CHAPTER XXXII 

 THE SMOOTH FOX-TERRIER 



To attempt to set forth the origin of the Fox-terrier as we 

 know him to-day would be of no interest to the general reader, 

 and would entail the task of tracing back the several hetero- 

 geneous sources from which he sprang. It is a matter of very 

 little moment whether he owes his origin to the white English 

 Terrier or to the Bull-terrier crossed with the Black and Tan, 

 or whether he has a mixture of Beagle blood in his composi- 

 tion, so it will suffice to take him as he emerged from the 

 chaos of mongreldom about the middle of the last century,, 

 rescued in the first instance by the desire of huntsmen or 

 masters of well-known packs to produce a terrier somewhat 

 in keeping with their hounds ; and, in the second place, to the- 

 advent of dog shows. Prior to that time any dog capable, 

 from his size, conformation, and pluck, of going to ground and 

 bolting his fox was a Fox-terrier, were he rough or smooth,, 

 black, brown, or white. 



The starting-point of the modern Fox-terrier dates from 

 about the 'sixties, and no pedigrees before that are worth 

 considering. 



From three dogs then well known Old Jock, Trap, and 

 Tartar he claims descent ; and, thanks to the Fox-terrier 

 Club and the great care taken in compiling their stud-books, 

 he can be brought down to to-day. Of these three dogs Old 

 Jock was undoubtedly more of a terrier than the others. It is, 

 a moot point whether he was bred, as stated in most records 

 of the time, by Captain Percy Williams, master of the Rufford, 

 or by Jack Morgan, huntsman to the Grove ; it seems,. 



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