Regarding the word "Spaniel" as a generic title, and the different varieties (Toys excepted) as "species" belonging to this genera, the author purposes taking a brief survey of certain features characteristic of Spaniels, leaving distinctive features for discussion under the various titles of classification as adopted by the Kennel Club. Judging from the literature at our disposal upon the subject, it is at once evident that the Spaniel of to-day—no matter how changed by selection—is of very ancient lineage, having existed as the Springing Spaniel and Cocking, for upwards of 600 years, and his uses were then, as they are—or rather ought to be—now: to range well within gunshot, chase neither fur nor feather; never give tongue; find quickly, and retrieve tenderly on either land, or water.

All these excellences are revealed in many of the beautiful old coloured sporting prints, now so highly priced and prized, and so difficult to obtain, though when obtained are a joy for ever, gladdening the hearts of lovers of the old forms of such sport.

It is, we believe, universally accepted that the Spaniel originally came from Spain, but during what period, there is no reliable data to go upon. The departure, from what we may conveniently speak of as the normal type of Spaniel, is most marked in that of the Irish Water Spaniel, more especially in those coming from the north of Ireland.

Adhering to our original intention of general comparison, the author will first of all consider—

Temperament.—Most Spaniels are of a quick, inoffensive disposition, a sour temper being oftener the results of bad training than any inherent vice.

As with all other breeds, quarrels frequently arise over canine love affairs, etc. Few, we think, can speak of the Spaniel as a quarrelsome dog.

The sportsman's Spaniel—which is not commonly the show-bench animal—is of hardy constitution, taking the water in the coldest of weather, doing his eight or ten hours' work in a day, and roughing it in the matter of food and kennelling.

The progeny of the working dog are not any more trouble to rear than those of a rough-and-tumble Terrier.

The "soft" constitution of so many black and Sussex Spaniels is due to that foolish system (in breeding) having been carried beyond all sense of reason.

All are water-loving dogs, and, when properly trained, retrieve their game tenderly.

Coat.—Either flat, wavy, or curly, a flat coat being typical of the up-to-date Spaniel. Many of the older type have a strong tendency to show a "top-knot," and even now and again (Water Spaniels excepted), in a litter of well-bred ones there is a reversion towards this type. All have an abundance of feather on both fore and hind limbs, Irish Water breed excepted.

Colour

Irish Water Spaniel		Liver.
EnglishWaterSpaniel		Liver and white, black and white, black, or black, white, and tan.
The Clumber Spaniel		White, with red, lemon, or orange patches.
The Sussex Spaniel		Golden liver.
Field Spaniels(?)		Black or tri-coloured, also liver and white, or tan.
Cocker Spaniels		Black, black, white and tan, liver, roan, liver and white, black and white, red and white, etc., etc.
English Springers		Variously coloured.
Welsh Springers		Do.do.

Liver, liver and white, black, and black and white, are by far the most frequent colours of the Spaniel. Tan markings are very common in Welsh Springers.

The Irish Water and the Clumber Spaniel are really the only two varieties free from the introduction of blood from other varieties of the breed.

Except in rare instances, the show-bench Sussex contains a lot of Field Spaniel blood, the result of crossing a typical Sussex Spaniel with a black bitch, over twenty years since, and its perpetuation until the present day.

Head and Ears.—They all agree in the anatomical outlines of their skulls, the greatest breadth being in the head of the Clumber.

Heavy facial expressions are characteristic of the pure Sussex, the half-bred, or Jacobs' strain of Sussex, and the Jacobs' strain of Black Spaniels. Many Cockers also show it.

Long ears, not only long in the cartilage, but heavily feathered—excepting the Northern Irish Water—are very characteristic of Spaniels, but this large amount of hair in this region can hardly be a recommendation for work, knowing that it is very liable to become entangled in brambles, etc.

The occipital dome is well marked, and in some there is evidence of "stop," as in Toys. Muzzles generally broad; nose broad, and cheeks full.

Fore-limbs.—With the exception previously alluded to, Spaniels all agree in having a short arm and short forearm, largely augmented in the Spaniels of to-day (excepting Clumbers, etc.) through the introduction of Sussex blood.

From a sportman's point of view, this has been a detrimental influence, short legs greatly interfering with retrieving of hares, etc., although there may be what can be described as compensatory advantages, such as getting under the low runs of brushwood, etc.

The older type of Field Spaniel was vastly superior for work to many of the lethargical, long-bodied, low-legged, semi-intelligent specimens on the show benches at the present time.

Body.—Mostly of medium length, with well-sprung ribs, strong back and loins.

Tail carried on a level with the back. In all, the feet are full, and toes prominent, well feathered in the interspaces.

Length of body has always been a marked feature of the Sussex, and "massiveness" characteristic of body, head and limbs in the Clumber.

From the foregoing outlines, it must be allowed that conformity of type throughout the whole of the Spaniels is general.

The points, etc., of the different varieties are as follows:—

The Clumber

Very early on, these Spaniels were bred at Clumber House, the seat of the Duke of Newcastle, one William Mansell having had the care of them under the Duke for a great number of years, and much was done to improve the beauty and utility of this handsome variety of Spaniel.

It is, in the author's opinion, the one variety of Spaniel that has suffered the least in the way of introducing the blood of other species. To attempt to cross the Clumber, with the object of making some improvement, is defeating the first principles of the Clumber exhibitor, purity of breed being the aim of his affection.

On the other hand, the introduction of Clumber blood into other strains of Spaniels, for working purposes at least, is rather beneficial than otherwise, and it is a cross frequently employed.

At one time the Duke of Portland had a very fine kennel of Clumbers, and when these dogs appeared at the Palace or other Kennel Club Shows, they simply swept the boards.

Mr Holmes of Lancaster had also a strong team, though I did not like the appearance of his Clumbers anything akin to those shown by the Duke.

Probably the handsomest—we will not say the most typical—Clumber that ever adorned the show bench was Mr Parkinson's Champion "Trusty," though, for some unknown reason, this exhibitor quietly dropped from the show ring, and "Trusty" sank into insignificance.

My dog, Champion "Psycho," was one of the most typical Clumbers going the rounds, and deserved a much more successful career than he had. He was about as sweet-tempered a dog as it was possible to have, and formed a most devoted attachment to my mother, under whose care he chiefly was.

At one time the classes for Clumber Spaniels were well filled, though in recent years they have declined considerably.

Lately His Most Gracious Majesty the King, and the Duchess of Newcastle, have shown Clumbers, and this alone should give a fresh impetus towards the popularity of the breed. At anyrate, we hope it will have this effect.

When carefully broken, Clumbers make excellent workers, and can stand a lot of heavy work.

A typical Clumber must be long, low and heavy. The author does not like a Clumber to be so short on the leg that the belly nearly sweeps the ground, and considers extreme lowness ought not to be encouraged. The Americans bred their Clumbers for use more than show bench, consequently kept up a good useful sort. Of course, any tendency to legginess is fatal to type.

Weight, about 55 lbs.; bitches a trifle less, and big in bone.

The Head of a Clumber is very characteristic. It must be "massive" in every sense of the word, or wide in all proportions, and the nose broad, full and flesh-coloured—a Dudley nose.

Ears.—Long, carried close to head and "set on" low with feathering on front edge, not elsewhere. [2] Eyes.—Deeply set in orbits, and rather large.

Coat.—Soft, silky, shining, straight, dense, and feather long and profuse.

For colour markings, we prefer orange ears, with an evenly marked head and ticked legs. Orange is a common marking. Less marking on the body the better.

Powerful loins; a long and straight back, and a nicely rounded croup are essentials of beauty. A deep chest, well-rounded ribs, and powerfully-built fore-quarters are equally important.

A good Clumber must have staying power, and if he has not a well-developed muscular system, he cannot have this requisite.

Neck.—To be of medium length and stoutly built.

The head, body and hind-quarters constitute fifty per cent. of the total value of points, and the neck and shoulders fifteen per cent., hence the significance of being well done up in these regions.

Stout arms and forearms, with an abundance of feather, are necessary.

A good deal of brushing and combing, together with washing before showing, are needful to make the Clumber look fit. His heavy appearance can be increased by keeping him a bit above average condition.

One should be able to purchase a good pup—one likely to make a winner—for, say, ten guineas.

Club.—Clumber Spaniel.

The Sussex Spaniel

This is a very old variety of Spaniel, said to have originated in the county of Sussex, in the locality of Rosehill.

Five-and-twenty years ago, typical specimens of the Rosehill strain were scarce, and since that time not a great deal has been done towards maintaining the purity of breed.

Very few Spaniels shown in the Sussex classes can claim purity of breeding, the introduction of black blood by mating Champion Bachelor to Negress, being the cause of this. Jacobs Bachelor was by Buckingham ex Peggie and own brother to Rover III.—though very different types of Spaniels.

The author was personally acquainted with these and many other old Sussex Spaniels.

I always took Buckingham to be a very typical Sussex and Rover III. was much of the same stamp as his sire; whereas Bachelor was more akin to the Dam Peggie—of course much her superior, though quite unlike his brother, Rover III.

At one time the judges would not look at Champion Bachelor, Messrs Willet then preferring Rover III.

Later on the order was reversed, and we believe—though cannot be certain—at the London Kennel Club Show. Champion Lawyer—at one time in my possession—was a heavily built type of Sussex. The Rev. Mr Shields, Mr Fuller, and Mr Newington, all had some of the pure Rosehills, and I also bought a good bitch from Mr Henry Hawkins by Rover III. ex Duchess. The last time that old Buckingham ever appeared on the show bench—and then not for competition—was at the Royal Lancashire Agricultural Society's Show, held at Preston about 1880.

Although the litter out of which I bought Countess was an exceptionally good one—and Countess very typical—Messrs Willet would not award them prizes, owing, they said, to the faintest evidence of tan markings, observed with difficulty.

The typical colour for the Sussex is a light golden liver, and this Bachelor certainly was, Rover being darker.

Poor old Bachelor had a violent death through fighting with a kennel companion—a Gordon Setter.

Champion Rover III. was withdrawn from the show ring for some reason.

Even in those days animated discussion went on in the Press as to what was and what was not typical of the Sussex. There is no gainsaying one fact, and that is that the Sussex of twenty years ago existed in a different state of purity to what he does in the present day.

In casually looking over recent entries at the Kennel Club Show of Sussex Spaniels, it is questionable whether there is a single animal so entered that can justly claim the title of Sussex.

When Mr Jacobs had old Champion Bachelor in his possession, he had not more than one Sussex bitch to mate him with, to my recollection. There can be no doubt that the great improvement—for the show bench—of the modern Spaniels began when Jacobs crossed Bachelor with old Negress, a black Field Spaniel bitch. It destroyed the purity of the Sussex, but if it had not been indulged in, there would, in all probability, have been no class for the breed now. Blacks, livers, and liver and tan, all used to come in the same litter out of Negress, who certainly constituted the nucleus of a fortune to her owner.

The points of the Sussex are as follows:—

Colour.—Deep golden liver.

Coat.—Flat, and slightly wavy, but absolutely free from any tendency to curl. Soft and abundant.

Weight.—About 40 lbs.

Head.—Heavy, though smaller and lighter than that of the Clumber.

Eyes.—Rather deeply set, giving the dog a very thoughtful expression.

Ears.—These should be long and well clothed with long, silky hair. Above, the ears ought to be rather narrow, but broad below, set on low down, and carried close to sides of head.

Nose.—Broad and liver-coloured, open nostrils.

Neck.—Short and strong, and the back long, strong, and level.

Shoulders and Chest.—A fairly deep chest, oblique shoulders, and well-sprung ribs are necessary.

Flat-sidedness, and "tucked up under" are decidedly faulty.

Fore-limbs.—Must be short on the leg. Arms and forearms short but well boned. Crooked fore-limbs are objectionable; turned out at elbows equally bad. There should be an abundance of feather springing from the backs of the fore-limbs, and down to the hocks, in the hind ones.

For the show bench the more feather the better.

Feet also well feathered, round and strong. The chief faults of the Sussex are: white hairs on any portion, tan markings, curly coat, too leggy, light in body, snipy head, short ears, want of feather, bad constitution, and Bloodhound expression on face.

Field Spaniels

To attempt to define the term "Field Spaniel" so as to be free from objection, would be, indeed, a difficult problem.

Unquestionably it is a very ambiguous term, and capable of wide interpretation. The mere fact of the Kennel Club and other shows having a class or classes for Field Spaniels, does not satisfy (though it simplifies classification) the mind of the thoughtful observer.

Anything from a half-bred Clumber, or Irish Water Spaniel may constitute a Field Spaniel, and rightly so, in the eyes of a sportsman.

That such dogs would win—say at a Kennel Club Show—could not be entertained for a moment. It is the cross-bred Sussex that generally comes out top, and the longer and lower and more Sussex-like in character, the better the chances of success on the show bench. These are the author's views, though they may not coincide with those of others.

Some twenty-five years ago the "modern" Field Spaniel was as yet unknown. Jacobs' Champion Kaffir and Royle's Champion Zulu, and my dog Negro (by Kaffir ex Negress) were all black Field Spaniels of the Sussex type.

Zulu, with his Bloodhound-like eyes, had a remarkable show career, so had Kaffir, but they were not Field Spaniels from a sportsman's point of view, more especially Zulu. I had the two best pups[A]—one whole black and the other liver and tan—though, unfortunately for me, they both died from distemper before they were three months old. The black puppy I remember in particular. He was a facsimile of his dad, old Champion Bachelor, and had he lived, might have proved to be a little gold mine. Like his brother, nothing would ever have persuaded me that he was a "Field Spaniel," accepting that term as did the sportsman of days gone by.

My black Spaniel, Negro, though a big winner, was about as stupid a sportsman's dog or companion as ever saw daylight. The author's opinion is that a Field Spaniel should have a fair length of leg, be of good size, have short, thick ears, and not much feather on them, or yet on the legs. Should be stoutly built, have a good tight jacket, be big-boned, have nice full eyes, well-rounded ribs, and, above all, quick hearing and a sound constitution. Colour unimportant, but black and white, black, or black, white and tan, or liver and white, for preference. Weight 40 to 50 lbs. There is no doubt that in course of time the Field Spaniel Trials will do much towards building up a proper type of field dog. A flat coat, of silky texture, and very glossy: long, heavily-feathered ears, short, strong, straight, cull-feathered fore-limbs, long body, and well-sprung ribs, long, graceful neck, and a long, moderately-wide head, with level carriage of the tail, are points of the Show Field Spaniel. Black (no white) or particolours (also liver) are preferred.

The Cocker Spaniel

This is a pretty type of small Spaniel, and one that has been in existence from a very early date.

Modern Cockers have been bred in all sorts of ways, though lately it has become a fairly general rule to breed only Cocker with Cocker, not necessarily of the same colour. A typical Cocker should weigh between 20 and 25 lbs., and be of smart, active appearance.

Probably two of the most successful black Cocker Spaniels ever adorning the show bench were Obo and Miss Obo. My (formerly Mr Easton's) Champion Bess was a very typical variety Cocker.

The American clubs' standard for Cockers is not quite the same as the English, the weight there being from 18 to 28 lbs.

Head.—Ought to be of medium length, and the muzzle square cut off, tapering from the eye, though there must be no appearance of the so-called "snipy" head.

There is a marked "stop," and from it there is a groove running up the skull, gradually fading away.

Ears.—Set on low, covered with long, silky, straight or wavy hairs, and reaching at least to the tip of nose.

Coat.—To be free from any sign of curl, plentiful, straight, or wavy and silky. Body of medium length, with well-sprung ribs, fairly deep chest, and full in the flanks. Many Cockers are very defective here, being what is called "tucked up."

Short fore-legs, strong, straight, well feathered, and well-placed, good-sized, feet. The tail should be carried on a level with back when dog is at ease, but lower under excitement.

Colour.—Unimportant; regularity and beauty of markings (if any) being qualifications.

Clubs.—The English Cocker Spaniel; the American Cocker Spaniel.

Prices.—Very typical puppies can be bought for three or four guineas shortly after weaning.

Faults.—Top-knot, out at elbows, light in bone, too leggy, and, from a sportsman's view, too short on leg. In whole-coloured specimens white is objectionable; shallow flanks, high carriage of tail, deafness, and bad constitution. Narrowness of chest, flat-sidedness, and a narrow flank constitutes faulty conformation.

The Irish Water Spaniel

There are said to be two distinct types of Irish Water Spaniels, one coming from the South and the other from the North of Ireland. The former is usually pure liver-coloured, with long and well-feathered ears, whereas the latter has short ears, and the liver colour mixed with considerable white.

One of the most characteristic features of the Irish Water Spaniel is his "top-knot," consisting of a crown of hair from the occiput to between the eyes, leaving the temples free. These Spaniels, to a sportsman of but slender means, in particular, cannot be over-valued. They are, so to speak, born to water, and in their element when retrieving wild-duck in the depth of winter, requiring very little tuition.

A famous dog of this variety, and one that had a wonderful show-bench career, was Mr Skidmore's Larry Doolan. The writer remembers this dog very well, as he was shown from north to south, east to west.

In Colour, these Irishmen should be a dark liver, free from any white hairs, unless it be a very small patch on the breast, or toes. A boiled liver (sandy) colour is objectionable.

Nose.—Large, of the same colour, and the Eyes a deep amber.

Skull.—High in the occipital dome, and of good width. A good top-knot essential.

Ears.—Set on low, having long cartilage (15 to 20 inches), and well feathered, the hair in this region being wavy and profuse.

Hair on tail short, and straight, blending the curls, towards its set-on , with those on the stern. Tail, whip-like.

Neck.—Long and well set up, blending below with strong shoulders.

A deep chest, strong back and loins, are necessary for the working capacity of the breed.

Coat.—Very important. To consist of tight, crisp curls all over body, and limbs. Fifteen per cent. of points go to the coat.

Height (shoulder measurement).—Not more than 24 inches, or less than 20 inches.

General Appearances.—To win, the Irish Water Spaniel must look proportionate all over, be active, have a tight curly coat and a good top-knot, carry the head well up, be keen in facial expression, have a cat-like tail, and look as though he would be ready to dive at the word of command—in fact a workman from top-knot to tail.

Faults.—Total absence of top-knot, a fully feathered tail and much white hair will disqualify. An open woolly coat, light in colour, cording of hair, Setter feathering on legs, and a moustache, are objectionable, and should tell heavily against an Irishman in the show-ring.

Weight.—55 to 65 lbs.

Club.—The Irish Water Spaniel Society.

The English Water Spaniel

Bewick gives an excellent figure of a large Water Spaniel. It is generally liver-coloured and white, with the hair on the body in little curls. The dog is of medium size, strong, active and intelligent, and used by the water-fowl shooter.

In the Gentleman's Recreation and in the Sportman's Cabinet, this variety of dog is also described.

In the writer's opinion, there are plenty of these dogs to be seen about at the present time. They are larger than the Field Spaniel, and stronger built altogether, looking as though they had both the blood of Retriever and Irish Water Spaniel in them.

The English Water Spaniel Club looks after the interests of this breed, and the Kennel Club provides a class for them.

A narrow head, small eyes, large nose, straight neck, strong back, rather narrow, deep chest, long strong legs, large feet, a six-inch dock, with a coat of ringlets or curls (no top-knot), and good general appearance, are the chief points.

Black, liver, liver and white, black and white, black and liver, are the accepted colours, but pied is most admired.

In addition to this breed of Spaniel, the Kennel Club also provides classes for English Springers and Welsh Springers.