It is not the worst feature in human nature that displays itself in a liking for the little - a disposition to care for and caress the diminutive. Of course, there are giant minds that find no room in their affections for trifles, and can stoop to deal with nothing less than the fundamental laws and colossal forces of Nature; and yet of such Thackeray could write:

How very weak the very wise, How very small the very great are !

The diminutive animal appeals to us for help and protection, and that touches one of the secret springs of action in the best side of our nature, and is, probably, the foundation of our liking for little pets. Indulgence in this natural tendency is excellent in effect when properly regulated, but when excessive, or unwisely directed, it is harmful alike to the person and the pet. It is most to be condemned when wasted on abortive products, the result of some infraction of Nature's laws.

The Black-and-tan Terrier (Miniature)

Three decades or so ago, and even less, a large proportion of the Black-and-tan Toy Terriers (as they were then called) were of the sort called by "fanciers" "apple-headed 'uns" - that is, round-skulled, and with prominent foreheads; and this variety was supposed to owe these features to a cross with the King Charles Spaniel. Another variety, finer in the head, and generally showing the wheel back and tucked-up flank of the Italian Greyhound, owed its peculiar features to a cross with the last-named dog. Both of these have now, however, given place to a much neater animal, showing truer Terrier character - being, in fact, a pocket edition of the large Black-and-tan Terrier, dwarfed by constant selection of the smallest and continued in-and-in breeding.

This continued consanguineous breeding is not, however, an unmixed good, and in some instances appears to have already been carried to the utmost extent it can be with safety, great delicacy of constitution being one result, and another the loss of hair, many specimens being almost bare on head, face, and neck; this is a great disfigurement, and one that can only be permanently remedied by judicious breeding.

The points of the Black-and-tan Toy Terrier are the same as in the larger breed, and to that readers are referred. There is more difficulty experienced in producing a good animal, well marked, and rich in colour, of the desired size - weighing from 31b. to 51b. at most - than there is in breeding dogs 2olb. and over.

As these fragile creatures are thin in the skin, and but lightly covered with hair, they should be kept clothed when out of doors.

The great difficulty breeders find in producing perfect specimens of this variety is shown by the scarcity of them on the show-bench. For the last twenty years at least there have usually been one or two specimens so far superior to the general run that each, while its turn lasted, took the chief prizes wherever exhibited. Such were Boulton's Little Wonder, Whitehouse's Little Emily, Howard Mapplebeck's Belle, Mrs. Foster's Diva, Tom Swinburn's Serpolette, Alf George's Little Princess, and Mrs. Hamp's Jubilee Wonder (the last named a perfect specimen), Mrs. Lyne's Sisserietta, and the dogs associated with the name of Mr. T. Adams, of Oxford.

The Blue (known as the Blue Paul) and the Blue-and-tan are often by enthusiasts dignified as distinct varieties, but they are not entitled thereto. They are mere colour "sports," and generally, as far as type is concerned, inferior to the Black-and-tan. Some years ago these "sports " were encouraged; and where Nature had not given them the requisite colour, this was supplied by Art.

Though it is very desirable to take the greatest care of these somewhat delicate dogs, yet it is not a good plan to coddle them and bring them up like hot-house plants, any more than it is to allow them out when cold winds are blowing or during inclement weather generally. The best coated dogs will usually be found amongst those that during suitable weather have been kept in a well-ventilated but cosy out-door kennel. In winter it is safest to keep them indoors, but not to allow them to snooze away their existence in a basket before the fire. That the brood bitch and her whelps need special treatment admits of no doubt; for it would be the height of folly to allow the delicate young puppies to be exposed to cold blasts of wind, wet, and snow. For natural purposes it is the fancier's rule to provide a tray containing peat moss, sanitary sawdust, or the special mould sold for cats, to which the dam and her puppies can repair. This has been found to answer well.

As with many other varieties, it is not judicious to attempt to breed from the small bitches. Far better is it to rely upon a bitch of medium size (81b. or so) that also comes of a small strain, and utilise her as a brood bitch, mating her to a dog renowned for siring small puppies. If the puppies are born in winter, they must be kept in a fairly warm room, and at night, when the fires are out, the lined basket or box should be lightly covered. In spring and summer no such precaution is necessary, and at any rate in sunny, warm weather the mother and her whelps will be benefited by being kept outside. With puppies so reared, the tendency to skin disease, so prevalent with these dogs, is minimised, and the coat is correspondingly improved. Should the coat get bare upon the head, as it often does, a little vaseline pomade rubbed in after washing the dog with one of the pet-dog soaps will be beneficial. Teething troubles affect puppies very much, and the coat and ear-carriage are alike bad. Though in the big Black-and-tan but one type of ear is acknowledged, with these pocket editions it is not unusual to find two or three different kinds - erect, rose, drop. So long as the carriage of either is correct and the dog be otherwise of good quality, the actual shape of ear is not of great moment, or at least it does not appear to be. The dietary of all these Toy dogs must be as varied as possible, and minced lean meat should be given as a change food.