250 DOGS AND ALL ABOUT THEM

dangerous work. It is only of late years that dogs have been bred for show. The so-called ' Scottish ' Terrier, which at present rules the roost, dates from 1879 as a show dog.

" I therefore earnestly hope that no fancy will arise about these dogs which will make them less hardy, less wise, less companionable, less active, or less desperate fighters underground than they are at present. A young dog that I gave to a keeper got its stomach torn open in a fight. It came out of the cairn to its master to be helped. He put the entrails back to the best of his ability, and then the dog slipped out of his hands to finish the fight, and forced the fox out into the open ! That is the spirit of the breed ; but, alas, that cannot be exhibited on the show bench. They do say that a keeper of mine, when chaffed by the ' fancy ' about the baby faces of his ' lot,' was driven to ask, `Well, can any of you gentlemen oblige me with a cat, and I'll show you ? ' I did not hear him say it, so it may only be a tale.

" Anyhow, I have in my kennel a dog who, at ten months old, met a vixen fox as she was bolting out of her cairn, and he at once caught her by the throat, stuck to her till the pack came up, and then on till she was killed. In the course of one month his wounds were healed, and he had two other classical fights, one with a cat and the other with a dog fox. Not bad for a pup with a ' baby face ? '

" I trust my readers understand that the West Highland White Terriers are not White Aberdeens, not a new invention, but have a most respectable ancestry of their own. I add the formal list of points, but this is the work of show bench experts-and it will be seen from what I have written that I do not agree with them on certain particulars. There should be feather to a fair degree on the tail, but if experts will not allow it, put rosin on your hands and pull the hair out-and the rosin will win your prize. The eye should not be sunk, which gives the sulky look of the ' Scotch ' Terrier, but should be full and bright, and the expression friendly and confiding. The skull should not be narrow anywhere. It is almost

WEST HIGHLAND WHITE TERRIER 251

impossible to get black nails in a dog of pure breed and the black soon wears off the pad work, so folk must understand this. On two occasions recently I have shown dogs, acknowledged, as dogs, to be quite first class, ' but, you see, they are not the proper type.' The judges unfortunately have as yet their eyes filled with the ' Scottish' terrier type and prefer mongrels that show it to the real' Simon Pure.'"

STANDARD OF POINTS : The General Appearance of the West Highland White Terrier is that of a small, game, hardy-looking terrier, possessed with no small amount of self-esteem, with a " varminty " appearance, strongly built, deep in chest and back ribs, straight back and powerful quarters, on muscular legs and exhibiting in a marked degree a great combination of strength and activity. Colour-White. Coat-Very important, and seldom seen to perfection ; must be doublecoated. The outer coat consists of hard hair, about 21 inches long, and free from any curl. The under coat, which resembles fur, is short, soft, and close. Open coats are objectionable. Size-Dogs to weigh from 14 to 18 lb., and bitches from 12 to 16 lb., and measure from 8 to 12 inches at the shoulder. Skull-Should not be too narrow, being in proportion to his powerful jaw, proportionately long, slightly domed, and gradually tapering to the eyes, between which there should be a slight indentation or stop. Eyebrows heavy. The hair on the skull to be from I to 1 inch long, and fairly hard. Eyes-Widely set apart, medium in size, dark hazel in colour, sightly sunk in the head, sharp and intelligent, which, looking from under the heavy eyebrows, give a piercing look. Full eyes, and also light-coloured eyes, are very objectionable. Muzzle-Should be powerful, proportionate in length, and should gradually taper towards the nose, which should be fairly wide, and should not project forward beyond the upper jaw. The jaws level and powerful, and teeth square or evenly met, well set, and large for the size of the dog. The nose and roof of mouth should be distinctly black in colour. Ears-Small, carried erect or semi-erect, but never drop, and should be carried tightly up. The semi-erect ear should drop nicely over at the tips, the break being about threequarters up the ear, and both forms of ears should terminate in a sharp point. The hair on them should be short, smooth (velvety), and they should not be cut. The ears should be free from any fringe at the top. Round, pointed, broad and large ears are very objectionable, also ears too heavily covered with hair. Neck-Muscular, and nicely set on sloping shoulders. Chest-Very deep, with breadth in proportion to the size of the dog. Body-Compact, straight back, ribs deep and well arched in the upper half of rib, presenting a flattish side appearance. Loins broad and strong. Hind-quarters strong, muscular, and wide across the top. Legs and Feet-Both fore and hind legs should be short and muscular. The shoulder blades should be comparatively broad, and well-sloped backwards. The points of the shoulder blades should be closely knit into the backbone, so that very little movement of them should be noticeable when the dog is walking. The elbow