THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



57 



In color he should be chiefly white, with 

 black markings on head and body. These are 

 to be left largely to the taste of the judge; a 

 little tan is usually seen if the head is largely 

 marked, occurring on the chops and in a small 

 spot over the eye and where the "bristle" 

 grows on the cheek ; brown, red, or brindle 

 body markings are decidedly objectionable. 



The wire-haired fox terrier should conform 

 to the standard for the smooth dog in every 

 respect except in coat. In place of the close, 

 smooth, hard coat, he should have a hard, 

 wiry, harsh coat of broken surface. Silky or 

 woolly hair is very faulty. 



THE IRISH TERRIER 



(For illustration, see page 6j) 



The Irish terrier has well earned his nick- 

 name "dare-devil," for he has few if any 

 ecjuals for sheer reckless courage. He is an 

 interesting, loyal pal, and until he "hears the 

 call of duty," he has a quiet, unobtrusive man- 

 ner, which is very deceptive ; but he will stand 

 for no nonsense, and once trouble has been 

 started, he'll stay till it's over. 



While on a hunting expedition in Africa a 

 few years ago, some hunters were trying by 

 means of a pack of dogs to dislodge a lion 

 which had been brought to bay in a dense 

 tangle of bushes. For a long time they had 

 been unsuccessful, when, without any apparent 

 reason, the lion bolted from the cover. A 

 moment later the reason became apparent. As 

 he dashed into the open his tail stood straight 

 out behind, and on the end of it was a little 

 Irish terrier with his teeth locked. 



Tjhe Irish terrier is intermediate in size be- 

 tween the Airedale and the Welsh, and is a 

 "self-colored" dog, either wheaten or red. The 

 latter is more desirable. In weight 24 pounds 

 is perfection, and in general contour he should 

 be the counterpart of the Airedale, differing 

 only in size and in color. In disposition he is 

 a true terrier; staunch and courageous, and 

 as he attains years he takes on a dignity and 

 self-reliance rather unusual in a dog of his 

 size. He is essentially a rough or wire-haired 

 dog, and silky or woolly hair is a distinct fault. 



THE WELSH TERRIER 



(Fur illustration, see page 63) 



The Welsh terrier may best and most briefly 

 be described as a wire-haired fox terrier col- 

 ored in general like an Airedale. This does not 

 of course cover the finer points, but gives a 

 general impression of his looks. 



He is in every respect a true terrier, and 

 closely resembles a diminutive Airedale. His 

 color is very strictly dictated by the standard; 

 he must have tan legs, belly, and head, with a 

 black saddle, and black on the forehead and all 

 around the neck. This is sometimes replaced 

 by grizzled gray, but it is less typical and not 

 as popular as the pure black and tan. Black 

 on legs or feet is very bad. 



Being a fine, sturdy, active and friendly 

 little dog, the Welsh terrier is rapidly gaining 

 popularity in this country, and the breed was 

 represented in the 1918 Westminster show by 

 a large entry. 



AIREDALE TERRIER 



(For illustration, see page 66) 



By far the most popular big terrier, in this 

 country at least, is the Airedale, and for an 

 all-around dog he would be very hard to beat. 

 He is afraid of nothing that walks or crawls 

 on land, and his great fondness for the water 

 betrays the otterhound blood which is in him. 



While not necessarily quarrelsome, this dog 

 knows his strength, and as a rule will not 

 walk far out of his way to avoid a scrap. 

 Airedales are usually intelligent, and hundreds 

 of them have been used for Red Cross work 

 on the battlefields of Europe. 



So well established and in such favor is this 

 breed today, it is hard to believe that sixty 

 years ago it was practically unknown outside 

 of Yorkshire, England, where it e-xisted as an 

 unkempt, shaggy-coated, long-eared mongrel, 

 in which the blood of the otterhound and the 

 old black-ahd-tan wire-haired terrier were eas- 

 iest to recognize. But after about thirty years 

 of careful breeding most of the hound blood 

 was bred out of him, and there was left some- 

 thing very much like the stylish, well-built, 

 well-marked Airedale, now to be seen every- 

 where. 



To be a "good" one, he should weigh from 

 35 to 45 pounds, and be about 22 inches high, 

 and of the color and type shown in the plate. 

 The distribution of the tan or sandy color is 

 rigorously dictated by standard; the saddle and 

 neck may be either black, which is preferable, 

 or grizzled gray. The head, set at an exact 

 right-angle to the straight, strong neck, should 

 be long, and a straight line from occiput to 

 nose, or very slightly "roman." This effect is 

 frequently heightened by the hair on the face 

 between the eyes, being a little longer than 

 that on the nose and crown. There is quite a 

 marked tendency for the hair on the lips and 

 chin to be long, forming a sort of beard. 



The back must be straight and strong, the 

 legs also must be very straight and well boned 

 and muscled, the feet short and round. 



This is one of the best of terriers, and of 

 his thousands of owners hardly one could be 

 found to say an unfavorable word for him. 

 Being a terrier, he is playful and rather de- 

 structive in his youth, but in a season he 

 grows up, and becomes a remarkably thought- 

 ful, companionable, and dependable dog. He 

 can be trained to hunt, but is rather impetuous 

 for this work. 



The hair should be fairly long, hard, and 

 nearly straight. It would be hard to win a 

 ribbon with a curly Airedale, however good 

 otherwise. Cow-hocks, a marked stop, sprung 

 pasterns, and white markings are all defects. 



