Maggie May's sire may be Hinks's Prince (2,760), a dog that used to be shown as White Prince, and under that name was disqualified at Northampton, as having been castrated, by the late Mr. John Walker and the late Mr. Edward Sandell, as judges - a decision which was confirmed on reference to the veterinary surgeon. The late Mr. Hugh Dalziel believed the sire of Maggie May to be the same dog, as he well remembered, as representative of The Field, protesting in that paper against the decision of the gentlemen named, because a minute examination made him certain there was no scar, as there must have been had the operation taken place.

Against the late James Hinks (one of the most straightforward of men) undoubtedly lies a just cause for complaint, for to his carelessness is due, to a considerable extent, the confusion that exists regarding pedigrees.

In the descriptive points of the breed as drawn up by the Bull-terrier Club it may be thought that a very wide margin as regards weight is allowed - 151b. to 50lb. The latter some think far too heavy, as the majority of those dogs belonging to the heavy-weight brigade seem to lack type, sacrificed doubtless by the effort to obtain size. The Club, however, made the minimum 151b. so as to draw a distinctive line for the "Toys." For some years now the bulk of the specimens at shows have varied between about 251b. and 5olb. or a little heavier. And though the margin is very wide, it seems to have been brought about by accident rather than by design, owing to the fact that individual specimens of the same litter vary to this extent. The 161b. or 20lb. Bull-terriers are practically extinct nowadays, and the 251b. specimens are not much better. It is several years since a good class of "under 301b." has been seen at any shows; indeed, this class has practically been dropped from the classification of show schedules owing to lack of support.

Mr. Tredinnick many years ago wrote upon the weight question and his remarks thereon may be well worth reiterating at the present moment: -

"Breeders should not go too much for great weight in the large-sized specimen. I consider 451b. quite large enough for any specimen, especially for exhibition purposes, as when we get above that weight we lose more important details, such as formation of skull, tightness of lip, straight legs, and symmetry - points which should not be sacrificed to get weight. The best sizes for exhibition purposes are 161b., 20lb., 251b., and as near to 451b. as can be. I do not mean to say that a pound or two either way in the large-sized specimens would be objectionable; but the nearer they can be bred to the weights named, the better chance of their success upon the show-bench."

Since cropping was abolished the Bull-terrier Club has worked very hard to settle satisfactorily the "great ear question," and with more or less success; but the ideal ear has yet to be produced. Their efforts have chiefly been directed towards getting the ears as small as possible. It does not matter whether the ears are carried erect or semi-erect, so long as they are small. The " drop" ear does not meet with the approval of Bull-terrier fanciers: it gives the dog a bad expression; but neither this nor any other carriage disqualifies. For show purposes a powerful muzzle and face " well filled up" under the eyes are essential, as the natural ears throw weakness in these points into great prominence.

In selecting a young Bull-terrier, particular attention should be paid to the head. One with a short thick head or showing any tendency to cheekiness is to be avoided. Still, in some strains it is a singular fact that the heads of young puppies are of the "apple" variety. On no less an authority than that of Mr. Pegg the writer has it that the little marked bitch Champion Woodcote Pride, when a young puppy, developed such a plain and ugly head that her breeder was several times on the point of drowning her; in fact, the bitch was only saved by the intervention of his wife. Afterwards the head grew into the ordinary type, and when full grown there never was a Bull-terrier bitch with a better-shaped head. The head should be level and the eyes small and dark (light eyes are a great fault); the fore legs should be straight and the body short. Though in the adult a curl in the tail is a fault, yet young puppies not over teething carry their tails indifferently, and this point need not be too seriously considered in an otherwise promising specimen. As is well known, it was at one time the custom to shave the ears and fine the tails of show Bull-terriers, and this mild form of trimming was allowed by the Kennel Club; but it has since been abolished.

One often sees the character of the Bull-terrier assailed, and this no doubt has in the past acted prejudicially against the breed. In a thirty years' experience with the breed the writer has never fallen across a better breed of game dog that at the same time was capable of a greater degree of affection. With children he has found them perfectly reliable, though he has kept alike the "business" kind and the show-bench modifications of them. That the Bull-terrier will fight, and to the bitter end, if provoked, is perfectly true; but to say that he is, as a breed, of a quarrelsome disposition is a libel. Once a Bull-terrier does really get hold, he is a most tenacious animal, and neither sticks nor kicks nor the usual dodges for separating fighting dogs seem to avail. Some Bull-terriers, despite their scanty coat, make very good water-dogs, while as house-dogs they excel. When cropping was rife, a goodly number of deaf dogs were met with; and it was thought this was a result of unduly exposing a part of a very delicate structure. Other white domestic animals are, however, often deaf - cats, for instance; and Bull-terriers of to-day are frequently deaf.

Some few years ago the Bull-terrier Club made a praiseworthy attempt to produce a pocket edition of the larger animal; but to judge by the comparatively few and indifferent specimens met with, not much success attended their efforts. This is to be regretted, as now that cropping is a thing of the past, a hardy little dog on the lines of the Bull-terrier ought certainly to find a place. Still, the fact remains the Club's efforts were a failure, as they could not get hold of any specimens of the correct type. All the so-called Toy Bull-terriers had apple heads, goggle eyes, and "beaks" like parrots, and altogether were abominations to anyone familiar with a typical Bull-terrier. The writer, in the course of a fairly long experience, can only call to mind two Toy Bull-terriers that were passable, and, writing from memory, these, in his opinion, might just as well have been small White English Terriers.