218 DOGS AND ALL ABOUT THEM 



by him, whatever their individual faults, were invariably 

 a sporting, game-looking lot. Mr. Sidney Castle has for many 

 years shown wire-hair Fox-terriers of more than average merit ; 

 and thoroughly understands the variety, indeed, perhaps as 

 well as anybody. Messrs. Bartle, Brumby Mutter, G. Welch, 

 and S. Wilson, are all old fanciers who have great experience, 

 have bred and shown excellent specimens. 



In mentioning the names of celebrated men and terriers 

 of years gone by, reference must be made to a terrier shown 

 some time ago, which was as good, taken all round, as any 

 that have so far appeared. This was Ch. Quantock Nettle, 

 afterwards purchased by a gentleman in Wales and renamed 

 Lexden Nettle. Of correct size, with marvellous character, 

 an excellent jacket and very takingly marked with badger 

 tan and black on a wonderful head and ears, this bitch swept 

 the board, as they say, and unquestionably rightly so. 



No article on the wire-hair Fox-terrier would be complete 

 without mentioning the name of the late Mr. S. E. Shirley, 

 President of the Kennel Club. Mr. Shirley was a successful 

 exhibitor in the early days of the variety, and while his 

 terriers were a good-looking lot, though not up to the show 

 form of to-day, they were invariably hard-bitten, game dogs, 

 kept chiefly for work. 



On the question of size nearly all the principal judges of 

 the Fox-terrier are agreed. Their maxim is " a good little 

 one can always beat a good big one." The difficulty arises 

 when the little ones are no good, and the big ones are excel- 

 lent ; it is a somewhat common occurrence, and to anyone 

 who loves a truly formed dog, and who knows what a truly 

 formed dog can do, it is an extremely difficult thing to put 

 the little above the larger. All big dogs with properly placed 

 shoulders and sound formation are better terriers for work of 

 any sort than dogs half their size, short on the leg, but bad 

 in these points. It is in reality impossible to make an inexor- 

 able rule about this question of size ; each class must be 

 judged on its own merits. 



