THE SKYE TERRIER. 



247 



When he is accompanying his master in the fields, and comes to a gate or a gap in a wall, he 

 dares not leap through the aperture, as most Dogs would do, but hops up, and then down 

 again, upon his hind-feet alone. 



The real Bull-terrier of the first cross is a marvellously brave animal, falling but little 

 short in courage from his bull-dog ancestor, and very far exceeding that animal in agility and 

 intellectual quickness. Fear seems to make no part of a good Bull-terrier's character ; and he 

 dashes with brilliant audacity at any foe which his master may indicate to him, or which he 

 thinks he ought to attack without orders. Mr. Andersson, in his valuable work entitled 

 "Lake Ngami," gives an account of the courage and sagacity of one of these animals which 

 accompanied him in his travels through South-western Africa. He had wounded a rhinoceros, 

 which ran a few hundred yards, and then came to a stand. 



" At break of day my men went on his trail. He had still strength enough to make a dash 

 at them ; and would probably have laid hold of some of them, had not a small bitch (half 

 Terrier and half bull-dog, called Venus, in derision of her ugliness) caught the enraged animal 



SKYE TERRIER. -Vanis familluris. 



by the lower lip, where she stuck with such tenacity that the rhinoceros, with all his fury, 

 was unable to shake her off. She only relinquished her hold when her huge antagonist was 

 fairly laid prostrate by a ball. 



"But the sagacity of this favorite Dog was as great as her courage. Being now in a game 

 country, all sorts of beasts of prey abounded, more especially jackals, which might be seen 

 running about by dozens. In order not to frighten the elephants, and other large animals, we 

 were in the habit of encamping some little way from the water, to which Miss Venus regularly 

 resorted to bathe and drink. On perceiving a jackal she instantly crouched, looking very 

 timid. Reynard, mistaking her posture for an indication of fear, and probably thinking that 

 from her diminutive size she woiild prove an easy conquest, boldly approached his supposed 

 victim. But he had reckoned without his host, for the instant that the cunning Dog found 

 her antagonist sufficiently near, she leaped like a cat at his throat, and, once there, the beast 

 had no chance. 



' ' She then returned to camp, where her contented looks and bleeding jaws soon attracted 

 the attention of the men, who immediately went on her track and brought the jackal, who was 

 valued on account of his fur." 



The quaint-looking Skye Terrier has of late years been much affected by all classes of 

 Dog-owners, and for many reasons deserves the popularity which it has obtained. 



When of pure breed the legs are very short, and the body extremely long in proportion 

 to the length of limb ; the neck is powerfully made, but of considerable length, and the head 



