COLOURS OF BEDLINGTONS, 147 



and rather long in proportion to the height, but not to any marked extent ; the tail varies 

 from eight to twelve inches in length, is small and tapering, and free from feather. The 

 best, and indeed only true colours are liver or sandy in either case the nose must be of a 

 dark-brown flesh-colour ; or, secondly, a black-blue, with the nose black.'' 



On reading the above opinions of such well-known authorities, it will be observed that 

 for the most part the liver colour is preferred by them to the blue which is now so fashionable. 

 Whether the former shade has become rarer from a change of tastes on the part of Bedlington 

 breeders, or whether it is merely a coincidence that so few good liver-coloured specimens happen 

 to be shown just at present, we are unable to say ; but the fact remains, that of late high-class blue 

 Bcdlingtons outnumber the good liver ones in the proportion of about fifty to one. The only 

 really first-rater of the latter colour which we can call to our mind as figuring prominently at 

 recent exhibitions is Mr. William Norris's Elswick Lass, which is an admirable Bedlington, and 

 considered by several competent judges to be the best out. It is remarkable, however, that 

 ten years ago the blue colour was not only unfashionable but positively unpopular, one of the 

 earliest writers on the breed describing the shade of the coat as " veiy much like dressed flax." 

 There were, and had been, nevertheless, many good specimens of the darker colour which 

 kept pushing themselves forward as well-shaped Bedlingtons, and it is noticeable that the 

 mother of the celebrated Piper, the property of Mr. Ainsley, was a blue-black bitch, but 

 possessing a light-coloured top-knot. Both Piper and his mother Phoebe were considerably 

 lighter in weight and smaller in stature than the dogs of the present day, the former only 

 scaling about 15 pounds, and the latter weighing one pound less. These dogs existed about 

 sixty years ago (viz., in 1820), when Phoebe was left by her then owner, Mr. J. Howe, with 

 Mr. E. Coates at Bedlington vicarage. Piper himself is referred to by one of his admirers as 

 being of the good " old-fashioned liver colour." With regard to the gameness of Piper, we may 

 refer to some of his doings which appeared in a sporting paper in 1870, and which are 

 extracted by one of its correspondents from a document signed Joseph Ainsley : 



" With regard to the doings of Piper, it would take a volume to contain them ; but I may 

 mention that he was set on a badger at eight months old, and from that time until he was 

 fourteen years old was constantly at work, more or less, with badgers, foxes, foulmarts, otters, 

 and other vermin. He drew a badger after he was fourteen years old, when he was toothless 

 and nearly blind, after several other Terriers failed." 



Piper's pedigree having been so much discussed, we are of opinion that a reproduction of 

 it here may be of interest. The table given beneath is the work of Mr. Wm. Clark, who has 

 been at considerable trouble in tracing the pedigree of his dog Scamp, who, as will be seen, 

 is a descendant of the famous Piper. 



"PEDIGREE OF BEDLINGTON TERRIERS FROM 1792 TO 1873. 



" William Clark's Scamp, father of the celebrated prize Terriers Tearem and Tyne ; Scamp 

 by Joice's Piper, and out of Clark's Daisy ; Piper by Robert Hoy's Rock ; Daisy by John 

 Curley's Scamp, Piper and Daisy both out of Clark's Meg; Meg by Clark's Billy, and out of 

 Clark's Wasp ; Billy by Will Cowney's Billy, and out of Wasp, also ; Cowney's Billy, by James 

 Maughan's Bussal, and out of a bitch of William Weatherburn's ; Wasp by Baglee's Viper, and 

 out his bitch, Daisy ; Daisy by the Moor House Dog, Viper ; Viper was out of Thompson's 

 Nimble, and got by Thompson's Old Tip ; Nimble was got by Tip, and out of Baglee's Nimble ; 



