e 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 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 Fox-terrier, 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 prick-eared 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 usual