. There were a 

 better sort in the class than Stinger, and if, as I believe, Old Sport was there, he un- 

 hesitatingly should have won. 



" The Irish Terrier is a very intelligent dog and most lively and amusing companion. 

 He is equally suitable for town and country. He is a mine of fun for a country ramble, 

 putting up everything he comes across ; and there is no better terrier than a well-broken 

 Irish for a quiet ramble round the fields with your gun. Mr. Despard aptly describes him 

 as ' the poor man's sentinel, the farmer's friend, and generally the gentleman's favourite," 

 they are such merry, rough-and-ready looking fellows, and the dash of the ' devil ' they 

 all carry in their bearing makes them very attractive to terrier lovers. 



" Mr. Erwin says, ' There are some strains of them that will hunt stubble, or, indeed, 

 any kind of field or marsh, quartering their ground like a Setter or Pointer, and, more- 

 over, standing on their game in their own style. When a lad I had a dog of this breed, 

 over which I have shot as many as nine couple of snipe, and have been home in good 

 time for school at ten o'clock A.M. There was little time for missing on the part of 

 either of us, and the dog did not make a single mistake. The colour I like best is a 

 yellowish-red.' 



" Irish Terriers are not quarrelsome, but can and will take their own part if set upon, the size 

 of the aggressor no object. Ballymena having sent more Terriers to the show-bench than 

 any other locality that I know of, and this breed of dog having been a favourite here since I 

 remember dogs, I have had a good opportunity of studying them, and think more highly of 

 them the longer I know them. Their great merit lies in the following qualities : 



"Pluck. Irish Terriers are remarkably good-tempered, and can be implicitly relied 

 upon with children ; they have this peculiarity, that they often appear shy and timid, 

 but their true nature soon flashes out on occasion. Some of the pluckiest I have owned 

 have had this peculiarity of appearing often timid, such as the late Tanner, Sporter, Banshee, 

 Belle, &c. It is almost superfluous to speak of Irish Terriers' pluck ; they are the Bull- 

 terriers of the sister isle, fear is unknown to them ; they are not only plucky as a breed, 

 but individually. It is their fear-nothing natures that make them so suitable for use against 

 the larger vermin. There are too many instances of their pluck on record to enumerate 



