Even at this lapse of time Mr. Ludlow as a breeder and an exhibitor stands pre-eminent. To him belongs the credit of not only having bred a host of champions, but also more winners than any half a dozen living fanciers - a record that will not be readily effaced.

To refer to all the owners entitled to be placed on the scroll of fame during the past twenty years would serve no good purpose. All that is called for is the enumeration of a few of the more noteworthy during that period, which is perhaps the most important in the history of the breed, as it has witnessed the gradual rise of the dog into favour, to the detriment, undoubtedly, of its near relatives the Skye Terrier and the Dandie Dinmont Terrier, both of which it has easily outdistanced in the race.

First and foremost there have been Mr. H. J. Ludlow, Mr. J. D. McColl, Mr. J. F. Alexander, Mr. R. H. Blain, Mr. W. W. Spelman, Mr. J. Nuttall, Mr. C. H. Wood, Mr. C. B. Allen, Mr. G. H. Stephens, Mr. W. McLeod, Captain Wetherall, Mr. Robt. Chapman, Messrs. Astley and Aston, Mr. P. Taylor, Mr. A. Kinnear, Mr. J. N. Reynard, Mr. A. MacBrayne, Mr. D. J. Thomson Gray, Mr. A. M'Kerrow, and Mr. H. Panmure Gordon. Even of this restricted list many, alas ! are not now with us.

Of the names just mentioned there is none that was more enthusiastic over the Scottish Terrier than the late Mr. D. J. Thomson Gray, a thoroughly practical fancier, keen critic, fair-minded man, and a ready writer. Some seven or eight years ago he contributed to the columns of The Bazaar a splendid series of papers upon the "Terriers of Scotland," and neither before nor since has anything more genuinely interesting in connection with dogs or truer to life been published in that journal. Writing of the Scottish Terrier, he says: -

"Few there be that know anything about dogs that do not recognise the perky little chap called the Scottish Terrier. He is by no means an old resident south of the Tweed; for it is only some twenty years since he was introduced to the southern dog-public. But from time immemorial the breed has existed in the Highlands and islands of Scotland, the daily companion of the fox-hunter, a solitary individual quite distinct and far removed from your English fox-hunter. The Highland foxhunter lives in a small thatched sheiling, often remote from civilisation, his sole companions being a variety of Hound and a brace or two of Scottish Terriers. With an old gun his tout ensemble is complete. The Terriers oust the fox from the cairns (a collection of stones), and the old man polishes him off with his musket. If he misses or only wounds Reynard, the Hound is laid on, and finishes the job. But sometimes Reynard is able to baffle the old man with his Terriers, Hound, and gun, and escape scot free.

In temperament the Scottish Terrier somewhat resembles the English Fox-terrier. I say English Fox-terrier for, I may here explain that the Scottish Terrier in his native glen is called a Fox-terrier. Both breeds are of active habits, and are, as working dogs, used for the same purposes.

As behoves a resident in a cold and damp climate, 'Scottie' is clothed with a more rugged and more closely built coat, and his build and general appearance are more allied to the workman than the swell. All the same, Scottie is a gay fellow when he is properly dressed up - not faked - and he is ready at any time to fight for his place. One thing observable in these Terriers is that they are not quarrelsome among themselves. They are very easily kept under control, much more so than the Dandie, but they are not wanting in 'go.' For workmen these Terriers must be small, some of them being little over half the size of the ordinary show dog. Weedy? No; far from it. The wee dog has a big heart, and it is not size that gives pluck; moreover, the dog is not wanted to worry, but to bolt the fox or otter, as the case may be, by continual snapping at him and making him 'flit.' He must, however, have sufficient pluck to stick to his game until he bolts; otherwise he is useless. Unless Scottish Terriers are small they are of no use to oust foxes from the hill cairns, or otters from the rocks on the seashore or river-bank. Those who have followed the fox know how small a hole he will pass through, and unless the Terriers are small, they cannot reach him. As it is some of them get jammed in the rocks by dislodging stones in scraping to get at the fox, and never come out again.

The working Scottish Terrier is a good water-dog, and it is a pretty sight to see three or four lay hold of an otter in the water, although it is a very risky business. For hunting in broom and whin (furze) he is well adapted, as he makes things lively for bunny. He gives tongue when hunting, and is sometimes very noisy when game is in sight. Scottie likes to amuse himself by hunting up and killing rats; but he is at all times a companion and a ' friend in need' to the country gentleman or the rural dweller.

In the Highlands the principal colours are red and dark brindles. Sometimes fawns of different shades turn up; but white specimens are only to be found at Poltalloch, where they are bred and carefully preserved. A good many of the fox-hunter's dogs are coloured like their Deerhounds - a tawny brown - with often a white paw and sometimes a whole white leg. This no doubt arises from careless breeding.

Fanciers of recent years have tried to alter the original type of Terrier, by trying to engraft on a short, cobby body a long, senseless-looking head, to get which they had to breed dogs almost, if not quite, twice the size of the original, and to alter the formation of the head. That great Scotsman Thomas Carlyle said of Lord Ashley, 'Very straight between the eyes - a bad form of physiognomy.' Yes, bad, I would say, whether in man or in dog. This straight-face craze began in Black-and-tan Terriers, extended to Fox-terriers, is seen in Bedlington Terriers, is now contaminating the Collie, and is threatening our national Scottish Terrier. Coats are also getting softer and more woolly in texture, as they are inclined to do when the dog is kept in the house as a pet, and not exposed daily to the elements. There is also a tendency in some strains to grow a long coat, which the 'improver' shortens by removing the hair by a process known as 'trimming.' Such coats have always a soft, furry feel, reminding one of a cat's coat instead of a pig's, the bristles which resemble the true coat of the Scottish Terrier."