396 British Dogs. 



The fashion only changes in the selection of the reigning favourite, and 

 caprice ordaina that the bandy-legged dachshund, lolling in the lap of 

 luxury yesterday, may, by the fickle goddess, be to-day dethroned in 

 favour of that natty little dandy, the Yorkshire terrier, who, in his turn, 

 struts his brief span of power upon the stage, most tyranically governing 

 the mistress who lavishes the exuberance of her affections upon him, till 

 he again has to give place to some aspiring and successful rival. 



In this country, at the present day, we see the taste for dogs of all 

 kinds more developed and indulged in than, probably, at any previous 

 period in the world's history ; and the number of varieties of toy dogs is 

 now so increased, and the tastes shown in their selection as lap dogs so 

 varied, that it would be difficult indeed to ascribe to any one breed 

 an ascendancy over the others in that most enviable position so many of 

 them occupy in the affections of the ladies. 



Toy spaniels, of one kind or another, seem to be the oldest of our 

 ladies' favourites. Dr. Caius, 1576, calls him the " Spaniell gentle, or the 

 comforter, a chamber companion, a pleasant playfellow, a pretty worme, 

 generally called Canis delicatus," and adds, " These puppies the smaller 

 they be the more pleasure they provoke, as more meet playfellows for 

 mincing mistresses to bear in their bosoms, to keepe company withal in 

 their chambers, to succour with sleep in bed, and nourish with meat at 

 board, to lay in their laps and lick their lips as they ride in their wag- 

 gons ; and good reason it should be so, for coarseness with fineness hath 

 no fellowship, but featness with neatness hath neighbourhood enough." 



Jessop, in his "Researches into the History of the British Dog," 

 gives the above quotation, but ascribes it, and the severe censure on the 

 ladies for the lavishness with which they caressed their pets, which the 

 learned doctor, who was a great moraliser, did not omit, to Harrison, 

 writer of the description given in Hollingshead's "History," edition. 

 1585; quite overlooking the words of Harrison himself, who says, "How- 

 beit the learned doctor Caius, in his Latin treatise upon (sic) " Gesner de 

 canibus Anglicis," bringeth them [that is, English dogs] all into three 

 sorts, that is, the gentle kind serving the game, the homely kind for 

 sundrie uses, and the currish kind meet for many toies, for my part I 

 can say no more of them than he hath done already, wherefore, I will 

 here set down only a sum of that which he hath written of their names 

 and natures." 



