 CHAPTER 25 THE SPORTING SPANiel 1. The Spaniel Family The Spaniel Family is without any doubt one of the most important of the many groups which are included in the canine race, not only on account of its undoubted antiquity and, compared with other families, its well-authenticated lineage, but also because of its many branches and subdivisions ranging in size from the majestic and massive clumbers to the diminutive toys, which we are accustomed to associate with fair ladies' laps and gaily decked pens at our big dog shows. Moreover, the different varieties of setters undoubtedly derive their origin from the same parent's dock, since we find them described by the earlier sporting writers as setting or crouching Spaniels, in contradistinction to the finding or springing Spaniel who flushed the game he found without setting or pointing it. As time went on, the setting variety was, no doubt, bred larger and longer in the leg, with a view to increased pace, but the Spaniel-like head and coat still remained to prove the near-connection between the two breeds. All the different varieties of Spaniels, both sporting and toy, have with the exception of the clumber and the Irish waterspaniel, who is not, despite its name, a true Spaniel at all, a common origin, though at a very early date we find them divided into two groups, vis, land and waterspaniels, and these two were kept distinct and bred to develop those points which were most essential for their difference fears of work. The earliest mention of Spaniels to be found in English literature is contained in the celebrated Master of Game, the work of Edward Plantagenet, Second Duke of York and Master of Game to his uncle Henry IV, to whom the work is dedicated. It was written between the years 1406 and 1413, and although none of the MSS of which some 16 are in existence is dated, this date can be fairly accurately fixed, as the author was appointed Master of Game in the former and killed at age in court in the latter year. His chapter on Spaniels, however, is mainly a translation from the equally celebrated Livre des Chasses of Gaston Court de Foire, generally known as Gastonphobus, which was written in 1387, so that we may safely assume that Spaniels were well known and habitually used as aids to the chase, both in France and England, as early as the middle of the 14th century. In the 18th and early part of the 19th century, the Spaniel was described by many writers on sporting subjects, but there is a great similarity in most of these accounts, each author apparently having been contained to repeat in almost identical language what had been said upon the subject by his predecessors without importing any originality or opinions of his own. Many of these works, notwithstanding this defect, are very interesting to the student of Spaniel lore, and the perousal of Blaine's rural sports, Taplan's sporting dictionary and rural repository, Scott's sportsman's repository, and Natham's complete sportsman, can be recommended to all who wish to study the history of the development of the various modern breeds. The works of the French writers, Descormac, Descherville, Blaise, and Mignin, are well worth reading, while of late years the subject has been treated very fully by such British writers as the late J. H. Walch, Stonehenge, Mr. Verochaul, Mr. Rodin Lee, Col. Claude Cain, and Mr. C. A. Philips. Nearly all of the early writers, both French and English, are agreed that the breed came originally from Spain, and we may assume that such early authorities as Gastonophobes, Edward Plantagini, and Dr. Caillous had good reason for telling us that these dogs were called Spaniels because they came from Spain. The following distinct breeds or varieties are recognised by the Kennel Club. 1. Irish Water Spaniels. 2. Water Spaniels other than Irish. 3. Clumber Spaniels. 4. Sussex Spaniels. 5. Field Spaniels. 6. English Springers. 7. Welsh Springers. 8. Cocker Spaniels. Each of these varieties differs considerably from the others, and each has its own special advocates and admirers, as well as its own particular sphere of work for which it is best fitted. Though almost any Spaniel can be made into a general utility dog, which is perhaps one of the main reasons for the popularity of the breed. 2. The Irish Water Spaniel. There is only one breed of dog known in these days by the name of Irish Water Spaniel, but if we are to trust the writers of no longer ago than half a century, they were at one time two, if not three, breeds of water Spaniels peculiar to the Emerald Isle. These were the Tweed Water Spaniel, the Northern Water Spaniel, and the Southern Water Spaniel, the last of these being the progenitors of our modern strains. The history of the Irish Water Spaniel is in many ways a very extraordinary one. According to the claim of Mr Justin McCarthy, it originated entirely in his Kennels, and this claim has never been seriously disputed by the subsequent owners and breeders of these dogs. It seems improbable that Mr Justin McCarthy can actually have originated or manufactured a breed possessing so many extremely marked differences and divergences of type as the Irish Water Spaniel, but what he probably did was to rescue an old and moribund breed from impending extinction, and so improve it by judicious breeding and cross-breeding as to give it a new lease of life, and permanently fix its alien points and characteristics. However that may be, little seems to have been known of the breed before he took it in hand, and it is very certain that nearly every Irish Water Spaniel seen for the last half-century owes its descent to his old dog Boatswain, who was born in 1834 and lived for eighteen years. He must have been a grand old dog, since Mr McCarthy gave him to Mr Joe Lift Huffnell in 1849, when he was fifteen years old, and his new owner subsequently bred by him Jack, the dog's name appears in many pedicrees. It was not until 1862 that the breed seems to have attracted much notice in England, but in that year the Birmingham Committee gave two classes for them, in which, however, several of the prizes were withheld for want of merit. The next few years saw these dogs making great strides in popularity, and classes being provided at most of the important shows, many good specimens were exhibited. During the last few years, however, the breed seems to have been progressing the wrong way, and classes at shows have not been nearly so strong either in numbers or in quality as they used to be. Yet there have been, and are still, quite a large number of good dogs and bitches to be seen, and it only needs enthusiasm and cooperation among breeders to bring back the pormiest days of the Irish Water Spaniel. There is no member of the Holcanine family, which has a more distinctive personal appearance than the Irish Water Spaniel. With him it is a case of once seen, never forgotten, and no one who has ever seen one could possibly mistake him for anything else than what he is. His best friends probably would not claim beauty in the ascetic sense for him, but he is attractive in a quaint way, peculiarly his own, and intelligent looking. In this particular, his looks do not betray him. He is, in fact, one of the most intelligent of all the dogs used in aid of the gun, and, in his own sphere, one of the most useful. That sphere, there is no doubt, is that indicated by his name, and it is in a country of bogs and merges, like the south and west of Ireland, of which he was originally a native, where snipe and waterfowl provide the staplesport of the gunner, that he is in his element and seen at his best, though no doubt he can do excellent work as an ordinary retriever, and is often used as such. But nature, or Mr. McCarthy's art, has specifically formed and turned out him for the amphibious sport indicated above, and has provided him with an excellent nose, an almost waterproof coat, the sporting instincts of a true son of Aaron, and above all a disposition full of good sense. He is high-couraged, and at the same time adaptable to the highest degree of perfection in training. His detractors often accuse him of being hard-mouthed, but this charge is not well-founded. Many a dog which is used to hunt or find game, as well as to retrieve it, will often kill a wounded bird or rabbit rather than allow it to escape, while there are many Irish waterspaniels who, under normal circumstances, are just as tender-mouthed as the most fashionable of black retrievers. Besides his virtues in the field, the Irish waterspaniel has the reputation, a very well-founded one, of being the best of pools. Most people are well acquainted with the personal appearance of this quaint-looking dog. The points regarded as essential are as follows. Colour. The colour should always be a rich dark livery or pews without any white at all. Any white except the slightest of shirt fronts should disqualify. The nose, of course, should conform to the coat in colour and be dark brown. Head. The head should have a capacious skull, fairly but not excessively domed, with plenty of brain room. It should be surmounted with a regular topknot of curly hair, a most important and distinctive point. This topknot should never be square-cut or like a poodle's weak, but should grow down to a well-defined point between the eyes. Eyes. The eyes should be small, dark, and set up likely, like a Chinaman's. Ears. The ears should be long, strong in leather, low set, heavily ring-lit, and from 18 to 24 inches long, according to size. Muzzle and Jewel. The muzzle and jewel should be long and strong. There should be a decided stop, but not so pronounced as to make the brows or forehead prominent. Neck. The neck should be fairly long and very muscular. Shoulders. The shoulders should be sloping. Most Irish water spaniels have bad straight shoulders, a defect which should be bred out. Chest. The chest is deep and usually rather narrow, but should not be so narrow as to constrict the heart and lungs. Backend loins. The back end loins strong and arched. Four legs. The four legs straight and well boned. Heavily feathered or ring-lit at all over. Hind legs. The hind legs with hawks set very low, stifles rather straight, feathered all over except inside from the hawks down, which part should be covered with short hair, a most distinctive point. Feet. The feet large and rather spreading as is proper for a water dog, well clothed with hair. Stern. The stern covered with the tortoise of hair except for the first couple of inches next to the buttocks, whip-like or string-like, a most important point, and carried low, not like a hounds. Coat. The coat composed entirely of short, crisp curls, not woolly like a poodles, and very dense. If left to itself, this coat mats or cords, for this is not permissible in show dogs. The hair on the muzzle and forehead below the top knot is quite short and smooth, as well as that on the stern. General appearance is not remarkable for symmetry, but is quaint and intelligent looking. Height. The height should be between 21 and 23 inches. Three. The English water spaniel. In the Kennelclub's register of breeds, no place is allotted to this variety or water spaniels other than Irish being classed together. Despite this absence of official recognition, there is abundant evidence that a breed of spaniels legitimately entitled to the designation of English water spaniels has been in existence for many years, in all probability a descendant of the old water dog, an animal closely resembling the French barbet, the ancestor of the modern poodle. There were even trimmed at times much in the same way as a poodle is nowadays, as Markham gives precise directions for the cutting or shearing him from the noyle downwards or backward. The opinion expressed by the writer of the sportsman's cabinet, 1803, is that the breed originated from a cross between the large water dog and the springing spaniel, and this is probably correct, though Joatt, a notable authority, thinks that the cross was with an English setter. Possibly some strains may have been established in this way, and not differ very much in make and shape from those obtained from the cross with a spaniel, as it is well known that citizen spaniels have a common origin. In general appearance the dog resembles somewhat closely the springer, except that he may be somewhat higher on the leg, and that his coat should consist of crisp, tight curls, almost like astra confer, everywhere except on his face where it should be short. There should be no topknot like that of the Irish water spaniel. 4. The clumber spaniel is in high favour in the spaniel world, both with shooting men and exhibitors, and the breed well deserves from both points of view the position which it occupies in the public esteem. No other variety is better equipped mentally and physically for the work it is called upon to do in the aid of the gun, and few, certainly none of the spaniels, surpass or even equal it in appearance. As a sporting dog, the clumber is possessed of the very best of noses, a natural inclination both to hunt his game and retrieve it when killed, great keenness and perseverance, wonderful endurance and activity, considering his massive build, and as a rule is very easy to train, being highly intelligent and more docile and biddable. The man who owns a good dog of this breed, whether he uses it as a retriever for driven birds, works it in a team, or uses it as his sole companion when he goes gunning, possesses a treasure. The great success of these spaniels and the field trials promoted by both the societies which foster those most useful institutions is enough to prove this, and more convincing still is the tenacity with which the fortunate possessor of old strains, mostly resident in the immediate neighbourhood of the original home of the breed, have held onto them and continued to breed and use them year after year for many generations. As a show-dog, his massive frame, powerful limbs, pure white coat with its pale lemon markings and frecklings, and above all his solemn and majestic aspect, mark him out as a true aristocrat, with all the beauty of refinement which comes from a long line of cultured ancestors. All research so far has failed to carry the history back any further than the last quarter of the eighteenth century. About that time the Duke de Noir presented some spaniels, probably his whole canal, which he brought from France to the second Duke of Newcastle, from whose place, Clumber Park, the breed has taken its name. Beyond this it seems impossible to go, indeed the clumber seemed to be generally looked upon as a purely English breed. From Clumber Park specimens found their way to most of the other great houses in the neighbourhood, notably to Elthorpe Park, Wellback Abbey, Burt's Hall House, Thorsby Hall and Osburton Hall. It is from the canals at the last named place owned by Mr. Falljam, that most of the progenitors of the clumber which have earned notoriety derived their origin. Nearly all the most famous show winners of early days were descendant from Mr. Falljam's dogs, and his bow may perhaps be considered one of the most important pillars of the stud, as he was the sire of Nabop, a great prize winner, and considered one of the best of his day, who belonged at various times during his career to such famous showmen as M. Finair Spallock, Mr. Fletcher, Mr. Rodin Lee, and Mr. G. Oliver. There has been a great deal of lamentation lately among old breeders and exhibitors about the decadence of the breed and the loss of the true old type possessed by these dogs. But, despite all they can say to the contrary, the clumber is now in a more flourishing state than it ever has been, and although perhaps we have not now nor have had for the last decade a John O'Gaunt or a Tower, there have been a large number of dogs thrown during that time who possessed considerable merit, and would probably have helped their own even in the days of these bygone heroes. Some of the most notable have been by Yefriah, Beech Grove Donnelly, Goring of Auchentoli, Hempstead Toby, and Preston Shot, who all earned the coveted title of champion. The field trials have no doubt had a great deal to do with a largely augmented popularity of the breed and the great increase in the number of those who own clumbers. For the first two or three years after these were truly established no other breed seemed to have a chance with them, and even now, though both English and Welsh bringers have done remarkably well, they more than hold their own. The most distinguished performer by far was Mr. Winton Smith's Beech Grove Bee, a bitch whose work was practically faultless, and the first field trial champion among Spaniels. Other good clumbers who earned distinction in the field were Beech Grove Minette, Beech Grove Maud, the Duke of Portland's Wellbeck Sumbow, and Mr. Phillips Rivington Honey, Rivington Pearl, and Rivington Real. The points and general description of the breed, as published by both the Spaniel Club and the Clumberspaniel Club, are identical. They are as follows. Head. Large, square, and massive. Of medium length, broad on top, with a decided occupant. Heavy brows with a deep stop, heavy freckled muzzle with well-developed flu. Eyes. Dark amber, slightly sunk. A light or prominent eye objectionable. Ears. Large, finely shaped, and well covered with straight hair and hanging slightly forward, the feather not to extend below the leather. Neck. Very thick and powerful, and well feathered underneath. Body, including size and symmetry. Long and heavy, and near the ground. Weight of dogs about fifty-five pounds to sixty-five pounds. Bitchers about forty-five pounds to fifty-five pounds. Nose. Square and flesh-colored. Shoulders and chest. Wide and deep, shoulders strong and muscular. Back and loin. Back straight, broad and long. Loin powerful, well let down and flank. Hind quarters. Very powerful and well-developed. Stern. Said low, well feathered, and carried about level with a back. Feet and legs. Feet large and round, well covered with hair. Legs short, thick, and strong. Hawks low. Coat. Long, abundant, soft, and straight. Color. Plain white, with lemon markings. Orange permissible, but not desirable. Slight head markings, with white body preferred. General appearance. Should be that of a long, low, heavy, very massive dog with a thoughtful expression. Four. The Sussex Spaniel. This is one of the oldest of the distinct breeds of land spaniels now existing in the British Islands, and probably also the purest in point of descent since it has for many years past been confined to a comparatively small number of kennels, the owners of which have always been at considerable pains to keep their strains free from any admixture of foreign blood. The modern race of Sussex Spaniels, as we know it, owes its origin in the maind the kennel kept by Mr. Fuller at Rosehill Park, Breitling, near Hastings. This gentleman, who died in 1847, is said to have kept his drain for fifty years or more, and to have shot over them almost daily during the season, but at his death they were dispersed by auction, and none of them can be traced with any accuracy except a dog and a bitch which were given at this time to Ralph, the head-keeper. Ralph survived his master for forty years and kept up his interest in the breed to the last. He used to say that the golden tinge, peculiar to the Rosehill breed, came from a bitch which had been mated with a dog belonging to Dr. Watts of battle, and that every now and then what he termed a sandy pub would turn up in her letters. Owing to an outbreak of dumb madness in the Rosehill kennels, a very large number of its occupants either died or had to be destroyed, and this no doubt accounted for the extreme scarcity of the breed when several enthusiasm began to revive at about the year 1870. Mr. Saxby and Mr. Marchand are said to have had the same drain as that at Rosehill, and certainly one of the most famous sires who is to be found at most Sussex pedigrees was Buckingham, by Marchand's rover out of Saxby's fan. It was from the Union of Buckingham who was claimed to be pure Rosehill, with Bepp's daughter Peggy that the great bachelor resulted. A dog whose name is to be found in almost every letter-day pedigree, though Mr. Campbell Newington Strain, to which has descended the historic prefix Rosehill, contains less of this blood than any other. About 1879 Mr. T. Jacobs of Newton Abbott took up this breed with great success, owning, amongst other good specimens, Russet, Dolly, Brunette, and Bachelor the Third, the letter a dog whose services at the start cannot be estimated too highly. When this kennel was broken up in 1891, the best of the Sussex spaniels were required by Mr. Wolland, and from that day this gentleman's kennel carried all before it until it in turn was broken up and dispersed in 1905. So successful was Mr. Wolland that one may almost say that he bet all other competitors of the field, there one of them, Mr. Campbell Newington, stuck most gallantly to him all through. Mr. Campbell Newington has been breeding Sussex spaniels for over a quarter of a century with an enthusiasm and tenacity worthy of the warmest admiration, and his strain is probably the purest and more full of the original blood than any other. His kennel has always maintained a very high standard of excellence, and many famous rose specimens have come from it, notably Rose Hill Rule of the Second, a splendid Sussex, scarcely inferior to Britford Giddy, Romulus, Rowan, Rita, Rush, Rock, Rag, and Ranji, and many others of almost equal merit. Colonel Claude Cain's kennel of Sussex, started from a Wolland bread foundation, has been going for some 17 years, the best he has shown being Jonathan Swift, Selbridge Eldorado, and Selbridge Chrysalite. The breed has always had a good character for work, and most of the older writers who mentioned them speak of Sussex spaniels in very eulogistic terms. They are rather slow workers, but thoroughly conscientious and painstaking, and are not afraid of any amount of thick covered, through which they will force their way and seldom leave anything behind them. A well-bred Sussex spaniel is a very handsome dog. Indeed, his beautiful color alone is enough to make his appearance an attractive one, even if he were unsymmetrical and ungainly in his proportions. This color, known as golden liver, is peculiar to the breed, and is the great touchstone and hallmark of purity of blood. No other dog has exactly the same shade of coat, which the word liver hardly describes exactly, as it is totally different from the ordinary liver color of an Irishman, a pointer, or even a liver field spaniel. It is rather a golden chestnut with a regular metallic green as of burnished metal, showing more especially on the head and face and everywhere where the hair is short. This is very apparent when a dog gets his new coat. In time, of course, it is liable to get somewhat bleached by sun and weather when it turns almost yellow. Every expert knows this color well, and looks for it at once when judging a class of Sussex. The description of the breed given by the spaniel club is as follows. Head. The skull should be moderately long and also wide, with an indentation in the middle and a full stop. Brows fairly heavy. Occupied full, but not pointed, the whole giving an appearance of heaviness without dullness. Eyes. Hazel color, fairly large, soft and languishing, not showing the whore over much. Nose. The muzzle should be about three inches long, square, and the lips somewhat pendulous. The nostrils well developed in liver color. Ears. Thick. Fairly large and lobe shaped, said moderately low, but relatively not so low as in the black field spaniel. Carried close to the head and furnished with soft wavy hair. Neck. Is rather short, strong and slightly arched, but not carrying the head much above the level of the back. There should not be much throatiness in the skin, but well marked frill in the coat. Chest and shoulders. The chest is round, especially behind the shoulders, deep and wide, giving a good girth. The shoulders should be oblique. Back and back ribs. The back and loin are long and should be very muscular, both in width and depth. For this development, the back ribs must be deep. The whole body is characterized as low, long, level and strong. Legs and feet. The arms and thighs must be bony, as well as muscular. Knees and hocks large and strong, pastins very short and bony, feet large and round, and with short hair between the toes. The legs should be very short and strong, with great bone, and may show a slight bend in the forearm, and be moderately well feathered. The hind legs should not be apparently shorter than the fore legs, or be too much bent at the hocks, so as to give a settery appearance, which is so objectionable. The hind legs should be well feathered above the hocks, but should not have much hair below that point, though the hocks should be short and wide apart. Tail. Should be docked from five to seven inches, set low and not carried above the level of the back, thickly closed with moderately long feather. Coat. Body coat abundant, flat or slightly waved, with no tendency to curl, moderately well feathered on legs and stern, but clean below the hocks. Color. Rich golden liver. This is a certain sign of the purity of the breed. Dark liver or pews denoting unmistakably a recent cross with the black or other variety of field spaniel. General appearance. Rather massive and muscular, but with free movements and nice tail action denoting attractable and cheerful disposition. Weight from 35 pounds to 45 pounds. End of Chapter 25 The Sporting Spaniel, Part 1 Chapter 25 Of Dogs and All About Them This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Vipka Muller. Dogs and All About Them by Robert Layton Chapter 25 The Sporting Spaniel, Part 2 6. The Field Spaniel The modern field spaniel may be divided into two classes. Indeed, we may almost say at this stage of Canine history two breeds, as for several years past there has not been very much intermingling of blood between the blacks and those known by the awkward designation of any other variety. There, of course, all came originally from the same parent stock. The black members of the family have always been given the pride of place, and accounted for most importance, though laterally their party-coloured brethren seem to have rather overtaken them. Among the rarely old writers there is one mention and only one of spaniels of a black colour. Arcusia speaks of them, and of their being used in connection with the sport of Hawking, but from this time up to the middle of the 19th century, though many colours are spoken of as being appropriate to the various breeds of spaniels, no author mentions black. The first strain of blacks of which we know much belonged to Mr. F. Burdett, and was obtained from a Mr. Footman of Lutterworth, Lestershire, who was supposed to have owned them for some time. Mr. Burdett's Bob and Frank may be found at the head of very many of the best pedigrees. At his death, most of his spaniels became the property of Mr. Jones of Oskard, and Mr. Finnear's Bullock of Bilston, the letter of whom was most extraordinarily successful, and owned a canal of field spaniels which was practically unbeatable between the dates of the first Birmingham show in 1861, and the publication of the first volume of the Canal Club Stuttbook in 1874, many if not most of the dogs which won for other owners having been bred by him. His Nelly and Bob, who won the chief prizes year after year at all the leading shows, were probably the two best specimens of their day. Another most successful breeder was Mr. W. W. Bolton of Beverly, whose canal produced many celebrated dogs, including Bevelac, said to be the largest field spaniel ever exhibited, and Rolf, whose union with Bevel produced four bitches who were destined when mated with a nigger, a dog of Mr. Bolog's breeding, to form the foundation of the equally if not more famous canal belonging to Mr. T. Jacobs of Newton Abbot. It was Mr. J. Keps who, by judiciously mating his Sussex Sires Bachelor, Bachelor III and others with these blackbred bitches, established the strain which in his hands and in those of his successors, Captain S. M. Thomas and Mr. Moses Wolland, carried all before it for many years and is still easily at the top of the tree, being the most sought for and highly prized of all on account of its quality. If black spaniels are not quite so popular at present as they were some years ago, the thought lies with those breeders, exhibitors and judges, the latter being most to blame, who encouraged the absurd craze for excessive length of body and shortness of leg, which not very long ago threatened to transform the whole breed into a race of cripples, and to bring it into contempt and derision among all practical men. No breed or variety of dog has suffered more from the injudicious fats and crazes of those showmen who are not sportsmen also. At one time among a certain class of judges, length and loneness was everything, and soundness, activity and symmetry simply did not count. As happens to all absurd crazes of this kind when carried to exaggeration, public opinion has proved too much for it, but not before a great deal of harm has been done to a breed which is certainly ornamental and can be most useful as well. Most of the prize winners of the present day are sound, useful dogs capable of work, and it is to be hoped that judges will combine to keep them so. The coloured fields spaniel has now almost invariably at the principle shows special classes allotted to him, and does not have to compete against his black brother, as used to be the case in former years. The systematic attempt to breed spaniels of various colours, with a groundwork of white, does not date back much more than a quarter of a century, and the greater part of the credit for producing this variety may be given to three gentlemen, Mr. F. E. Schofield, Dr. J. H. Spurgeon, and Mr. J. W. Robinson. In the early days of breeding blacks, when the bitches were mated either with Sussex or liver and white springers or Norfolk spaniels, many party-coloured puppies necessarily occurred, which most breeders destroyed. But it occurred to some of these gentlemen that a handsome and distinct variety might be obtained by careful selection, and they have certainly succeeded to a very great extent. The most famous names among the early Sires are Dr. Spurgeon's Alonzo, and his son Fock, and Mr. Robinson's Alva Dash, from one or other of whom nearly all the modern celebrities derived their dissent. Those who have been and are interested in promoting and breeding these variety spaniels deserve a large amount of credit for their perseverance, which has been attended with the greatest success so far as producing colour goes. No doubt there is a very great fascination in breeding for colour, and in doing so there is no royal road to success which can only be attained by the exercise of the greatest skill and the nicest discrimination in the selection of breeding stock. At the same time colour is not everything, and type and working qualities should never be sacrificed to it. This has too often been done in the case of coloured field spaniels. There are plenty of beautiful blue rones, red rones and tricolours, with the blue rhone and ten or liver rhone and ten, but nearly all of them are either cocktailed, weakened hindquarters, crooked fronted, or houndy-headed, and showing far too much whole. In fact, in head and front the greater number of the three colours remind one of the bessered hound almost as much as they do in colour. It is to be hoped that colour breeders will endeavour to get back the true spaniel type before it is too late. The points of both black and coloured field spaniels are identical, bar colour, and here it must be said that black and ten, liver and ten, and liver are not considered true variety colours, though of course they have to compete in those classes but rather sports from black. The colours aimed at by variety breeders have all ground colour of white, and are black and white, blue rhone, liver and white, red rhone, liver white and ten, and tricolours or quadricolours, i.e. blue or red rhone and ten or both combined with ten. The spaniel club furnishes the following description of the black field spaniel. Hid. Should be quite characteristic of this grand sporting dog as that of the bloodhound or the bulldog. Its very stamp and countenance should at once convey the conviction of high breeding, character and nobility. Skull well developed with a distinctly elevated occipital tuberosity, which above all gives the character alluded to. Not too wide across muzzle, long and lean, never snipy nor squarely cut and in profile curving gradually from nose to throat. Lean beneath eyes, a thickness here gives coarseness to the whole head. The great length of muzzle gives surface for the free development of the olfactory nerve and thus secures the highest possible sending powers. Eyes. Not too full but not small, receding or overhung. Color dark hazel or dark brown or nearly black. Grave an expression and be speaking unusual docility and instinct. Ears. Set low down as possible, which greatly adds to the refinement and beauty of the head, moderately long and wide and sufficiently clad with a nice setter-like feather. Neck. Very strong and muscular, so as to enable the dog to retrieve his game without undue fatigue. Not too short, however. Body. Including size and symmetry. Long and very low, well ribbed up to a good strong loin, straight or slightly arched, never slack. Weight from about thirty-five pounds to forty-five pounds. Nose. Well developed, with good open nostrils and always black. Shoulders and chest. Former sloping and free, let a deep and well developed, but not too round and wide. Back and loin. Very strong and muscular. Level and long in proportion to the height of the dog. Handquarters. Very powerful and muscular, wide and fully developed. Stern. Well set on and carried low, if possible below the level of the back in a perfectly straight line, or with a slight downward inclination, never elevated above the back, and an action always kept low, nicely fringed with wavy feather of silky texture. Feet and legs. Feet not too small and well protected between the toes with soft feather. Good strong pads. Legs straight and immensely boned, strong and short, and nicely feathered with straight or waved, saddle-like feather, over much feathering below the hock's objectionable. Coat. Flat or slightly waved and never curled. Sufficiently dense to resist the weather and not too short. Silky and texture, glossy and refined in nature, with neither duffleness on the one hand or curl or wiriness on the other. On chest, underbelly and behind the legs, there should be abundant feather, but never too much, and that of the right sword, vis, saddle-like. The tail and hind quarter should be similarly adorned. Colour. Jet-black through ought, glossy and true. A little white on chest, though a drawback, not a disqualification. General appearance. That of a sporting dog capable of learning and doing anything possible for his interest and confirmation. A grand combination of beauty and utility. Seven. The English Springer. It is only quite recently that the Cannell Club has officially recognised the variety known by the name at the head of this section. For a long time the old-fashioned liver and white or black spaniels, longer in the leg than either Sussex or Field Spaniels, had been known as Norfolk Spaniels, and under this title the Spaniel Club has published a description of them. There had, however, been a considerable amount of discussion about the propriety of this name of Norfolk, and the weight of the evidence-adduced went to show that as far as any territorial connection with the county of that name went, it was a misnomer, and that it probably arose from the breed having been kept by one of the dukes of Norfolk, most likely that one quoted by Blaine in his rural sports, who was so jealous of his strain that it was only on the expressly stipulated condition that they were not to be allowed to breed in the direct line that he would allow one to leave his canals. But when this old breed was taken up by the sporting spaniel society, they decided to drop the name of Norfolk and to revert to the old title of Springer, not perhaps a very happy choice as all Spaniels are, properly sprinking, springers in contradistinction to set us. The complete official designation on the Canal Club's register is English Springers Other Than Columbus, Sussex and Field, a very clumsy name for a breed. There is no doubt that this variety of Spaniel retains more resemblance to the old strains which belong to our forefathers, before the long and low idea found favour in the eyes of exhibitors, and it was certainly well worth preserving. The only way nowadays by which uniformity of type can be obtained is by somebody having authority drawing up a standard and scale of points for breeders to go by, and the sporting spaniel society are to be commended for having done this for the breed under notice, the fruit of their action being already apparent in the larger and more uniform classes to be seen at shows. As the officially recognised life of the breed has been such a short one, there are naturally not very many names of note amongst the prize winners. The principal breeders and owners have so far been Mr. W. Orcright, Mr. Harry Jones, Sir Hugo Fitzerbert, Mr. C. C. Bethune Eversfield and Mr. Wynton Smith. They are undoubtedly the right dogs for those who want Spaniels to travel faster and cover more ground than the more ponderous and short-legged Columbus, Sussex or Field Spaniels do, but their work is hardly equal in finish and precision to that of either of the two former breeds. The following revised description of the English Springer has been issued by the Sporting Spaniel Society. Skull. Long and slightly arched on top, fairly broad, with a stop and well-developed temples. Jaws. Long and broad, not snipy, with plenty of thin lip. Eyes. Medium size, not too full, but bright and intelligent of a rich brown. Ears. A fair length, a low set and lobular in shape. Neck. Long and strong and slightly arched. Shoulders. Long and sloping. Forelegs. Of a moderate length, straight with flat, strong bone. Body. Strong with well-sprung ribs, good girth and chest deep and fairly broad. Loin. Rather long, strong and slightly arched. Hind quarters and hind legs. Very muscular, hocks well let down, stifles moderately bent and not twisted inwards or outwards. Feet. Strong and compact. Stern. Low carried, not above the level of the back and with a vibratory motion. Coat. Thick and smooth or very slightly wavy, it must not be too long. The feathering must be only moderate on the ears and scanty on the legs, but continue down to the heels. Colour. Liver and white and black and white, with or without tan. Fawn and white, yellow and white. Also, rones and self-colours of all these tints. The pite colours are preferable, however, as more easily seen in cover. General appearance. An active, compact dog. Upstanding, but by no means stillty. His height at shoulder should be about equal his length, from the top of the withers to the root of the tail. Eight. The Welsh Springer. Like the English Springer, the Welsh Springer has only very recently come into existence, officially, that is to say. But his admirers claim for him that he has existed as a separate breed for a long time, though not beyond the bounds of the principality, where he is referred to as the starter. When his claims were first put forward, they were vigorously contested by many who could claim to speak and fright with authority upon the various breeds of spaniels existing in these islands, and it was freely asserted that they were nothing but cross-breeds between the ordinary Springer and probably a clumber in order to account for the red or orange markings and the vine-leaf-shaped ears. Even if they are a new breed, they are a most meritorious one, both in their appearance, which is eminently sporting and workman-like, and for the excellent of their work in the field, which has been amply demonstrated by the record earned at the field trials by Mr. A.T. Williams and others, but those who have seen them at work have nothing but good to say for them, and for working large rough tracts of country and teams, their admirers say they are unequalled. In appearance they are decidedly attractive, rather more lightly built than most spaniels, small in size, indeed very little larger than coccas, invariably white in colour with red or orange markings, and possessing rather fine heads with small, clumber-shaped ears. Their general appearance is that of extremely smart and active little dogs. The Welsh Springer is described by the sporting spaniel society as follows. Scull. Fairly long and fairly broad, slightly rounded with a stop at the eyes. Jewels. Medium length, straight, fairly square, the nostrils well-developed, and flash-coloured, or dark. A short chubby head is objectionable. Eyes. Hazel or dark, medium-sized, not prominent, not sunken, nor showing hall. Ears. Comparatively small and gradually narrowing towards the tip, covered with feather and not longer than the ear, said moderately low and hanging close to the cheeks. Neck. Strong, muscular, clean and throat. Shoulders. Long and sloping. Four legs. Medium length, straight, good bone, moderately feathered. Body. Strong, fairly deep, not long, well-sprung ribs. Length of body should be proportionate to length of leg. Loin. Muscular and strong, slightly arched, well-coupled up and knit together. Hind quarters and hind legs. Strong, hocks well let down. Stifles moderately bent, not twisted in or out. Not feathered below the hock of the leg. Feet. Round with thick pats. Stern. Low, never carried above the level of the back, feathered and with a lively motion. Coat. Straight or flat and thick. Colour. Red or orange and white. General appearance. Symmetrical, compact, strong, merry, active, not stillty, built for endurance and activity, and about 28 pounds and upwards in weight, but not exceeding 45 pounds. Nine. The Cocker Spaniel. For the last few years, the popularity of this smaller-sized branch of the Spaniel tribe has been steadily increasing, and the Cocker classes at most of the best shows are now remarkable both for the number of entries and the very high standard of excellence to which they attain. A short time ago Black Cockers were decidedly more fashionable than their party-coloured relatives, but now the reverse is the case, and the various rones and tri-colours have overtaken and past the others, both in general quality and in the public esteem. The reason for this popularity of the breed as a whole is not far to see. The affectionate and merry disposition of the Cocker and his small size, compared with that of the other breeds, preeminently fit him for a companion in the house as well as in the field, and he ranks among his admirers quite as many of the fairer sex as he does men, a fact which is not without a certain element of danger, since it should never be lost sight of that the breed is a sporting one, which should on no account be allowed to degenerate into a race of mere house companions or toys. Small-sized Spaniels, usually called Cockers, from there being more especially used in woodcock-shotting, have been indigenous to Wales and Devonshire for many years, and it is most likely from one or both of these sources that the modern type has been evolved. It is probable too that the type in favour today of a short-coupled, rather cobby dog, fairly high on the leg, is more like that of these old-fashioned Cockers than that which obtained a decade or two ago, when they were scarcely recognised as a separate breed and the Spaniel classes were usually divided into field Spaniels over twenty-five pounds and field Spaniels under twenty-five pounds. In those days a large proportion of the prizes felt a miniature field Spaniels. The breed was not given official recognition on the Cannal Club's register till 1893, nor a section to itself in the stud book, and up to that date the only real qualification a dog required to be enabled to compete as a Cocker was that he should be under the weight of twenty-five pounds, a limit arbitrarily and somewhat irrationally fixed, since in the case of an animal just on the borderline he might very well have been a Cocker before and a field Spaniel after breakfast. It is not easy to find authentic pedigrees going back further than a quarter of a century, but Mr. C. A. Phillips can trace his own strain back to 1860, and Mr. James Farrow was exhibiting successfully thirty-five years ago. The former gentleman published the pedigree of his bitch Rivington Dora for eighteen generations, in extent so in the sporting Spaniel, while the famous Oboe's strain of the latter may be said to have exercised more influence than any other on the black variety both in this country and in the United States. It was in 1880 that the most famous of all the pillars of the Cocker Stud, Mr. James Farrow's Oboe, met his first bow to the public. He and his litter sister Sally, having been born the year before. He won the highest honours that the Choke Bench can give, and the importance of his service to the breed both in his owners' kennel and outside it, can scarcely be overestimated. Nearly all of the best blacks and many of the best coloured Cockers are descended from him. At this period the type mostly favoured was that of a dog rather longer in the body and lower on the leg than it is at present, but the Oboe family marked a progressive step and very rightly kept on winning under all the best judges for many years, their owner being far too good a judge himself ever to exhibit anything but first class specimens. Meanwhile, although the blacks were far the most fashionable, and it was said that it was hopeless to try to get the same quality and coloured specimens, several enthusiastic breeders for colour were quietly at work, quite undismayed by the predilection shown by most exhibitors and judges for the former colour. Among them was Mr. C. A. Phillips, whose two bitches from Mr. James Freemme of Wheper Hall, Flintcher, succeeded in breeding from one of them, whom he named Rivington Slow, the celebrated dog Rivington Signal, who, mated with Rivington Blossom, produced Rivington Bloom, who was in turn the dem of Rivington Redcoat. These dogs proved almost, if not quite, as valuable to the coloured variety as Oboe did to the blacks, and formed the foundation of Mr. J. M. Portas' celebrated Brayside Strain, which afterwards became so famous. During the last few years, Mr. R. de Soussi Peel's kennel has easily held the pride of place in this variety. Most readers are no doubt familiar with the many beautiful cockers which have appeared in the show ring and carried off so many prizes under the distinguishing affix Bowdler. His kennel was built up on a Brayside foundation, and has contained, at one time or other, such flyers as Ben Bowdler, Bob Bowdler, Rufus Bowdler, Dixon Bowdler, Eva Bowdler, Mary Bowdler, Bluecoat Bowdler, Susan Bowdler and others, and Ben and Bob have also been, as sires, responsible for the success of a good many dogs hailing from other kennels. He has also been fairly successful with blacks, which, however, have usually been purchased and not bred by him, the two best being Master Robyn, bred by Miss Joan Godfrey, and Jadson Bowdler, a bitch who has distinguished herself both in the ring and in the field. Coloured cockers are certainly blooming just now, and as a consequence the blacks, who are equally worthy of support, are being rather neglected. Certainly it is the case that whereas one sees at most shows big classes of the former filled with a good level lot with hardly a bad specimen amongst them, the classes devoted to the latter, besides not being so well filled, are much more uneven, and always contain a large proportion of weeds and toys. A few years ago the black classes were immeasurably superior to the coloured, and it is to be hoped that in the near future they will regain at least a position of equality with them. At the last few field trial meetings, the Spaniel Club has provided classes confined to cockers, which have filled fairly well, and enabled the small breed to demonstrate that it can in its way be quite as useful as its larger cousins. A cocker can very often go and work as well where a larger Spaniel cannot even creep, and for working really thick head rows or gauze has no superior. There seems to be every prospect of a brilliant future and increased popularity for this charming breed. Its interests are looked after both by the Spaniel Club and the comparatively newly formed Cocker Spaniel Club, and it is also quite as much in favour on the other side of the Atlantic as it is in the United Kingdom. Indeed, the classes in America and Canada compare very favourably with our own. The descriptive particulars of the breed are head, not so heavy in proportion and not so high in occupant as in the modern field Spaniel, with a nicely developed muzzle or jaw. Lean, but not snipy, and yet not so square as in the clumber or Sussex varieties, but always exhibiting a sufficiently wide and well-developed nose. Four head perfectly smooth, writhing without a two-decided stop from muzzle into a comparatively wide and rounded, well-developed skull, with plenty of room for brain power. Eyes. Full of intelligence and gentleness, though decidedly wide awake, bright and merry, never goggled nor weak as in the King Charles and plenum kinds. Ears. Lobular. Set on low. Leather fine, and not exceeding beyond the nose. Well clothed with long silky hair, which must be straight or wavy. No positive curls or ringlets. Neck. Strong and muscular. Neatly set onto fine sloping shoulders. Body. Including size and symmetry. Not quite so long and low as in the other breeds of spaniels. More compact and firmly knit together, giving the impression of a concentration of power and untiring activity. Weight. The weight of a cocker spaniel of either sex should not exceed twenty-five pounds, or be less than twenty pounds. Any variation, either way, should be penalized. Nose. Sufficiently wide and well-developed to ensure the exquisite senting powers of this breed. Shoulders and chest. The former sloping and fine, chest deep and well-developed, but not too wide and round to interfere with the free action of the forelegs. Back and loin. Immensely strong and compact, and proportion to the size and weight of the dog. Slightly sloping towards the tail. Hand quarters. Wide, well-rounded, and very muscular, so as to ensure untiring action and propelling power under the most trying circumstances of a long day. Bed weather, rough ground, and dense covered. Stern. That most characteristic of blue blood in all the spaniel family may, in the lighter and more active cocker, although set low down, be allowed a slightly higher carriage than in the other breeds, but never cocked up over, but rather in a line with the back. Though the lower its carriage and action the better, and when at work its action should be incessant in this, the brightest and merriest of the whole spaniel family. Feet and legs. The legs should be well boned, feathered, and straight, for the tremendous exertions expected from this grand little sporting dog, and should be sufficiently short for concentrated power, but not too short as to interfere with its full activity. Feet firm, round, and cat-like. Not too large, spreading, and loose-jointed. This distinct breed of spaniel does not follow exactly on the lines of the larger field spaniel, either in lengthiness, aloneness, or otherwise, but is shorter in the back, and rather higher on the legs. Coat. Flutter-waved, and silky in texture, never wiry, woolly, or curly, with sufficient feather of the right sort, vis, waived, or set alike, but not too profusen, never curly. General appearance. Confirmatory of all indicated above, vis a concentration of pure blood and type, sagacity, docility, good temper, affection, and activity. End of Chapter 25 The Sporting Spaniel Part 2 Robert Layton Chapter 26 The Basset Hound The Basset was not familiarly known to British sportsmen before 1863, in which year specimens of the breed were seen at the first exhibition of dogs held in Paris, and caused general curiosity and admiration among English visitors. In France, however, this hound has been used for generations, much as we use our spaniel as a finder of game in covert, and it has long been a popular sporting dog in Russia and Germany. In early times, it was chiefly to be found in Artois and Flanders, where it is supposed to have had its origin. But the home of the better type of Basset is now chiefly in La Vendée, in which departments some remarkably fine strains have been produced. There are three main strains of the French Basset, the Layne, the Couteau, and the Gryphon. The Gryphon Basset is a hound of a hard bristly coat, and short crooked legs. It has never found great favour here. The Layne hounds are derived from the kennels of Monsieur Layne, of Francfield, Baus, Sainte-Afférieure, and are also very little appreciated in this country. They are a lemon and white variety, with tors, or bent legs. The Couteaux hounds were tight bred up into a strain by Compte le Couteau de Conteleur. They were tricolour with straight, short legs of sounder constitution than other strains, with a make generally of a more agile hound, and in the pedigree of the best Bassets owned in this country fifteen years ago, when the breed was in considerable demand, Compte le Couteau's strain was prominent and always sought for. With careful selection and judicious breeding, we have now produced a beautiful hound of fine, smooth coat, and a rich admixture of markings, with a head of noble character and the best of legs and feet. Their short twinkling legs make our Bassets more suitable for covert hunting than for hunting hares in the open, to which latter purpose they are frequently been adapted with some success. Their note is resonant, with wonderful power for so small a dog, and in tone it resembles the voice of the blood hound. The Basset hound is usually very good tempered and not inclined to be quarrelsome with his kennelmates, but he is willful and loves to roam apart in search of game, and is not very amenable to discipline men alone. On the other hand, he works admirably with his companions in the pack, when he is most painstaking and indefatigable. Endowed a remarkable verbose of scent, he will hunt a drag with keen intelligence. There are now several packs of Bassets kept in England, and they show very fair sport after the hares, but it is not their natural vocation, and their massive build is against the possibility of their becoming popular as harriers. The general custom is to follow them on foot, although occasionally some sportsmen use ponies. Their pace, however, hardly warrants the latter expedient. On the continent, where big game is more common than with us, the employment of the Basset is varied. He is a valuable help in the tracking of Bohr, Wolf and Deer, and he is also frequently engaged in the lighter pastimes of pheasant and partage shooting. The Earl of Onslow and the late Sir John Everett Millay were among the earliest importers of the breed into England. They both had recourse to the kennels of Count Couto, Sir John Millay's model was the first Basset town, exhibited at an English dog show at Wolverhampton in 1875. Later owners and breeders of prominence were Mr. G. Crell, Mrs. Stokes, Mrs. C. C. Ellis and Mrs. Mabel Totty. As with most imported breeds, the Basset town, when first exhibited, was required to undergo a probationary period as a foreign dog in the variety class of the principal shows. It was not until 1880 that a class was provided for it by the Kennel Club. It is to be regretted that owners of this beautiful hound are not more numerous. Admirable specimens are still to be seen at the leading exhibitions, but the breed is greatly in need of encouragement. At the present time the smooth dog-cound taking the foremost place in the estimate of our most capable judges is Mr. W. W. M. White's champion Lou Lou Lou, bred by Mrs. Totty by champion Louie LeBeau out of Cibela. Mr. Croxton Smith's Wavera is also a dog of remarkably fine type. Among bitch-hounds, Sandringham Dido, the favourite of Her Majesty the Queen, ranks as the most perfect of her kind. The rough or Gryphon Basset, introduced into England at a later date than the smooth, has failed for some reason to receive great attention. In type it resembles the shaggy otterhound, and as at present favoured it is larger and higher on the leg than the smooth variety. Their colouring is less distinct, and they seem generally to be lemon and white, grey and sandy red. Their note is not so rich as that of the smooth variety. In France the rough and the smooth Bassets are not regarded as of the same race, but here some breeders have crossed the two varieties, within different consequences. Some beautiful specimens of the rough Basset have from time to time been sent to exhibition for the Sandringham Kennels. His Majesty the King has always given affectionate attention to this breed, and has taken several first prizes at the leading shows, latterly with Sandringham Bobs, bred in the home kennels by Sandringham Babel ex-Sawa Sinesca. Perhaps the most explicit description of the perfect Basset hound is still that compiled twenty-five years ago by Sir John Millay. It is at least sufficiently comprehensive and exact to serve as a guide. The Basset for its size has more bone perhaps than nearly any other dog. The skull should be peaked like that of the blood hound, with the same dignity and expression. The nose black, although some of my own have white about theirs, and well flued. For the size of the hound I think the teeth are extremely small, however as they are not intended to destroy life this is probably the reason. The ears should hang like the blood hounds, and are like the softest velvet drapery. The eyes are deep brown, and are brimful of affection and intelligence. They are pretty deeply set and should show a considerable haul. A Basset is one of those hounds incapable of having a wicked eye. The neck is long, but of great power, and in the Basset de Jean B'tours, the flues extend very nearly down to the chest. The chest is more expansive than even in the Bulldog, and should in the Basset's Jean B'tours, we knot more than two inches from the ground. In the case of the Basset's Jean B'tours and Jean B'touat, being generally lighter, their chests do not of course come so low. The shoulders are of great power, and terminate in the crooked feet of the Basset, which appear to be a mass of joints. The back and ribs are strong, and the former of great length. The stern is carried gaily, like that of hounds in general, and when the hound is on the scent of game, this portion of his body gets extremely animated, and tells me in my own hounds when they have struck a fresh or a cold scent, and I even know when the foremost hound will give tongue. The hindquarters are very strong and muscular, the muscles stabbing rigidly out down to the hocks. The skin is soft in the smooth-haired dogs, and like that of any other hound, but in the rough variety it is like that of the otter hounds. Colour, of course, is a matter of fancy, although I infinitely prefer the tricolour, which has a tan head and a black and white body. CHAPTER 27 THE DOXANT Persons unfamiliar with the sporting properties of this long-bodied breed are apt to refer smilingly to the doxant as the dog that is sold by the yard, and few even of those who know him give credit to the debonair little fellow for the grim work which he has intended to perform in doing battle with the vicious badger in its lair. Doxant means badger dog, and is a title fairly and squarely earned in his native Germany. Given proper training, he will perform the duties of several sporting breeds rolled into one. Possessing a wonderful nose, combined with remarkable steadiness, his kind will work out the coldest scent, and once fairly on the line, they will give plenty of music and get over the ground at a pace almost incredible. Doxants hunt well in a pack, and, though it is not their recognized vocation, they can be successfully used on hair, on fox, and any form of vermin that wears a furry coat. But his legitimate work is directed against the badger in locating the brock underground, worrying and driving him into his innermost earth, and there holding him until dug out. It is no part of his calling to come to close grips, though that often happens in the confined space in which he has to work. In this position a badger with his powerful claws digs with such energy and skill as rapidly to bury himself, and the doxant needs to be provided with such apparatus as will permit him to clear his way and keep in touch with his formidable quarry. The badger is also hunted by doxants above ground, usually in the mountainous parts of Germany, and in the growing crops of maize on the lower slopes, where the vermin work terrible havoc in the evening. In this case the badger is rounded up and driven by the dogs up to the guns, which are posted between the game and the earths. For this sport the dog used is heavier, coarser and a larger build, higher arm leg and more generally houndy in appearance. Doxants are frequently used for deer driving in which operation they are especially valuable as they work slowly and do not frighten or overrun their quarry and can penetrate the densest undergrowth. Packs of doxants may sometimes be engaged on wild boar and as they are webfooted and excellent swimmers there is no doubt that their carrier qualities would make them useful assistance to the otterhound. At propo of their capabilities in the water it is the case that a year or two ago, at Offenbach on main, at some trials arranged for life saving by dogs, a doxant carried off the first prize against all comers. As a companion in the house the doxant has perhaps no compare. He is a perfect gentleman cleanly in his habits, obedient, unobtrusive, incapable of smallness, affectionate, very sensitive to rebuke or to unkindness and amusingly jealous. As a watch he is excellent, quick to detect a strange footstep, valiant to defend the threshold and to challenge with deep voice any intruder, yet sensibly discerning his master's friends and not annoying them with prolonged growling and grumbling as many carriers do when a stranger is admitted. Properly brought up he is a perfectly safe and amusing companion for children, full of animal spirits and ever ready to share in a romp, even though it be accompanied by rough and tumble play. In Germany where he is the most popular of all dogs, large or small, he is to be found in every home from the emperor's palace downwards and his quaint appearance coupled with his entertaining personality is daily seized upon by the comic papers to illustrate countless jokes at his expense. The origin of the doxant is not very clear. Some writers have professed to trace the breed or representations of it on the monuments of the Egyptians. Some aver that it is a direct descendant of the French Basset Hound and others that he is related to the old turnspits, the dog so excellent in kitchen service of whom Dr. Kais wrote, when any meat is to be roasted they go into a wheel where they turning about with the weight of their bodies, so diligently look to their business that no drudge nor scullion can do the feats more cunningly whom the popular sort thereupon termed turnspits. Certainly the dog commonly used in this occupation was long of body and short of leg, very much resembling the doxant. In all probability the doxant is a manufactured breed. A breed evolved from a large type of hound intermixed with a terrier to suit the special conditions involved in the pursuit and extermination of a quarry that unchecked was capable of seriously interfering with the cultivation of the land. He comprises in his small person the characteristics of both hound and terrier. His wonderful powers of scent, his long, pendulous ears and, for his size, enormous bone speak of his descent from the hound that hunts by scent. In many respects he favors the blood hound and one may often see doxants which, having been bred from parents carefully selected to accentuate some fancy point, have exhibited the very pronounced peak, occipital bone, the protruding haw of the eye, the loose dew lap and the color markings characteristic of the blood hound, his small stature, iron heart and willingness to enter the earth to speak the terrier cross. The doxant was first introduced to this country in sufficient numbers to merit notice in the early sixties and speedily attracting notice by his quaint formation and undoubted sporting instincts soon became a favorite. At first appearing at shows in the foreign dog class he quickly received a recognition of his claims to more favored treatment and was prompted by the Kennel Club to a special classification as a sporting dog. Since then his rise has been rapid and he now is reckoned as one of the numerically largest breeds exhibited. Unfortunately, however, he has been little, if ever used for sport in the sense that applies in Germany and this fact coupled with years of breeding from too small a stock or stock too nearly related and the insane striving after the fanciful and exaggerated points demanded by judges at dog shows, many of whom never saw a doxant as legitimate work, has seriously affected his usefulness. He has deteriorated in type, lost grit and sense to and often a parody of the true type of doxant that is to be found in his native land. To the reader who contemplates possessing one or more doxants a word of advice may be offered. Whether you want a dog for sport or show or as a companion endeavor to get a good one, a well bred one. To arrive at this do not buy from an advertisement on your own knowledge of the breed but seek out an expert amateur breeder and exhibitor and get his advice in assistance. If you intend to start a Kennel for show purpose do not buy a high priced dog at a show but start with a well bred bitch and breed your own puppies under the guidance of an aforementioned expert. In this way and by rearing and keeping your puppies till they are of an age to be exhibited and at the same time carefully noting the awards the best shows you will speedily learn which to retain and the right type of dog to keep and breed for and in future operations you will be able to discard inferior puppies at an earlier age. But it is a great mistake if you intend to form a Kennel for show purposes or to sell or part with your puppies too early. It is no curious with all breeds that puppies change very much as they grow. The best looking in the nest often go wrong later and the ugly ducklings turn out to be the best of the litter. This is especially true of doxants and it requires an expert to pick the best puppy of a litter at a month or too old and even he may be at fault unless a puppy is exceptionally well reared. To rear doxant puppies successfully you must not overload them with fat. Get them strengthening food that does not lay on flesh. Lean raw beef finely chopped is an excellent food once or twice a day for the first few months and though this comes expensive it pays in the end. Raw meat is supposed to cause worm crumbles but these pests are found also where meat is not given and in any case a puppy is fortified with more strength to withstand them if fed on raw meat than otherwise. And a good dosing from time to time will be all that is necessary to keep him well and happy. Young growing puppies must have their freedom to gamble about and get their legs strong. Never keep the puppies cooped up in a small kennel run or house. If you have a fair sized yard give them the run of that or even the garden in spite of what your gardener may say they may do a little damage to the flowers but assuredly do good to themselves. They love to dig in the soft borders digging a second nature to them and is of great importance in their development. If you have not a garden or if the flowers are too sacred it is better to place your puppies as early as possible with respectable cottagers or small farmers especially the latter with whom they will have entire freedom to run about and will not be overfed. If you intend to show your puppies you should begin sometime in advance to school them to walk on the lead and to stand quiet when ordered to. Much depends on this in the judging ring where a dog who is unused to being on lead often spoils his chances of appearing at his best under the, to him, strange experiences of restraint which the lead entails. During the past five and twenty years the names of two particular dog suits stand out head and shoulders above those of their competitors. Jackdaw had a wonderful record during a long show career never being beaten in his class from start to finish and having won many valuable prizes. He was credited with being the most perfect dog suit that had ever been seen in England and probably as good as anything in Germany. Champion Jackdaw was a black and tan dog, bred and owned by Mr. Harry Jones of Ipswich. He was sired by Champion Charcow out of Wagdale and born 20th July 1886. Through his dam he was descended from a famous bitch, Thuznelda, who was imported by Mr. Muddy in the early eighties. She was a winner of high honors and Hanover. The name of Jackdaw figures in all the best pedigrees of today. Champion Teradactyl was born in 1888 and bred by Mr. Willink. He was in a measure and outgrossed from the standard type of the day, and his dam, whose pedigree is in dispute, was thought to have been imported. After passing through one or two hands he was purchased by Mr. Harry Jones and in his kennel speedily made a great name in the show ring and at the stud, and was eventually sold for a high price to Mr. Sidney Woodwitz, who at that period had the largest kennel of doxins in England. Taro, as he was called, was a big light red dog with wonderful forequarters and great muscular development. He also possessed what is called a punishing jaw and rather short ears and looked a thorough business dog. He had an almost unbroken series of successes at shows in England and being taken to Germany in the days before the quarantine regulations. He took the highest honors in the heavyweight class and a special prize for the best doxin of all classes. This dog became the favorite sire of his day and the fashionable color. The black and tan thereupon went quite out of favor and this fact coupled with the reckless amount of inbreeding of red to red that has been going on since Taro's day accounts largely for the prevalence of light eyes, pink noses, and bad colored coats of the doxins as a class today. There are, strictly speaking, three varieties of doxin, a the short haired, b the long haired and c the rough haired. Of these, we most usually find the first named in England and they are no doubt the original stock. Of the others, though fairly numerous in Germany, few are to be seen in this country and although one or two have been imported, the type has never seemed to appeal to exhibitors. Both the long haired and rough haired varieties had no doubt been produced by crosses with other breeds such as the spaniel and probably the Irish terrier, respectively. In the long haired variety, the hair should be soft and wavy, forming lengthy plumes under the throat, lower parts of the body and the backs of the legs, and is longest on the underside of the tail where it forms a regular flag like that of a setter or spaniel. The rough haired variety shows strongly a terrier cross by his vomit expression and short ears. The Germans also subdivide by color and again for show purposes by weight. These subdivisions are dealt with in their proper order in the standard of points and is only necessary to say here that all the varieties, colors and weights are judged by the same standard except insofar as they differ in texture of coat. At the same time, the Germans themselves do not regard the dappled doxins as so yet fixed in type as the original colored dogs and this exception must also apply to the long and the rough haired varieties. The following German to standard of points embodies a detailed description of the breed. General appearance and disposition In general, the appearance of the doxhunt is a very long and low dog with compact and well muscled body resting on short, slightly crooked forelegs, a long head and ears with bold and defiant carriage and intelligent expression. In disposition, the doxhunt is full of spirit, defiant when attacked, aggressive even to fool hardiness when attacking, in play amusing and untiring, by nature willful and unheeding. Head Long and appearing conical from above and from a side view tapering to the point of the muzzle, wedge shaped. The skull should be broad rather than narrow to allow plenty of brain room, slightly arched and fairly straight without a stop but neither deep nor snippy. Eyes Medium in size, oval and set obliquely with very clear sharp expression and of a dark color except in the case of the liver and tan when the eyes may be yellow and in the dapple when the eyes may be light or wall-eyed. Nose, preferably deep black. The flesh-colored and spotted noses are allowable only in the liver and tan and dapple varieties. Ears Set on moderately high or seen in profile above the level of the eyes. Well back, flat, not folded, pointed or narrow, hanging close to the cheeks, very mobile and when at attention carried with the back of the ear upward and outward. Neck Moderately long with slightly arched nape, muscular and clean, showing no do-lap and carried well up and forward. Four Quarters His work underground demands strength and compactness and therefore the chest and shoulder region should be deep, long and wide. The shoulder blade should be long and set on very sloping, the upper arm of equal length with and at right angles to the shoulder blade, strong bone and well-muscled and lying close to the ribs but moving freely. The lower arm is slightly bent inwards and the feet should be turned slightly outwards, giving an appearance of crooked legs approximating to the cabriol of a Chippendale chair. Straight, narrow, short shoulders are always accompanied by straight, short upper arms, forming an obtuse angle, badly developed brisket and keel or chicken breast. In the upper arm, being thrown forward by the weight of the body behind causes the legs to knuckle over at the knees. Broad, sloping shoulders on the other hand ensure soundness of the forelegs and feet. Legs and feet. Forelegs very short and strong in bone, slightly bent inwards, seen in profile, moderately straight and never bending forward or knuckling over. Feet large, round and strong with thick pads, compact and well arched toes, nails strong and black. The dog must stand equally on all parts of the foot. Body should be long and muscular, the chest very oval rather than very narrow and deep to allow ample room for heart and lungs, hanging low between front legs the brisket point should be high and very prominent. The ribs well sprung out towards the loins, not flat sided. Loins short and strong. The line of back only slightly depressed behind the shoulders and only slightly arched over loins. The hindquarters should not be higher than the shoulders, thus giving a general appearance of levelness. Hindquarters. The rump, round, broad and powerfully muscled, hip bone not too short but broad and sloping. The upper arm or thigh, thick of good length and jointed at right angles to the hip bone. The lower leg or second thigh is compared with other animals, short and set on at right angles to the upper thigh and is very firmly muscled. The hind legs are lighter in bone than the front ones but very strongly muscled with well rounded out buttocks and the knee joint well developed. Seen from behind, the legs should be wide apart and straight and not cowhawked. The dog should not be higher at the quarters than at shoulder. Stern. Set on fairly high, strong at root and tapering but not too long. Neither too much curved nor carried too high well but not too much. Feathered, a bushy tail is better than too little hair. Coat and skin. Hair short and close as possible, glossy and smooth but resistant to the touch if stroked the wrong way. The skin tough and elastic but fitting close to the body. Color. One colored. There are several self colors recognized including deep red, yellowish red, smutty red. Of these the dark or cherry red is preferable. And in this color light shadings on any part of the body or head are undesirable. Black is rare and is only a sport from black and tan. Two colored. Deep black, brown, liver or gray with golden or tan markings spots over the eyes and at the sides of the jaws and lips, inner rim of ears, the breast, inside and back of legs, the feet and under the tail for about one-third of its length. In the above mentioned colors, white markings are objectionable, the utmost that is allowed being a small spot or a few hairs on the chest. Dappled, a silver gray almost white foundation color with dark irregular spots, small for preference of dark gray, brown, tan or black. The general appearance should be a bright indefinite coloration which is considered especially useful in a hunting dog. Weight. Doxons in Germany are classified by weight as follows. Light weight. Dogs up to sixteen and one-half pound. Bitches up to fifteen and one-half pound. Middle weight. Dogs up to twenty-two pound. Bitches up to twenty-two pound. Heavy weight. Over twenty-two pound. Toys up to twelve pound. The German pound is one-tenth more than the English. The lightweight dog is most used for going to ground. End of chapter twenty-seven. Chapter twenty-eight of Dogs and All About Them. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Dogs and All About Them by Robert Layton. Chapter twenty-eight. The Old Working Terrier. There can hardly have been a time since the period of the Norman Conquest when the small earth dogs which we now call terriers were not known in these islands and used by sporting men as assistants in the chase and by husband men for the killing of obnoxious vermin. The two little dogs shown in the Bayou tapestry running with the hounds in advance of King Harrell's Hawking Party were probably meant for terriers. Dame Juliana Burners in the fifteenth century did not neglect to include the terrors in her catalog of sporting dogs, and a hundred years later Dr. Kiaske appointed recognition to their value in unearthing the fox and drawing the badger. Another sort there is, wrote the doctor's translator in fifteen-seventy-six, which huntseth the fox and the badger or gray oneley, whom they call terriers because they, after the manner and custom of ferrets in searching for conies, creep into the ground, and by that means make afraid, nip and bite the fox and the badger in such sort that either they tear them in pieces with their teeth, being in the bosom of the earth, or else haul and pull them perforce out of their lurking angles dark dungeons and close caves, or at the least, through concerned fear, dry them out of their hollow harbors, in so much that they are compelled to prepare speedy flight and, being desirous of the next, albeit the safest refuge, are otherwise taken and entrapped with snares and nets laid over holes to the same purpose. But these be the least in that kind called Sajaks. The color, size, and shape of the original terriers are not indicated by the early writers, and art supplies but vague and uncertain evidence. Nicholas Cox, who wrote of sporting dogs in the Gentleman's Recreation, 1667, seems to suggest that the type of working terrier was already fixed sufficiently to be divided into two kinds, the one having shaggy coats and straight limbs, the other smooth coats and short bent legs. Yet some years later another authority, Blom, in the same publication was more guarded in his statements as to the terrier type when he wrote, Everybody that is a fox hunter is of opinion that he hath a good breed, and some will say that the terrier is a peculiar species of itself. I will not say anything to the affirmative or negative of the point. Searching for evidence on the subject, one finds that perhaps the earliest references to the colors of terriers were made by Daniel in his field sports at the end of the 18th century when he described two sorts, the one rough short legged and long backed, very strong and most commonly of a black or yellowish color mixed with white, evidently a hound mark dog, and another smooth coated and beautifully formed with a shorter body and more sprightly appearance generally of a reddish brown color or black with tanned legs. Gilpin's portrait of Colonel Thornton's celebrated pitch, painted in 1790, presents a terrier having a smooth white coat with a black patch at the set on of the undocked tail and black markings on the face and ears. The dog's head is badly drawn and small in proportion, but the body and legs and coloring would hardly disgrace the totterage kennels of today. Fox terriers of a noted strain were depicted from life by Rangel in the sportsman's cabinet, published over 100 years ago, and in the text accompanying the engraving, a minute account is given of the peculiarities and working capacities of the terrier. We are told that there were two breeds, the one wire-haired larger, more powerful and harder bitten, the other smooth-haired and smaller with more style. The wire hairs were white with spots, the smooths were black and tan, the tan apparently predominating over the black. The same writer states that it was customary to take out a brace of terriers with a pack of hounds, a larger and a smaller one, the smaller dog being used in emergency when the earth proved to be too narrow to admit his bigger companion. It is well known that many of the old fox hunters have kept their special breeds of terrier and the Belvoir, the Grove and Lord Middleton's are among the packs to which particular terrier strains have been attached. That even 100 years ago terriers were bred with care and that certain strains were held in a special value is shown by the recorded fact that a litter of seven puppies was sold for 21 guineas, a good price even in these days, and that on one occasion, so high a sum as 20 guineas was paid for a full-grown dog. At that time there was no definite and well-established breed recognized throughout the islands by a specific name. The embracing title of terrier included all the varieties which have since been carefully differentiated, but very many of the breeds existed in their respective localities awaiting national recognition. Here and there some squire or huntsman nurtured a particular strain and developed a type which he kept pure, and at many a manor house and farmstead in Devonshire and Cumberland, on many a highland estate and Irish riverside where there were foxes to be hunted or otters to be killed, terriers of definite strain were religiously cherished. Several of these still survive and are as respectable in descent and quite as important historically as some of the favored and fashionable champions of our time. They do not perhaps possess the outward beauty and distinction of type which would justify their being brought into general notice, but as workers they retain all the fire and verve that are required in dogs that are expected to encounter such vicious vermin as the Badger and the Fox. Some of the breeds of terriers seen nowadays in every dog show were equally obscure and unknown a few years back. 37 years ago the now popular Irish terrier was practically unknown in England, and the Scottish terrier was only beginning to be recognized as a distinct breed. The Welsh terrier is quite a new introduction that a dozen or so years ago was seldom seen outside the Principality, and so recently as 1881 the Airdale was merely a local dog known in Yorkshire as the Waterside or the Bingley terrier. Yet the breeds just mentioned are all of unimpeachable ancestry, and the circumstance that they were formally bred within limited neighborhoods is in itself an argument in favor of their purity. We have seen the process of a sudden leap into recognition enacted during the past few years in connection with the white terrier of the Western Highlands, a dog which was familiarly known in Argelshire centuries ago, yet which has only lately emerged from the heathery hill sides around Pultilock to become an attraction on the benches at the Crystal Palace and on the lawns of the Botanical Gardens. And the example suggests the possibility that in another decade or so the neglected Seeleyham terrier, the ignored terrier of the Borders, and the almost forgotten Jack Russell strain may have claimed to do recompense for their long neglect. There are lovers of the hard-bitten working earth dogs who still keep these strains in violet, and who greatly prefer them to the better known terriers whose natural activities have been too often atrophied by a system of artificial breeding to show points. Few of these old unregistered breeds would attract the eye of the fancier accustomed to judge a dog parading before him in the shoaling. To know their value and to appreciate their sturdy and good qualities, one needs to watch them at work on Badger or when they hit upon the line of an otter. It is then that they display the alertness and the daredevil courage which have won for the English terriers their name and fame. An excellent working terrier was the white rough haired strain kept by the Reverend John Russell in Devonshire and distributed among privileged sportsmen about Somersetshire and Glaucestershire. The working attributes of these energetic terriers have long been understood, and the smart, plucky little dogs have been constantly coveted by breeders all over the country, but they have never won the popularity they deserve. Those who have kept both varieties prefer the Russell to the Seeleyham terrier, which is nevertheless an excellent worker. It is on record that one of these, a bitch of only nine pounds weight, fought and killed single-handed a full-grown dog fox. The Seeleyham derives its breed name from the seat of the Edwards family near Haver Forse West, in Pembrokeshire, where the strain has been carefully preserved for well over a century. It is a long-bodied short-legged terrier with a hard, wiry coat, frequently whole white, but also white with black or brown markings, or brown with black. They may be as heavy as 17 pounds, but 12 pounds is the average weight. Some years ago, the breed seemed to be on the downgrade, requiring fresh blood from a well-chosen outcross. One hears very little concerning them nowadays, but it is certain that when in their prime they possessed all the grit, determination, and endurance that are looked for in a good working terrier. A wire-haired black-and-tan terrier was once common in Suffolk and Norfolk, where it was much used for rabbiting. But it may now be extinct, or if not extinct, probably identified with a Welsh terrier which it closely resembled in size and colouring. There was also, in Shropshire, a well-known breed of wire-hair terriers, black and tan, on very short legs, and weighing about 10 pounds or 12 pounds, with long punishing heads and extraordinary working powers. So, too, in Lancashire and Cheshire, one used to meet with sandy-coloured terriers of no very well-authenticated strain, but closely resembling the present breed of Irish terrier. And Squire Thornton, at his place near Pickering in Yorkshire, had a breed of wire-hares tan in colour with a black stripe down the back. Then there is the Cowley Strain, kept by the Cowleys of Calipers near King's Langley. These are white wire-haired dogs marked like the Fox Terrier and Exceedingly Game. Possibly the Elterwater Terrier is no longer to be found, but some few of them still existed a dozen years or so ago in the Lake District, where they were used in conjunction with the West Cumberland Otterhounds. They were not easily distinguishable from the better known border terriers of which there are still many strains, ranging from Northumberland, where Mr. T. Robson of Bellingham has kept them for many years, to Galloway and Iershire and the Lothians, where their coats become longer and less crisp. There are many more local varieties of the working terrier, as, for example, the Roseneath, which is often confused with the Pultilock, or the White West Highlander, to whom it is possibly related, and the Pittenwing, with which the Pultilock terriers are now being crossed. While Mrs. Alastair Campbell of Ardrescheg has a pack of Cairn Terriers which seem to represent the original type of the Improved Scotty, considering the great number of strains that have been preserved by sporting families and maintained in more or less purity to type, it is easy to understand how a new breed may become fashionable and still claim the honour of long descent. They may not, in all cases, have the beauty of shape which is desired on the show bench, but it is well to remember that while our show terriers have been bred to the highest perfection, we still possess in Great Britain a separate order of earth dogs that, for pluckily following the fox and the badger into their lairs, or bolting an otter from his hold cannot be excelled all the world over. Chapter 29 The White English Terrier This dog, one would think, ought, by the dignified title which he bears, to be considered a representative national terrier, forming a fourth in the distinctively British quartet whose other members are the Scottish, the Irish and the Welsh terriers. Possibly in the early days, when Pearson and Rukraft bred him to perfection, it was hoped and intended that he should become a breed typical of England. He is still the only terrier who owns the national name, but he has long ago yielded pride of place to the fox terrier, and it is the case that the best specimens of his race are bred north of the border. While, instead of being the most popular dog in the land, he is actually one of the most neglected and the most seldom seen. At the Kennel Club show of 1909, there was not a single specimen of the breed on view, nor was one to be found at the recent shows at Edinburgh, Birmingham, Manchester, or Eilington, nor at the national terrier show at Westminster. It is a pity that so smart and beautiful a dog should be suffered to fall into such absolute neglect. One wonders what the reason of it can be. Possibly it is that the belief still prevails, that he is of delicate constitution and is not gifted with a great amount of intelligence or sagacity. There is no doubt, however, that a potent factor in hazing the decline is to be found in the edict against cropping. Neither the white terrier nor the Manchester terrier has since been anything like so popular as they both were before April 1898 when the Kennel Club passed the law that dogs' ears must not be cropped. Writers on Canine History and Mr. Rodin Lee among the number tell us that the English white terrier is a comparatively new breed and that there is no evidence to show where he originally sprang from who produced him or for what reason he was introduced. His existence as a distinct breed is dated back no longer than 40 years. This is about the accepted age of most of our named English terriers. Half a century ago before the institution of properly organized dog shows drew particular attention to the differentiation of breeds, the generic term terrier without distinction was applied to all earth dogs and the consideration of color and size was the only common rule observed in breeding. But it would not be difficult to prove that a white terrier resembling the one now under notice existed in England as a separate variety, many generations anterior to the period usually assigned to its recognition. In the National Portrait Gallery there is a portrait of Mary of Modena, Queen Consort of James II, painted in 1670 by William Wissing who has introduced at the Queen's side a terrier that is undoubtedly of this type. The dog has slight brown or brindle markings on the back as many English white terriers have and it is to be presumed that it is of the breed from which this variety is descended. Apart from color there is not a great difference between the white English terrier and the Manchester black and tan. But although they are of similar shape and partake much of the same general character, yet there is the distinction that in the black and tan the conservation of type is stronger and more noticeable than in the white in which the correct shape and action are difficult to obtain. It ought naturally to be easier to breed a pure white dog from white parents than to breed correctly marked and well-tanned puppies from perfect black and tans. But the efforts of many breeders do not seem to support such a theory in connection with the English terrier whose letters frequently show the blemish of a spot of brindle or russet. These spots usually appear behind the ears or on the neck and are of course a disfigurement on a dog whose coat to be perfect should be of an intense and brilliant white. It appears to be equally difficult to breed one which while having the desired purity of color is also perfect in shape and terrier character. It is to be noted too that many otherwise good specimens are deaf a fault which seriously militates against the dog's possibilities as a companion or as a watch. Birmingham and Manchester were the localities in which the English Terrier was most popular 40 years ago but it was Mr. Frederick White of Clapham who bred all the best of the white variety and who made it popular in the neighborhood of London. His terriers were of a strain founded by a dog named King Dick and in 1863 he exhibited a notable team in Ladi, Fly, Teddy and Nettle. Mr. S. A. Shirley MP was attracted to the breed and possessed many good examples as also did the Reverend J. W. Meller and Mr. J. Hitch Merchison. Mr. Alfred Benjamin Servier was a prominent dog in 1877. Servier was bred by Mr. James Rourcroft of Bolton who owned a large kennel of this variety of terrier and who joined with his townsman Joe Walker and with Bill Pearson in raising the breed to popularity in Lancashire. Bill Pearson was the breeder of Tim who was considered the best terrier of his time, a dog of 14 pounds with a brilliant white coat, the darkest of eyes and a perfect black nose. It is apparent that the Whippet was largely used as a cross with the English Terrier which may account to a great extent for the decline of terrier character in the breed. Wiser breeders had recourse to the more closely allied bull terrier. Mr. Shirley's prize winning purity was by Tim out of a bull terrier bitch and there is no doubt that whatever stamina remains in the breed has been supported by this cross. The following is the description laid down by the White English Terrier Club. Head, narrow, long and level, almost flat skull with our cheek muscles, wedge shaped, well filled up under the eyes tapering to the nose and not liby. Eyes, small and black, set fairly close together and oblong in shape. Nose, perfectly black, ears cropped and standing perfectly erect. Neck and shoulders, the neck should be fairly long and tapering from the shoulders to the head with sloping shoulders, the neck being free from throatiness and slightly arched at the occipit. Chest, narrow and deep. Body, short and curving upwards at the loins, sprung out behind the shoulders, back slightly arched at loins and falling again at the joining of the tail to the same height as the shoulders. Legs, perfectly straight and well under the body, moderate and bone and of proportionate length. Feet, feet nicely arched with toes set well together and more inclined to be round than hair footed. Tail, moderate length and set on where the arch of the back ends thick where joints the body and tapering to a point and not carried higher than the back. Coat, close, hard, short and glossy. Color, pure white, colored marking to disqualify. Condition, flesh and muscles to be hard and firm. Weight, from 12 pounds to 20 pounds. End of Chapter 29 Chapter 30 of Dogs and All About Them This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Dogs and All About Them by Robert Layton Chapter 30 The Black and Tan Terrier The Black and Tan or Manchester Terrier as we know him today is a comparatively new variety and he is not to be confounded with the original Terrier with tan and black coloring which was referred to by Dr. Chaos in the 16th century and which was at that time used for going to ground and driving out Badgers and Foxes. Formerly there was but little regard paid to color and markings and there was a considerably greater proportion of tan in the coat than there is at the present day while the fancy markings such as pencils, toes, thumb marks and kissing spots were not cultivated. The general outline of the dog too was less graceful nor together coarser. During the first half of the 19th century the chief accomplishment of this Terrier was rat killing. There are some extraordinary accounts of his adroitness as well as courage in destroying these vermin. The feats of a dog called Billy are recorded. He was matched to destroy 100 large rats in 8 minutes and a half. The rats were brought into the ring in bags and as soon as the number was complete Billy was put over the railing into their midst. In 6 minutes and 35 seconds they were all destroyed. In another match he killed the same number in 6 minutes and 13 seconds. It was a popular Terrier in Lancashire and it was in this county that the refining process in a shape and coloring was practiced and where he came by the name of the Manchester Terrier. Like the white English Terriers the black and tan has fallen on evil days. It is not a popular dog among fanciers and although many good ones may be seen occasionally about the streets the breed suffers from want of the care and attention that are incidental to the breeding and raring of dogs intended for competition at shows. There are many who hold the opinion that one of the chief reasons for the decadence in the popularity of the black and tan terrier notwithstanding its many claims to favour is to be found in the loss of that very alert appearance which was a general characteristic before the kennel club made it illegal to crop the years of such as were intended for exhibition. It must be admitted that until very recently there was a considerable amount of truth in the prevalent opinion inasmuch as a rather heavy year if carried erect was the best material to work upon and from which to produce a long fine and upright or pricked effect which was looked upon as being the correct thing in a cropped dog hence it followed that no care was taken to select breeding stock likely to produce a small semi erect well-carried and thin years required today consequently when the addict forbidding the use of scissors came into force there were very few small year dogs to be found it has taken at least 10 or a dozen years to eradicate them as chief and even yet the cure is not complete. Another factor which has had a bad effect is the belief which has become much too prevalent that a great deal of faking has been practiced in the past and that it has been too cleverly performed as to deceive the most observant judge whereby a very artificial standard of quality has been obtained the standard of points by which the breed should be judged is as follows general appearance a terrier calculated to make his own part in the rat pit and not of the wippet type head the head should be long flat and narrow level and wet shaped without showing cheek muscles well filled up under the eyes with tapering tightly lipped jaws and level teeth eyes the eyes should be very small sparkling and bright set fairly close together and oblong in shape nose black years the correct carriage of years is a debatable point since cropping has been abolished probably in the large breed the drop year is correct but for toys either erect or semi erect carriage of the year is most desirable neck and shoulders the neck should be fairly long and tapering from the shoulders to the head with sloping shoulders the neck being free from throatiness and slightly arched at the occipit chest the chest should be narrow but deep body the body should be moderately short and curving upwards at the loin ribs well sprung back slightly arched at the loin and falling again at the joining of the tail to the same height as the shoulders feet the feet should be more inclined to be cat than hair-footed tail the tail should be of moderate length and set on where the arch of the back ends thick where it joins the body tapering to a point and not carried higher than the back coat the coat should be close smooth short and glossy color the coat should be jet black and rich mahogany tan distributed over the body as follows on the head the muzzle is tanned to the nose which with the nasal bone is jet black there is also a bright spot on each cheek and above each eye the under jaw and throat are tanned and the hair inside the ears is the same color the four legs stand up to the knee with black lines pencil marks up each toe and a black mark thumb mark above the foot inside the hind legs tanned but divided with black at the hoc joints and under the tail also tanned and service the vent but only sufficiently to be easily covered by the tail also slightly tanned on each side of the chest tan outside the hind legs commonly called breaching is a serious defect in all cases the black should not run into the tan nor vice versa but the division between the two colors should be well defined wait for toys not exceeding seven pounds for the large breed from 10 to 20 pounds is most desirable end of chapter 30