The only character cropping gives is that of mongrelism, and association with the lowest in taste and most uneducated of the fancy; good reasons can be shown for "rounding," although they may not be uncontrovertible, but who ever heard a reason satisfactory to a sane and humane mind in favour of cropping ? That in dealing with their dogs, gentlemen of education and refined taste in most matters should permit themselves to be ruled by the practices of the ignorant and vulgar, is to me a mystery. It is to be expected that the ignorant and thoughtless should be unaware or overlook in indulging a caprice, or what they wrongly call taste, that they are exposing to constant danger of inflammation, canker, and other evils, one of the most delicate organisms; but the higher class of fanciers have no excuse for the evil they do in following a fashion which destroys nature's necessary provision against danger and accident to a sensitive organ. I hope the Irish Terrier Club will put their veto on the abominable practice.

The other point I wish to comment on is the ribs. Mr. Jamison says: "ribs well sprung and well ribbed back."

It has always been held that this terrier should possess speed, that he should be of "a racing build." Spuds was admitted to be the correct type to breed to by those who signed Mr. Ridgway's code, and she is not only a fast bitch but looks it, and is certainly not " well ribbed back," if by that is meant that the back ribs are well let down, which is what I understand by the expression.

To be well ribbed back is to give strength at the sacrifice of speed, to create not a fast but a cobby dog. The Dandie Dinmont and the pug should be well ribbed back, but they are not built for speed, and any dog to be fast must be more or less up in the flank after the manner of a greyhound, not with deep back ribs like a mastiff.

The front ribs should be rather deep than round and well sprung, implies roundness and that carries with it a wide chest. That formation makes a dog slow, and if we have the deep chest with the round ribs, we have this intensified. In my opinion the ribs should come well out from their insertion, and show a very slight curve in their descent, the dog appearing by comparison with a Dandie Dinmont to be flat sided, whereas well sprung ribs would give a barrel shape, and this is inconsistent with other points; the head, for instance, which in this breed is long, and all fast dogs are long in the head and deep but not wide in the chest and more or less cut up in the flank, and the latter point is inconsistent with deep back ribs.

The subject of our illustration is Spuds, a celebrated bitch that has won many prizes and served as a model for breeders, although now equalled, if not outstripped, by younger ones.

The descriptive points, drawn up by Mr. R. G. Ridgway and endorsed by signatures of twenty-four other breeders, are as follow:

Head. Long and rather narrow across skull; flat, and perfectly free from stop or wrinkle.

Muzzle. Long and rather pointed, but strong in make, with good black nose, and free from loose flesh and chop.

Teeth. Perfectly level, and evenly set in good strong jaws.

Ears. When uncut, small and filbert shaped, and lying close to head, colour of which is sometimes darker than rest of body, hair on ears short and free from fringe.

Neck. Tolerably long and well arched.

Legs. Moderately long, well set from shoulders, with plenty of bone and muscle, must be perfectly straight, and covered, like the ears and head, with a similar texture of coat as the body, but not quite so long.

Eyes. Small, keen, and hazel colour.

Feet. Strong, tolerably round, with toes well split up; most pure specimens have black toe nails.

Chest. Muscular, and rather deep, but should not be either full or wide.

Body. Moderately long, with ribs well sprung; loin and back should show great strength, and all well knit together.

Coat. Must be hard, rough, and wiry, in decided contradistinction to softness, shaggyness, silkyness, and all parts perfectly free from rock or curl. Hair on head and legs not quite so long as rest of body.

MR. J. J. PIM'S IRISH TERRIER "SPUDS" (K.C.S.B. 6846). Sire Jack - Dam Mr. Ahem's Virgil.

Colour most desired is red, and the brighter the colour the better, next in order, wheaten or yellow, and grey, but brindle is to be objected to, thereby showing intermixture of the bull breed.

Tail. If uncut, carried gaily without a ring, and showing absence of feather and bushiness.

Weight of good working Irish terrier varies from 171b. to 251b.; in olden times I understand that they ran up to 301b. and 351b., but it is better to fix the standard weight as mentioned, viz., 171b. to 251b.

Measurements, etc, of celebrated Irish terriers:

Mr. J. J. Pirn's champion Spuds: Age, 2¼ years; weight, 271b.; height at shoulder, 17in.; length from nose to set on of tail, 31¾in.; tail cut; girth of chest, 22in.; girth of loin, 18in.; girth of head, 13½ in.; girth of leg l in. below elbow, 5in.; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 9in.; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 8½in.; girth of neck, 12in.; colour and markings, red.

Mr. G. R. Krehl's bitch Blarney: Weight, 141b.; height at shoulder, 12⅝in.; length from nose to set on of tail, 25in.; tail docked; girth of chest, 19in.; girth of loin, 15in.; girth of head, 12in.; girth of arm, 5¼in.; girth of forearm, 4in.: length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 6½in.; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 6¼in.; cropped.

Mr. R. B. Carey's bitch Colleen Dhas: Weight, 211b.; height at shoulder, 15in.; length from nose to set on of tail, 27½.; length of tail, 4iin.; girth of chest, 18½in.; girth of loin, 15in.; girth of head, 12in.; girth of arm, 6in.; girth of forearm, 4¼in.; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 7¼in.; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 6½in.; cropped.

Mr. E. F. Despard's Jaque: Age, 1 year 4 months; weight, 16lb.; height at shoulder, 13½in.; length from nose to set on of tail, 23in.; length of tail, 4in.; girth of chest, 18½in.; girth of loin, 15in.; girth of head, 11 in.; girth of arm, 5½in.; girth of forearm, 4½in.; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 6in.; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 6in.; colour, bright red, not a white hair; toenails, black.

Mr. E. P. Despard's Kitty: Age, 1 year 4 months; weight, 231b.; height at shoulder, 15in.; length from nose to set on of tail, 29in.; length of tail, 3iin.; girth of chest, 21in.; girth of loin, 17½in.; girth of head, 12½in.; girth of arm, 7½in.; girth of forearm, 5in.; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 7½in.; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 6⅞in.'; colour, red, not a white hair; toenails, black.

Mr. R. B. Carey's dog Nabocklish: Weight, 201b.; height at shoulder, 14½in.; length from nose to set on of tail, 27½in.; length of tail, 3½in.; girth of chest, 19in.; girth of loin, 15in.; girth of head, 12½in.; girth of arm, 6¾in.; girth of forearm, 4½in.; length of head from occiput to tip of of nose, 7½in.; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 6½in.; cropped.

Messrs. E. B. and T. S. Carey's dog Shamrock (late Gaelic): Age, 2½ years; weight, 231b.; height at shoulder, 16in.; length from nose to set on of tail, 26in.; length of tail, 6in., docked; girth of chest, 22in.; girth of loin, l9½in.; girth of head, 13in.; girth of arm, 5¾in.; girth of forearm, 5iin.; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 8½in.; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 7½in.; colour and markings, red, black nails; ears cropped.

Mr. G. Krehl's Sporter: Weight, 221b.; height at shoulder, 16in.; length from nose to set on tail, 28in; tail docked; girth of chest, 22in. girth of loin, 15½in.; girth of head, 13in.; girth of arm, 7iin.; girth of forearm, 5½in.; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 7in.; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 7in.; not cropped; all black toenails.

Mr. A. F. W. Krehl's Paddy II.: Age, 2 years 3 months; weight, 251b.; height at shoulder, 15iin.; length from nose to set on of tail, 28½in.; tail docked; girth of chest, 24in.; girth of loin, 17in.; girth of head, 14in.; girth of arm lin. above elbow, 7½in.; girth of leg lin. below elbow, 5½in.; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 7¾in.; girth of muzzle, 7½in.; colour and markings all bright red; ears cropped.