Varieties of the Deg. 4! 
vermin. He is faithful and tractable, and, under prapet 
care and training, is rarely. surpassed. 
The entering and breaking of the fox terrier as a vermin 
‘killer is not a process of great difficulty. His innate 
intelligence rapidly leads him to look upon rats, mice, 
etc., as his mortal foes, and himself as their especial 
exterminator. When he is to be used with ferrets, he 
must be broken to leave them alone, as they are apt to 
make their appearance suddenly at one hole, from which 
they pass to another. In order to accomplish this, the 
ferret and the terrier should be allowed to be in ‘the com- 
pany of each other within a yard, stable, etc., when the 
terrier must be carefully watched and cautioned not to 
molest his companion. After a few such lessons, both 
animals grow friendly, or at least the terrier learns not to 
molest the ferret. Some terriers, owing to their breeding, 
prove to be great cowards, and will not bear the bites of 
their foes, which renders them perfectly useless as vermin 
destroyers, to say nothing of the more formidable opera- 
tion of unearthing the fox. To complete their necessary 
courage, some breeders contend they should have the evi- 
dent cross of the bull-dog. But sometimes young dogs of 
this cross may prove rather timid at first, when they 
should be encouraged by first trying their skill on young 
rats, singly. They will thus gain confidence, and rapidly 
increase in needful courage. This precaution, however, 
is scarcely called for with respect to well-bred. terriers ; 
as with the opportunity for practice in the exercise of 
the allotted vocation, they rapidly acquire the proficiency 
for which the breed is remarkable. 
There has been a good deal of controversy. among those 
interested in this breed on the subject of the bull cross, 
but the preponderance of evidence is certainly against it. 
The chief argument is that this cross makes the dog lie 
too close to his game, and punish him too much if he can. 
reach him, often absolutely preventing his bolting by hang- 
ing on to him. In any case it is admitted that the strain: 
should not be made visible in the mouth, and that the 
teeth should be therefore quite level. What is: really: 
wanted is a dog small enough to enter any drain or earthy 
which will admit a fox, and consequently not above 16 lbs, 
