THE SPANIELS 299 



Spaniels have been instituted by the Sporting Spaniel Society, 

 whose example has been duly followed by the Spaniel Club, so 

 that a new era may be said to have commenced for all the Land 

 Spaniels a much-needed reformation for the show-spaniel world. 



This seems to be the most appropriate place for an account of 

 the origin and methods of these trials, as at the beginning Clumbers 

 carried off the lion's share of the prizes, although it must be con- 

 fessed the competitors were more distinguished for Clumber pedigree 

 than for actual type. 



Every sportsman must regard trials as of the highest importance 

 to the welfare of all breeds of working dogs, as they are the only pro- 

 tection against the incursions of Fancy. Not that Spaniel trials, any 

 more than Pointer and Setter trials, will ever indicate unerringly the 

 best dog they are not, and cannot be, sufficiently protracted for 

 that ; but the winners at them are always well-broken, capable 

 working-dogs, and that is exactly what we, under the glamour of 

 the show-ring, were forgetting that Spaniels were ever meant to be ! 



The writer is proud to say that he himself was responsible 

 for starting these trials ; and they take their origin from his visit 

 to Mr. Isaac Sharpe about five years ago, when he was in search 

 of a Spaniel for his own use. Mr. Sharpe had at that time eight 

 or nine very useful ones ; and it was while selecting from these, and 

 lamenting with their owner the general decadence of the race, that 

 the idea was conceived. It was quickly embodied in rules which 

 are practically unaltered up to the present ; and was enthusiastically 

 adopted by the Sporting Spaniel Club, since renamed Sporting 

 Spaniel Society, which had been shortly before instituted to recall 

 public attention, if possible, to the work of Spaniels, and to the 

 physical conformation necessary for it. 



It is encouraging that the Spaniel Club should have very sensibly 

 imitated the trials of the Sporting Spaniel Society, and if only it 

 persevere with them, its types must right themselves in the end ; 

 for even the obstacles interposed by pride or vested interests 

 must eventually crumble when attacked by practical proof. 



Here follow the trial rules of the Sporting Spaniel Society, 

 as far as they relate to the running of the dogs. From them it 

 can be perceived by sportsmen how easy it is to win a prize, if 

 they have an obedient, sensible, close-working Spaniel. The know- 

 ledge that no special training is required should induce many more 

 owners to compete at these trials, or, at any rate, to give them 

 hearty support. 



i. In Single Stakes for Spaniels, after the order of running has been decided 

 by lot, each dog shall be, when practicable, worked in such order by its owner or 

 his nominee. At the end of the first round the judges will call up, at their own 

 discretion, any dogs they require further, and run them as they choose. The 

 judges will, except in a case of undoubted lack of merit, try each Spaniel for at 



