26o DOGS AND ALL ABOUT THEM

from pure white to fawn and brown, blue-grey and black. The lighter coloured ones had black muzzles, ears, and tails. Their tails were carried more gaily than would be permitted by a modern judge of the breed.

In those days the Highlander cared less for the appearance than he did for the sporting proclivities of his dogs, whose business it was to oust the tod from the earth in which it had taken refuge ; and for this purpose certain qualities were imperative. First and foremost the terrier needed to be small, short of leg, long and lithe in body, with ample face fringe to protect his eyes from injury, and possessed of unlimited pluck and dash.

The Skye Terrier of to-day does not answer to each and every one of these requirements. He is too big-decidedly he is too big-especially in regard to the head. A noble-looking skull, with large, well-feathered ears may be admirable as ornament, but would assuredly debar its possessor from following into a fox's lair among the boulders. Then, again, his long coat would militate against the activity necessary for his legitimate calling.

It was not until about 186o that the Skye Terrier attracted much notice among dog lovers south of the Border, but Queen Victoria's admiration of the breed, of which from 1842 onwards she always owned favourite specimens, and Sir Edwin Landseer's paintings in which the Skye was introduced, had already drawn public attention to the decorative and useful qualities of this terrier. The breed was included in the first volume of the Kennel Club Stud Book, and the best among the early dogs were such as Mr. Pratt's Gillie and Dunvegan, Mr. D. W. Fyfe's Novelty, Mr. John Bowman's Dandie, and Mr. Macdona's Rook. These were mostly of the drop-eared variety, and were bred small.

About the year 1874, fierce and stormy disputes arose concerning the distinctions of the Scottish breeds of terriers. The controversy was continued until 1879, when the Kennel Club was approached with the view to furnishing classes.

THE SKYE TERRIER   26r

The controversy was centred upon three types of Scottish terriers : those which claimed to be pure Skye Terriers, a dog described briefly as Scotch, and a third, which for a time was miscalled the Aberdeen. To those who had studied the varieties, the distinctions were clear ; but the question at issue was-to which of the three rightly belonged the title of Scottish Terrier ? The dog which the Scots enthusiasts were trying to get established under this classification was the Cairn Terrier of the Highlands, known in some localities as the short-coated, working Skye, and in others as the Foxterrier, or Tod-hunter. A sub-division of this breed was the more leggy Aberdeen " variety.

The present-day Skye is without doubt one of the most beautiful terriers in existence. He is a dog of medium size, with a weight not exceeding 25 lb., and not less than 18 lb. he is long in proportion to his height, with a very level back, a powerful jaw with perfectly fitting teeth, a small hazel eye, and a long hard coat just reaching the ground. In the prickeared variety the ears are carried erect, with very fine ear feathering, and the face fringe is long and thick. The ear feathering and face fall are finer in quality than the coat, which is exceedingly hard and weather-resisting. And here it is well to point out that the Skye has two distinct coats : the under coat, somewhat soft and woolly, and the upper, hard and rain-proof. This upper coat should be as straight as possible, without any tendency to wave or curl. The tail is not very long, and should be nicely feathered, and in repose never raised above the level of the back.

The same description applies to the drop-eared type, except that the ears in repose, instead of being carried erect, fall evenly on each side of the head. When, however, the dog is excited, the ears are pricked forward, in exactly the same fashion as those of the Airedale Terrier. This is an important point, a houndy carriage of ear being a decided defect. The drop-eared variety is usually the heavier and larger dog of the two ; and for some reason does not show the quality and breed-