THE WHITE ENGLISH TERRIER 193 



ears or on the neck, and are of course a disfigurement on a 

 dog whose coat to be perfect should be of an intense and 

 brilliant white. It appears to be equally difficult to breed 

 one which, while having the desired purity of colour, is also 

 perfect in shape and terrier character. It is to be noted, 

 too, that many otherwise good specimens are deaf a fault 

 which seriously militates against the dog's possibilities as a 

 companion or as a watch. 



Birmingham and Manchester were the localities in which the 

 English Terrier was most popular forty years ago, but it was 

 Mr. Frederick White, of Clapham, who bred all the best of the 

 white variety and who made it popular in the neighbourhood 

 of London. His terriers were of a strain founded by a dog 

 named King Dick, and in 1863 he exhibited a notable team in 

 Laddie, Fly, Teddie, and Nettle. Mr. S. E. Shirley, M.P., was 

 attracted to the breed, and possessed many good examples, 

 as also did the Rev. J. W. Mellor and Mr. J. H. Murchison. 

 Mr. Alfred Benjamin's Silvio was a prominent dog in 1877. 



Silvio was bred by Mr. James Roocroft, of Bolton, who 

 owned a large kennel of this variety of terrier, and who joined 

 with his townsman, Joe Walker, and with Bill Pearson in 

 raising the breed to popularity in Lancashire. Bill Pearson 

 was the breeder of Tim, who was considered the best terrier 

 of his time, a dog of 14 lb., with a brilliant white coat, the 

 darkest of eyes, and a perfect black nose. 



It is apparent that the Whippet was largely used as a cross 

 with the English Terrier, which may account to a great 

 extent for the decline of terrier character in the breed. Wiser 

 breeders had recourse to the more closely allied Bull-terrier ; 

 Mr. Shirley's prize winning Purity was by Tim out of a Bull- 

 terrier bitch, and there is no doubt that whatever stamina 

 remains in the breed has been supported by this cross. 



The following is the description laid down by the White 

 English Terrier Club : 



Head Narrow, long and level, almost flat skull, without cheek 

 muscles, wedge-shaped, well filled up under the eyes, tapering to the 



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