318 
cracking like fire, and in less than a minute 
out came one of the finest otters I had ever 
seen in my life. Hecrossed to another planting 
before the terrier could get at him, and there, 
of course, we lost him. As it was four in the 
afternoon before we first found the trail and 
five o’clock when we found the otter, we calcu- 
lated that the trail was at least fourteen hours 
old, and yet Boxer could hunt him single- 
handed.”’ 
Boxer was a creamy white, rough-haired 
terrier, of the strain kept by the Rev. 
John Russell in Devonshire and distributed 
among privileged sportsmen about Somer- 
setshire and Gloucestershire. The working 
attributes of these energetic terriers have 
long been understood, and the smart, plucky 
little dogs have been constantly coveted by 
breeders all over the country, but they have 
never won the popularity they deserve. 
“T have kept the Jack Russell type of 
terrier for nearly twenty years,’ says Mr. 
Reginald Bates, “and have used them for 
fox and badger digging. One of my uncles 
brought the strain with him from Gloucester- 
shire many years ago, and I have always kept 
a few of the same sort for work. I have found 
them very hardy game, and much more in- 
telligent, tractable, and easily broken than 
the modern show terrier, although I have 
used the latter as an out-cross at different 
times. 
“Some breeders have shown a desire to breed 
them very small, bitches as low as g lb. or 
to lb. in weight. This, in my opinion, is a 
mistake, as they are too delicate and weedy 
for the rough work they meet with in badger 
digging. The best weight for a working terrier 
is, dogs 16 lb., bitches 14 lb. ; and they should 
not stand more than 14 in. at the shoulder. 
At this weight I have had dogs that could go 
to ground well, and, moreover, stay there 
also for three or four hours without leaving 
the badger or fox. The working terrier should 
stand on short straight legs, have a thick skin, 
good, rough, weather-resisting coat, with a 
strong wide head, strong jaws, and—last but 
not least—a big heart in a little body. Such a 
terrier will provide many a good day’s sport 
for his owner, and prove his worth in many 
ways. As regards colour, there is no doubt 
that a white dog is much the best, especially 
if for work with fox or otter hounds.” 
THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG. 
The late Mr. H. P. Eart, of Kent, kept 
some very good Russell Terriers. A bitch 
that Mr. Bates had from him had a pedigree 
going back to the celebrated Fuss, belonging 
to Jack Russell. There also is—or was re- 
cently—a very good strain of these work- 
ing terriers kept in Yorkshire by the Messrs. 
Pease, who used them largely for fox and 
badger. They are also kept in nearly all 
sporting towns and villages in West Somer- 
set and Devonshire. 
In entering them for work, they should 
be broken to ferrets and rats at about six 
months old. It is not advisable to use them 
for badger much under eighteen months, 
as they get such a mauling that they may 
be of no use afterwards, and then they 
should be worked with an old experienced 
dog. As a rule, they turn out game, keen 
and staunch, while for endurance they will 
run all through a long day’s otter hunting 
and then walk home with their sterns up. 
Those who have kept both varieties 
prefer the Russell to the Sealy Ham Terrier, 
which is nevertheless an excellent worker. 
It is on record that one of these, a bitch 
of only 9 Ib. weight, fought and killed, 
single-handed, a full-grown dog-fox. The 
Sealy Ham derives its breed name from the 
seat of the Edwardes family, near Haver- 
fordwest, in Pembrokeshire, where the strain 
has been carefully preserved for well over 
a century. It is a long-bodied,  short- 
legged terrier, with a hard, wiry coat, 
frequently whole white, but also white 
with black or brown markings or brown 
with black. They may be as heavy as 
17 lb., but 12 Ib. is the average weight. 
Some years ago the breed seemed to be on 
the down grade, requiring fresh blood from 
a well-chosen out-cross. One hears very 
little concerning them nowadays, but it 
is certain that when in their prime they 
possessed all the grit, determination, and 
endurance that are looked for in a good 
working terrier. 
A wire-haired black and tan terrier was 
once common in Suffolk and Norfolk, 
where it was much used for rabbiting, 
but it may now be extinct, or, if not extinct, 
probably identified with the Welsh Terrier, 
