340 THE AMERICAN BOOK OF THE DOG. 



and twenty-five pounds for dogs. He is much more active than the Springer, 

 and of any color, more or less marked with white, and closely resemble each 

 other in other respects. They are nearly mute, but whimper slightly on a 

 scent, and when well broken they distinguish each kind of game by the note 

 they give out, especially the woodcock, of which they are very fond. 



Mr. A. W. Langdale, a prominent English authority, 

 quoted by Vero Shaw in his work on "The Dog," says of 

 the Cocker: 



Smaller than their brethren the Springers, they work in a totally different 

 style, and in a hedgerow or copse, with a thick underwood, are invaluable. 

 They, like the Springers, are not noisy, but when they do give tongue it is of 

 such a silvery note as to warm the ardent sportsman's blood. . . . Cockers 

 run into all sorts of color, from lemon and white, orange and white, and 

 orange, most generally seen in Wales; to the liver and white, liver and tan, and 

 roan, generally seen South; and the black and tan of the North. 



In undertaking to write an article on the Cocker Spaniel, 

 I may say that I am no novice in this field. I have bred 

 them for thirty-five years. Spaniels that I bred won prizes 

 at the first bench shows in America, and since 1881 we 

 have won over 1,200 prizes. It was I that first advocated a 

 club to improve the Spaniels of America. I was selected 

 by the breeders of America as one of the committee to frame 

 a standard for the Cocker Spaniel Club, which is the oldest 

 specialty club in America. The club organized in 1881 is 

 still alive, with a large number of members ; it is now called 

 the American Spaniel Club. 



Before 1881 anything and everything that looked like a 

 Spaniel was called a Cocker; they were" generally liver or 

 liver and white in color, long-legged, snipy-headed dogs, 

 without any fixed type. All that was required of them 

 was to hunt, and they certainly could do that. The Cocker 

 soon improved under the American Spaniel Club standard; 

 but they were not content with a long, low dog, but must 

 have the longest and lowest. The standard was made by 

 practical men, of wide experience with Cockers in the 

 field, and of course they made a standard for a dog fit for 

 work; but a lot of dude judges, who never fired a gun or 

 saw a Cocker at work, step into the ring and spoil the 

 whole thing by giving prizes to dogs that are cripples, 



