This terrier is a genuine product of the county from which he takes his name. Undoubtedly a manufactured article, and the most recent addition to our varieties, he may be described as the newest goods of this class from the Yorkshire looms; with the greater propriety that his distinctive character is in his coat - well carded, soft, and-long as it is, and beautifully tinted with " cunning Huddersfield dyes," and free from even a suspicion of "shoddy'

Visitors to our dog shows who look out for the beautiful as well as the useful cannot fail to be attracted by this little exquisite, as he reclines on his cushion of silk or velvet, in the centre of his little palace of crystal and mahogany, or struts round his mansion with the consequential airs of the dandy that he is; yet, with all his self-assertion of dignity, his beard of approved cut and colour, faultless whiskers of Dundreary type, and coat of absolute perfection, without one hair awry, one cannot help feeling that he is but a dandy after all, and would look but a poor scarecrow in dishabille, and, possibly, too, on account of his dwelling or reception room, in the construction of which art is mostly set at defiance, one is apt to leave him with the scarcely concealed contempt for a scion of the "Veneering family," who in aping the aristocrat fails, as all parvenues do; such as he is, however, there can be little doubt that should ever a canine Teufelsdrockh promulgate a philosophy of clothes for the benefit of his species, the Yorkshire terrier will represent the "dandiacal body;" whilst, in striking contrast, those every-day drudges, the Irish terriers and the Scotch terriers, with their coarse, ragged, unkempt coats, will be exhibited as the " bog trotters " and " stock o' duds " sects of the doggy family.

Although so very modern, it is difficult to trace satisfactorily the pedigree of this breed; indeed, pedigree he may be said at present to have none, and it is hard to say out of what materials he was manufactured; but the warp and woof of him appear to have been the common long-coated black and tan, and the lighter-coloured specimens of what is known as the Glasgow or Paisley Skye terrier, the former of no certain purity, and the latter an admitted mongrel; and from which I think the Yorkshire gets the softness and length of coat due to Maltese blood. In shape this dog is in the proportion of height to length between the Skye and English terrier - rather nearer to the latter; a long back is objected to, and was a fault found by many breeders with that excellent dog, Miss Alderson's Mozart. As they are always shown in full dress, little more than outline of shape is looked for; the eye, except when the hair is tied up, is invisible; the tail is shortened, and the ear is generally cut; when uncut it must be small, and is preferred when it drops slightly at the tip, but this is a trivial point, and sinks into significance before coat and colour; the coat must be abundant over the whole body, head, legs, and tail, and artificial means are used to encourage its growth; length and straightness, freedom from curl and waviness, being sought for; the body colour should be clear, soft, silvery blue, of course varying in shade; with this is preferred a golden tan head, with darker tan about the ears, and rich tan legs.

The style in which the coat is arranged for exhibition is beautifully shown by Mr. Baker in the sketch of Huddersfield Ben; but that stage of perfection is not attained without much time, trouble, and patience. When the pups are born they are black in colour, as are pepper Dandie Dinmonts and others; at an early age the tip of the tail is nipped off to the desired length, the ears if cut at all not until the age of six to eight months; and before this the coat will be changing colour, getting gradually lighter. To prevent the hair being scratched and broken, little or no meat is given - all food likely to heat the blood and create irritation of the skin being avoided; and, as a further precaution, the hind feet are carefully kept in stockings; but, as "muffed cats are never good mousers," so a terrier in stockings stands a poor chance against his active enemy of the genus Pulex. Therefore, he should be kept free from these insects, and once a week must be washed and carefully brushed until quite dry; and to assist the growth of hair, and keep it soft and from getting matted, it must be well greased, cocoanut and other oils being used for this purpose.

Of the oldest dogs of note of this breed were Walshaw's Sandy, Ramsden's Bounce, Inman's Don, Burgess's Kitty, and the celebrated Huddersfield Ben, represented in our engraving; and he, sharing the blood of three of the above, proved the best of his day, and there is now scarcely a dog exhibited that is not a descendant of Ben-his companion in the engraving, Lady Giffard's Katie, being also of his blood. Huddersfield Ben was the property of Mrs. M. A. Foster of Bradford, a very large and successful exhibitor of this breed; the dog was bred by Mr. W. Eastwood, of Huddersfield, and was sire to Benson, Bright, Bruce, Bounce, Cobden, Emperor, Mozart, and numerous other winners at first-class shows.

The classification of these dogs at shows and in the Kennel Club Stud Book is confusing and absurd, as shown by the fact that some of the above, all being of the same breed and blood, are classed as Yorkshire terriers; others as rough or broken-haired toy terriers. It would be much better to divide them by weight, and classify them as large and small Yorkshire terriers. In assessing the value of points, shape, coat, and colour absorb nearly all. I would, however, give ten points for ears, and five for tail, and deduct points for cropped ears and docked tail; also for carriage of the tail over the back. There is no reason for mutilating pet dogs, and perfect tails and ears should be bred, not clipped into shape with scissors. Lady Giffard's Katie, in the engraving, has natural ears, and very good ones.

Value Of Points

Grand Total 100.