THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



237 



modern fox terrier is a very definite breed, but 

 in the middle of last century almost any dog 

 of terrier size and build, with the strength and 

 courage to go into a burrow and pull out or 

 "bolt" a fox, was a fox terrier. Many other 

 dogs were as loosely defined. 



Most of the terrier breeds we see today have 

 been developed within a hundred years, and a 

 good many of them within fifty. And this is 

 not surprising when we consider that the first 

 dog show under modern conditions was held in 

 England only sixty years ago, that the first 

 trial of dogs in the field was held six years 

 later, and that in spite of the fact that dog 

 shows at once became popular, it was not until 

 fourteen years after the first show that there 

 was any organization having authority to regu- 

 late such exhibitions. 



With two or three notable exceptions, ter- 

 riers are rather small dogs, and generally 

 speaking are bright, active, vivacious little ras- 

 cals, full of fun and mischief and with courage 

 out of all proportion to their size. 



Almost all of them make good companions 

 and are ready to "do their bit" when rats and 

 other vermin begin to make themselves ob- 

 noxious. 



They are sometimes divided into three 

 groups, as follows: (i) Smooth-coated: — 

 black-and-tan or Manchester terrier, bull ter- 

 rier, Boston terrier, smooth fox terrier, Dober- 

 mann Pinscher; (2) broken-haired: — wire- 

 haired fox terrier, Airedale, Bedlington, Irish, 

 Welsh, Scottish, West Highland white; (3) 

 long-haired : — Skye and Yorkshire. There are 

 others, but these are the ones most commonly 

 seen in this country. 



The white English terrier, one of the older 

 breeds, has seldom been seen in America and 

 seems to have almost died out even in England. 

 No doubt it played its part in helping to estab- 

 lish some of the more modern varieties. 



The bull terrier, formerly known as bull and 

 terrier, is probably one of these, the cross with 

 the bulldog giving the size, strength, and cour- 

 age necessary to make the great fighting dog 

 developed by the English gamesters in the early 

 half of last century. 



The old wire-haired black-and-tan terrier 

 also probably contributed to the making of this 

 dog, which as a canine fighting machine has 

 never been equaled. Literally, he would sooner 

 fight than eat, and no matter how brutal and 

 degrading dog-fighting may be, we cannot but. 

 admire in a dog, as we do in a man, those qual- 

 ities which enable him to bear without whim- 

 pering the severest punishment and physical 

 pain, sometimes for hours, and finally die in the 

 pit rather than save himself by showing "the 

 yellow streak." 



Fortunately the "sport" has long been pro- 

 hibited by law, and practically died out in Eng- 

 land fifty years ago. Though illegal in this 

 country, it still flourishes among certain classes 

 and in certain sections, and pit-bull terriers 

 have been exhibited at a big bench show in 

 Ohio within a very few rears. 



Most of these dogs were brindle and white 

 in various proportions and had much shorter 

 faces than the now thoroughly respectable and 

 gentlemanly white bull terrier so well known 

 to us all and so skillfully depicted in Richard 

 Harding Davis' "The Bar Sinister" — one of the 

 best dog stories ever written. 



The bull terrier is a very strong, active, te- 

 nacious dog, and some supporters even claim 

 great intelligence for him. 



The accepted type is pure white with a black 

 nose. He is a very symmetrical dog, splendidly 

 muscled, with very straight legs and sturdy 

 sloping shoulders, rather short, compact body ( 

 and a long, even muzzle, with heavy jaw mus- 

 cles. He is built to fight other dogs, and noth- 

 ing has been sacrificed, as with the bulldog, 

 that will help him in the combat. They fight 

 without a sound, whatever their punishment. 



The small, oblique, triangular eye, coupled 

 with the pink showing through the fine hair of 

 face and muzzle, give even the best bull terrier 

 a somewhat piggy look. But aside from this he 

 is a handsome, active, and sturdy dog, free 

 from nonsense, and with a good dependable 

 disposition, although his capable shoulder seems 

 to carry an invisible but easily dislodged chip 

 on it. Other dogs, whatever their size, have no 

 terrors for him. 



MANCHESTER, OR BLACK AND TAN 

 TERRIER 



(For illustration, see page 243) 



This active, speedy little dog has had much 

 influence in the formation of many of the pres- 

 ent-day breeds. 



A generation ago the "rat terrier," as he was 

 commonly and very appropriately called, was 

 a well-known and popular dog, though now he 

 is rarely seen. He is a product of the mining 

 region of Manchester, England, and was quite 

 a prominent figure in the holiday sports" of that 

 district. 



His "long, flat, narrow, level, and wedge- 

 shaped" head had little room left in it for good 

 nature, after the native keenness and self-in- 

 terest had been accommodated, and this breed 

 has never been as popular with the outside 

 world as with its owners on this account. Al- 

 though they are very spirited and courageous, 

 they are apt to be very short-tempered and 

 snappy. 



He is a beautifully set up little dog, clean of 

 line as a greyhound, and only a degree or two 

 less slender. He is entirely black, except for 

 the deep mahogany tan that covers the chops 

 and throat, chest, inner sides of legs, feet (ex- 

 cept black toe-tops), ear linings, spots on eye- 

 brows and the papilla on the cheek, and the 

 under side of the tail at the root. His coat is 

 close, hard, and very glossy, revealing his beauti- 

 fully muscled, yet delicate frame. About 18 

 inches high, he should weigh 16 to 20 pounds, 

 though a diminutive toy type exists, which. is 

 the tiniest of all doars. 



