48 THE IRISH TERRIER. 



always been kennelled until he came to me, so I was afraid he might 

 resent being pulled about, as he was of rather a quick temper; but, to 

 my surprise, he enjoyed the romp, which was more than some of the 

 children's mothers did." 



In another place we find : 



" I can also speak personally of the capabilities of the Irish terrier 

 as a water dog, for I have seen puppies at four months old swim across 

 a strong stream fifty yards wide, follow the older ones hunting, and as 

 keen ' on rats ' as the fully grown dogs could possibly be. These juven- 

 iles would also kill rabbits, and generally their precocity was quite aston- 

 ishing. But it must be borne in mind that these young Irishmen had 

 not been reared in kennels, they, on the contrary, having a free range in 

 which to play, and where they could hunt either rabbits or rats when so 

 inclined." 



This is Dr. Gordon Stables' opinion of the Irish terrier : 



"The Irish terrier, I myself think, can hardly be beaten as an ordinary 

 country sportsman's dog. In general appearance he looks a terrier all 

 over, — lively, bold, and rough, with a coat that can defy anything." 



In " Hugh Dalzeil "' we find : 



" As so many warm and generous hearts beat under ' cloth of frieze,' 

 so under the rough, unkempt coat of the Irish terrier there is a spirit of 

 ' derring-do,' a strength of affection for his master equal to his pluck, 

 and a stamina that carries a little racing-like, wiry form through the 

 hardest of days." 



Mr. Ridgway : 



" As a breed, they are peculiarly adapted to the country, being 

 particularly hardy, and able to bear any amount of wet, cold and hard- 

 ship without showing the .slightest symptoms of fatigue. Their coat 

 also being a hard and wiry one, they can hunt the thickest gorse or furze 

 cover without the slightest inconvenience. As for the capabilities of 

 these dogs taking the water, and hunting in it as well as on land, I may 



