32 THE AMERICAN HUNTING DOG 



appear to be small hounds, true to type, and a 

 later painting of date 1800 shows Col. Thornton's 

 beagles, quite the same as the modern bench win 

 ners. Their history in America begins with Gen 

 eral Rowett, of Carlinsville, 111., who got some of 

 the very best stock to be had in England, and a 

 Eowett beagle became the most sought-f or of dogs 

 by our own breeders. This takes us down to the 

 recent history of the breed, carried on down to 

 present stud dogs in the chapter on Whos-Who in 

 Fur Dogs. 



A brief summary of the two spaniels will con 

 clude this chapter. Of course, the first hunting 

 spaniel was the springer or hawking spaniel, an 

 active, noisy, rather large dog of the spaniel type, 

 whose work was to spring birds for the hawk. 

 With the introduction of firearms a smaller, 

 quieter dog was wanted, and the cocker (or, as 

 previously called the " cocking spaniel ") was got 

 by selective breeding. Coming along at the same 

 time as the setting spaniel, which later became the 

 setter, was the water spaniel, now seen in the 

 modern Norfolk and Irish water spaniel. The 

 springer had nothing to do with the mod 

 ern Welsh spaniel or springer, but was named for 

 his function in hunting, and from him was devel 

 oped the modern field spaniel. This dog has had 



