idea seized one
of the keepers. The dog evidently could not get up, so a rabbit skin
was folded into a small parcel round a stone and let down by a string.
The dog at once seized the situation--and the skin--held on, was drawn
up, and fainted on reaching the mouth of the hole. He was carried home
tenderly and nursed; he recovered."

Referring to the characteristics of this terrier, Colonel Malcolm
continues:--"Attention to breeding as to colour has undoubtedly
increased the whiteness, but, other points being good, a dog of the
West Highland White Terrier breed is not to be rejected if he shows
his descent by a slight degree of pale red or yellow on his back or
his ears. I know an old Argyllshire family who consider that to
improve their terriers they ought all to have browny yellow ears.
Neither again, except for the show bench, is there the slightest
objection to half drop ears--_i.e._, the points of one or both ears
just falling over.

"Unfortunately, the show bench has a great tendency to spoil all
breeds from too much attention being given to what is evident--and
ears are grand things for judges to pin their faith to; also, they
greatly admire a fine long face and what is called--but wrongly
called--a strong jaw, meaning by that an ugly, heavy face. I have
often pointed out that the tiger, the cat, the otter, all animals
remarkable for their strength of jaw, have exceedingly short faces,
but their bite is cruelly hard. And what, again, could be daintier
than the face of a fox?

"The terrier of the West Highlands of Scotland has come down to the
present day, built on what I may perhaps call the fox lines, and it is
a type evolved by work--hard and deadly 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 t