12 THE SCOTTISH TERRIER. 



Sporting Dogs," and says the following ludicrous description 

 of a " Scotch 



'• I'he Scotch terrier is a shorter-legged and generally a heavier dog 

 than either of the preceding varieties [Bull, English, and Fox-terrier]. 

 He is equally plucky and clever, but not so active; and from this, and 

 his thicker coat, is not so serviceable in hunting rabbits. His hair is 

 long and matted, and often soft and silky. His color is usually a rich 

 black and tan, sometimes mixed with grey ; it is impossible to look at 

 his coat and color, and not suspect a cross with the collie. 



" In height he is seldom over fourteen inches, but sometimes weighs 

 more than sixteen or eighteen pounds. There are innumerable varieties 

 of this breed. . . ." 



"We have quoted these authors, — we cannot say authorities, after 

 Myrick's description, — to show that the old Scottish terrier was a leggy 

 dog; but we do not lean entirely on them for support, knowing how 

 unsicker some of their foundations are, but from what we have seen 

 with our own eyes, and what we have heard from the lips of old sports- 

 men and game-keepers who knew this breed in all its beauty. 



" The usual color of the old Scottish terrier was sandy. No other 

 word is so expressive of the color, and will be readily understood by all 

 Scotsmen. There were other colors, such as grizzle and brindle ; sandy 

 was the popular one. They were not bred for 'fancy,' but for work ; 

 consequently the carriage of ears, and other little 'points of beauty,' so 

 greatly insisted upon by ' fanciers,' were ignored, and only the sterling 

 qualities of the animal prized. If he could kill rats, draw a badrer, 

 and face a cat without flinching, he was termed a terrier; if not, he v. as 

 a ' guid-for-naething, useless brute,' looked upon with contempt and 

 disgust, and often. I am sorry to say, kicked for his cowardice. Tiiat 

 was before the days of dog-shows, and when the worth of a dog \ as 

 according to the abilities he displayed at his work, — that of the terriers 

 being the extinction of vermin. With the extinction of such vermin as 

 the wild-cat, brocks (badgers), etc., in the Lowlands of Scotland, the old 

 race of terriers gradually died out. Being leggy, they were not so well 



