THE WHITE ENGLISH TERRIER. 
the Queen’s side a terrier that is undoubtedly 
of this type. The dog has slight brown or 
brindle markings on the back, as many 
English White Terriers have, and it is to 
be presumed that it is of the breed from 
which this variety is descended. 
Apart from colour there is not a great 
difference between the White English Terrier 
and the Manchester Black-and-tan. But 
although they are of similar shape and 
partake much of the same general character, 
yet there is the distinction that in the black- 
and-tan the conservation of type is stronger 
and more noticeable than in the white, in 
which the correct shape and action are 
difficult to obtain. It ought naturally to 
be easier to breed a pure white dog from 
white parents than to breed correctly 
marked and well tanned puppies from perfect 
black-and-tans ; but the efforts of many 
breeders do not seem to support such a 
theory in connection with the English 
Terrier, whose litters frequently show the 
blemish of a spot of brindle or russet. These 
spots usually appear behind the ears or on 
the neck, and are of course a disfigurement 
on a dog whose coat to be perfect should 
be of an intense and brilliant white. It 
appears to be equally difficult to breed one 
which, while having the desired purity of 
colour, is also perfect in shape and terrier 
character. It is to be noted, too, that many 
otherwise good specimens are deaf—a fault 
which seriously militates against the dog’s 
possibilities as a companion or as a watch. 
It is commonly believed that almost all 
animals artificially bred to whiteness are 
liable to this infirmity, and the alleged 
deafness of the English White Terrier 
would seem to indicate albinoism, con- 
genital weakness, and a natural lack of 
stamina. 
It is to be questioned, therefore, whether 
the fanciers of this breed were wholly wise 
in their objection to coloured markings. 
Forty years ago the coloured, parti-coloured, 
or even brindled English Terrier stood a 
good chance of taking a prize at the public 
shows at which they were exhibited in 
competition, and these are said to have been 
much hardier dogs than their descendants 
41 
a2 
of the present day. Here we have an 
instance of the mistake so often made by 
breeders in striving to breed up to an artificial 
ideal. Idstone was of opinion that the 
coloured specimens rejected in favour of the 
pure white were decidedly the better dogs, 
and that it was these who formed the founda- 
tion of the breed now commonly received 
as the Fox-terrier. 
MARY OF MODENA, 
WITH A SMOOTH-COATED TERRIER. 
FROM THE PAINTING BY W. WISSING, 1670, 
IN THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY. 
Photograph by Emery Walker. 
Birmingham and Manchester were the 
localities in which the English Terrier was 
most popular forty years ago, but it was 
Mr. Frederick White, of Clapham, who 
bred all the best of the white variety and 
who made it popular in the neighbourhood 
of London. His terriers were of a strain 
founded by a dog named King Dick, and 
in 1863 he exhibited a notable team in 
Laddie, Fly, Teddie, and Nettle. Mr. S. E. 
Shirley, M.P., was attracted to the breed, 
and possessed many good examples, as also 
did the Rev. J. W. Mellor and Mr. J. H. 
Murchison. Mr. Alfred Benjamin’s Silvio 
was a prominent dog in 1877. 
Silvio was bred by Mr. James Roocroft, 
