THE CLUMBER SPANIEL. 315 



up directly. I have explained that his range is close, therefore he rises them 

 within shot ; and a Clumber can always be kept to his range. 



"Idstone," in his heretofore-mentioned work on "The 

 Dog, " remarks as follows regarding the Clumber: 



Owing to his strong frame and sober disposition, the Clumber lasts longer 

 than most dogs . He also gains wisdom by experience, and attains value with 

 age. Thus at seven, when your Setter is slow, your Clumber is an adept, and 

 you are the envy of all your acquaintances, who, provided they are really fond 

 of sport, will feel as much pleasure in the work of your dog as in the variety 

 and abundance of sport you offer them. 



During the spring of 1888 I had occasion to search a 

 tract of several square miles of land, most of it densely 

 covered with timber, in search of a Clumber, belonging to 

 me, that had escaped from the train at a neighboring sta- 

 tion, and, terror-stricken at the strangeness of the surround- 

 ings, had taken to the brush. On the first day's search I 

 took with me a Pointer and Setter, and was much struck 

 with the apparent scarcity of game. The second day I was 

 accompanied by a Clumber, and in the same woods he 

 flushed an abundance of game. He "nosed out" what the 

 gallopers had passed by. 



For duck-retrieving from the water they are superb, 

 being swift and powerful swimmers, and always intent on 

 coming up with the game. They will dive after a bird like 

 a Chesapeake Bay Dog (this accomplishment, it will be 

 observed, is mentioned by De Langley), and catch it under 

 water. The color is objectionable for this work; but a light 

 cotton cloth, "dead grass" in color, thrown over him, 

 will prevent his being seen. No bird can escape them by 

 hiding in reeds or rushes. 



Yet the transcendent merits of this grand dog are 

 unknown to the vast majority of sportsmen, and those 

 who know of him through hearsay, and Stonehenge, are 

 strongly prejudiced against him. That writer, by his utterly 

 unjust statement that they quickly tire and are but the 

 rich man's dog, has done great injury to the breed, for 

 Stonehenge' s books are far more widely circulated than any 

 other publications treating of the dog. I am often asked: 

 4 ' If Clumbers are such wonderful dogs, why are they so 



