Length from shoulder to root of tail, from 13in. to 17in.; girth round chest, from 15in. to 16½in.; tail, about 6in. or 7in. long, slightly curved; height will vary from 7½in. to 9½in. Legs should be short, and well covered with muscle. Many of the breed are bandylegged, but some breeders prefer straight ones. The length of foreleg will vary from 4in. to 5in. (inside measurement), and the girth of ditto should be equal, or nearly so. A dog requires legs to walk and run upon, also to scratch with; hence a leg of, say, 3in. would be rather unsuitable to a vermin terrier, though it might be much prized in the show ring. Coat should be short, exceedingly thick, and wiry; no curls - this would show a cross. The best and most practical sportsmen with whom I am acquainted prefer the coat not to exceed from 2½in. to 3in. or 3½in. in length, as a longer coat would very much impede the dog when working. This fact I have, and many others as well, practically tested, and invariably found a long coat of, say, 6in., prove a great obstacle to a terrier, either under the earth or above it.

However, many try to obtain as long a coat on their dogs as possible, especially those who keep them for exhibition purposes, as English judges generally select a long coat, which is entirely wrong, and is not a characteristic of the pure Skye or Highland terrier, and a long coat greatly loses in density and hardness of texture, giving the animal more the appearance of a Maltese terrier, from which many of the so-called Skye terriers are, no doubt, descended. I remember, many years ago, seeing in London 'white Skyes,' which were brought from Portree, and one of these was honoured with a prize at an English show. The proper colour of a genuine Skye is either dark grey, reddish yellow, or black, but if of a reddish colour, they ought to have a dark muzzle and dark ear-tips; these are greatly valued by gentlemen in the north. The weight of the Skye terrier may vary from 91b. to 121b. in females, and from 121b. to 161b. in males. However, for my own use, I should like one about 141b.; still, I would not be particular to a pound or two in weight, were the other points of the dog good; but any terrier over 181b. I should not much fancy for work.

Now let us look at the generally accepted type of dog of this breed selected for honours at shows by English judges, but whose opinions should have little weight, for the simple reason that many of these gentlemen, who are valued authorities on setters, retrievers, and other breeds, know absolutely nothing of the Highland terrier, having neither studied their points nor characteristics, nor used them at work.; hence they have adopted the English popular fallacy with reference to this breed, that it must have almost no legs, a caterpillar body, and a coat which might be measured by the yard. The head of the show dog is generally round or apple-shaped, with a great quantity of silky hair falling over and almost concealing his eyes, body exceedingly long, and a flag as finely feathered as a setter's, which he sometimes carries on one side (a la pug) or over his back, and he may be of any weight from 141b. to 231b.

MR. J. GORDON MURRAY'S SKYE TERRIER "OTTER."

Pedigree unknown.

"I may be told that lots of dogs, such as I have now described, are bred at Portree, Paisley, Greenock, and Glasgow. This is unfortunately too true, but they are nevertheless a cross-bred animal, and should be placed in a class for ' fancy drop or prick-eared terriers.' The sooner they are relegated to this class the better, and would very shortly be if the judges were gentlemen who had a thorough knowledge of the valuable Highland terrier. For hardiness, gameness, faithfulness, and attachment to their masters no dog excels the genuine Skye, and for sagacity they are equalled by none. An elegant writer as well as a distinguished sportsman remarks, speaking of this breed, 'he is almost human in his love, and more than human in his fidelity.' "

I will now introduce to readers an article on the Skye terrier, written by Mr. John Flinn, and with whose opinions I entirely concur. By authoritative quotation Mr. Flinn shows conclusively that a long-haired terrier was peculiar to the Northern Islands more than three centuries ago - written history when dealing with such matters must be allowed to be more reliable than tradition. Mr. Murray and his confreres of the "manifesto " go back sixty or ninty years to find a wrecked vessel landing dogs on the coast of Skye to account for the long-haired terrier, whilst others go back to the wreck of one of the ships of the Spanish Armada. This hypothetical foreign cur is sometimes called a French poodle, sometimes called a Spanish poodle, sometimes a Russian poodle, and at other times it is described as a Maltese. That a dog was so landed on the Isle of Skye is highly probable, and that such a dog or dogs would be crossed with the native dogs is also highly probable, but, admitting that to be so, there is no proof brought forward that the prize winning dogs of to-day are the descendants of the cross, which is what Mr. Murray and his friend have tried hard, using clamour and assertion as a substitute for argument, to establish, and have utterly failed to do.

In all points but length of coat, the facts are dead against them, as anyone may see who will examine our best prize Skye terriers at the London, Edinburgh, or other first-class shows; and their assertions respecting the coat are refuted by Mr. Flinn, who brings forward the writings of long established authorities in support of his opinions. Dr. Caius wrote his book long before the Spanish Armada was thought of, and since that lately most rare work has been reproduced by the publishers of this book at a cheap rate, it is within the reach of all to consult for themselves.*

I cannot help thinking that if the authors of the "manifesto" were to give up fighting about a name, seeing that "Skye terrier" is but a modern one after all, and establish classes for their hard short-haired working terriers under the name of Highland terriers, they would be doing practical good, instead of which such constant reiterations in praise of a certain strain looks more like an advertisement than having the good of the breed at heart.