There are some extraordinary accounts of the dexterity, as well as
courage, of the terrier in destroying rats. The feats of a dog called
"Billy" will he long remembered. He was matched to destroy one hundred
large rats in eight and a half minutes. The rats were brought into the
ring in bags, and, as soon as the number was complete, he was put over
the railing. In six minutes and thirty-five seconds they were all
destroyed. In another match he destroyed the same number in six minutes
and thirteen seconds. At length, when he was getting old, and had but
two teeth and one eye left, a wager was laid of thirty sovereigns, by
the owner of a Berkshire bitch, that she would kill fifty rats in less
time than Billy. The old dog killed his fifty in five minutes and six
seconds. The pit was then cleared, and the bitch let in. When she had
killed thirty rats, she was completely exhausted, fell into a fit, and
lay barking and yelping, utterly incapable of completing her task.
The speed of the terrier is very great. One has been known to run six
miles in thirty-two minutes. He needs to be a fleet dog if, with his
comparatively little bulk, he can keep up with the foxhound.
A small breed of 'wry-legged' terriers was once in repute, and, to a
certain degree, is retained for the purpose of hunting rabbits. It
probably originated in some rickety specimens, remarkable for the slow
development of their frame, except in the head, the belly, and the
joints, which enlarge at the expense of the other parts.
THE SCOTCH TERRIER
There is reason to believe that this dog is far older than the English
terrier. There are three varieties: first the common Scotch terrier,
twelve or thirteen inches high; his body muscular and compact--
considerable breadth across the loins--the legs shorter and stouter than
those of the English terriers. The head large in proportion to the size
of the body--the muzzle small and pointed--strong marks of intelligence
in the countenance--warm attachment to his master, and the evident
devotion of every power to the fulfilment of his wishes. The hair is
long and tough, and extending over the whole of the frame. In colour,
they are black or fawn: the white, yellow, or pied are always deficient
in purity of blood.
Another species has nearly the same conformation, but is covered with
longer, more curly, and stouter hair; the legs being apparently, but not
actually, shorter. This kind of dog prevails in the greater part of the
Western Islands of Scotland, and some of them, where the hair has
obtained its full development, are much admired.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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