312 THE BOOK of THE DOG. 



plains were of about equal extent ; the still more light, nimble, swift, and slender hounds of 

 Yorkshire and the north, comes at last to the " little Beagle " of curious scent. And here we 

 desire our readers to dwell carefully on what follows, for we consider it throws a great deal of 

 light on the origin of our modern Fox-terrier, and strongly supports the opinion we have long 

 held that our Fox-terriers have a large infusion of Beagle blood in them. 



Markham, who was a practical sportsman, says : " The white hound, or the white with 

 black spots, are the most principal and best to compose your kennel of, and will indeed hunt 

 any chase exceeding well . . . yet if you demand which is the best and most beautiful of 

 all colours for the general kennel, then I answer, the white with the black ears and the black spot 

 at the setting on of the tail." The italics are ours, but we point to the description and ask, 

 Does it not paint with considerable accuracy the Fox-terrier of to-day? Certainly, as far as 

 colour and markings go, it leaves nothing to be desired ; and, on the general argument, we may 

 point to the fact as being strongly in favour of our view that a still older writer, Dr. Caius, 

 in his treatise on " English Dogges," classes the Bloodhound, the Harrier, and the Terrier 

 together, and omits all mention of the Beagle by that name. 



Now the Beagle was known and had been described under that name as a dog native to 

 Britain by Roman historians ten centuries and more before the time of Caius, which makes his 

 silence on Beagles, whilst he classifies the Terrier with the Hound, still more remarkable ; and 

 is surely at least strongly suggestive that the Terrier he wrote of was the small hound formerly, 

 then, and now, called a Beagle. 



Again, Markham says : " The grizzled, which are ever most commonly shag-haired, or any 

 other colour, whether it be mixed or unmixed so it be shag-haired, are the best varminers, and 

 therefore are chosen to hunt the Fox, Badger, or other hot scent they also are exceeding good 

 and cunning finders ; and, therefore, of huntsmen not thought amiss to have one or a couple 

 in every kennel." 



Surely, so far as that description goes, it applies to the wire-haired Fox-terrier of to-day 

 it describes his special work, for now, as then, he is the dog par excellence for the fox, badger, 

 otter, and all other animals we include under the term vermin. 



The grizzled or grey-coloured patches for we do not understand Markham to mean that 

 the whole body was of that colour are still characteristic of Fox-terriers, especially the rough- 

 coated ones, and the very common description, used as a mark of merit, " hound-tan mark- 

 ings," surely suggests a hound origin for this Terrier; and it must be acknowledged that the 

 various shades of tan, the badger-pie, hare-pie, &c., met with in hounds also appear in Fox- 

 terriers, and to what hound can we ascribe the origin of these peculiarities if not to the 

 Beagle, that dog being also of the size most likely to suit for crossing with the Terrier to 

 produce dogs fit for fox, otter, or badger bolting or drawing. 



It is not in colour alone that the Beagle asserts itself in the Fox-terrier the very shape 

 and make of many purely-bred ones (so-called) proclaim their descent and in formation of 

 head, and length of ears, pups of the best strains constantly show a throw-back to the Beagle. 

 In the present day the wire-haired Beagle is limited in numbers, but still to be met with in Devon, 

 Wales, and some few other localities packs or cry of the smooth variety are plentiful some 

 used regularly for hare hunting, others, as already said, to hunt a drag. They vary greatly in 

 size, from ten inches up to sixteen inches in height, according to the country they are to hunt, 

 and the fancy of the master. 



One or a couple of small Beagles prove excellent assistants to the gun in covert and 

 hedge-row shooting, when a dog is not required to hunt mute indeed, with some of them, the 



