THE SUSSEX SPANIEL. 



BY A. CLINTON WILMERDING. 



>HE Sussex is one of the many varieties of the Land 

 Spaniel. In color he is of a golden liver, not over 

 symmetrical in appearance, nor always graceful in 

 gait and action, but a substantial worker, a valuable com- 

 panion in the field, as a rule a good retriever on either land 

 or water, and gifted, as are all the sporting Spaniels, with 

 a wonderful sense of smell. 



This breed is not so often met with in this country as are 

 the Field, or Springer, the Cocker, Clumber, and Irish 

 Water Spaniels; in fact it appears as if but a matter of a 

 few years when the few pure specimens that we have will 

 die off, and the breed become practically extinct so far 

 as we are concerned, unless further acquisitions are sought 

 from the other side, and more interest taken in this useful 

 dog, by our Spaniel fanciers and breeders. 



It is perhaps an unfortunate condition of things that the 

 few specimens here have not been kept religiously apart 

 from the other breeds, instead of being indiscriminately 

 bred with them. This, however, may be overlooked when 

 we realize the rarity of the breed, and the difficulty and 

 expense entailed in mating them when scattered, as they 

 are, throughout the country. Then, too, with but one or 

 two exceptions, within our memory, their classification at 

 bench shows brings them under the head of l ' Field 

 Spaniels," which title frequently embraces all the larger 

 Spaniels (over twenty-eight pounds) excepting the Irish 

 Water; Clumber, Sussex, and Springers often competing 

 together in this class. Hence it is not to be wondered at 

 that, with but few of the breed, and the slight inducement 

 offered to breeders, the disposition has been to breed to the 



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