THE IRISH TERRIER. 33 



earlier, in his ' Rural Sports,' great strides have been made in the 

 improvement and classification of our terriers, and the volumes of the 

 Stud Book of the Kennel Club contain varieties which, by careful selec- 

 tion, no doubt originally came from one stock, with the additions of 

 various crosses. Our newest strains have become popularized, and as 

 it were, individualized, — including the Welsh terrier, the Airedale terrier, 

 the Clydesdale or I'aisley terrier, and perhaps the Scotch and Irish 

 terriers (though I fancy that both these varieties are actually much older 

 as such than they are usually given credit for)." 



The following notes by Mr. W. C. Bennett, of Dublin, 

 will perhaps be interesting, although they go over much the 

 same ground as that which we have already traversed : 



" From what I have been a]:)le to gather from those who, like myself, 

 are interested in this variety of the canine race, and from what I can 

 recall of early specimens. I have come to the conclusion that the present 

 show terriers are a more or less ' made-up ' breed, though doubtless a 

 variety of terrier existed, resembling the present dogs, somewhat as a 

 half-bred filly resembles a thoroughbred mare. 



•' My first recollection of the breed dates back some thirty years, to 

 a brace of bitches owned by a relative residing in Parsonstown, who 

 procured them from a trainer on the Curragh. They were high on the 

 leg, somewhat open in coat, and wheaten in color, and this latter is, I 

 have always considered, the proper shade for the jacket of any Irish 

 terrier. Most of the earlier specimens exhibited were of this hue, — 

 the bright red now, or recently, so fashionable, being almost unknown. 

 About the same time, or a few years later perhaps, I made the acquaint- 

 ance of a rare old stamp of bitch, which was brought from the North 

 of Ireland, and many a day's outing we had together. She was harder 

 and closer in coat than those mentioned above, colored bright wheaten, 

 and nearer in shape and character, and in all respects, to the present 

 show type than anything else I saw at that period. 



" Few people in those early days gave much attention to the appear- 



