304 BRITISH DOGS 



have more or less of his blood in them." Whatever we may think 

 of this theory (and its improbability is patent), its author does 

 not refer to a golden-liver coloured dog, for he proceeds imme- 

 diately to describe this parent of such markedly opposite varieties 

 as "varying in colour, but most commonly white, with brown or 

 black patches." 



The only reference of Youatt to the Sussex, by name, occurs 

 in his description of the Springer, where he says: "The largest 

 and best breed of Springers is said to be in Sussex, and is much 

 esteemed in the wealds of that county." 



" Castra " was a gentleman who, years ago, took an enthusiastic 

 interest in the true Sussex Spaniel, and did much to save it from 

 being annihilated by absorption into more modern strains. Not 

 only was he a successful breeder and exhibitor, but, at the present 

 day, many winning dogs of this variety are descended from his 

 kennels. 



It is a pity that we do not possess some reasoned expression of 

 "Castra's " own opinion of the breed, based on his long experience, 

 and that we have to content ourselves with the following brief and 

 inconclusive observations : " This variety of Spaniel is one of the 

 oldest known breeds of English sporting dogs, and is probably the 

 one from which the Setter has been produced, by the simple 

 process of selection. Such appears to be the opinion of ' Idstone,' 

 and such was the opinion of the king of Setter breeders, the late 

 Mr. Laverack, who went so far as to admit that, in breeding the 

 animals for which he became so justly famous, he always aimed 

 at producing an enlarged Spaniel, and maintained that the formation 

 of a pure Sussex Spaniel was perfection for the purposes of 

 endurance." 



It is evident that no weighty argument is here advanced for the 

 theory that the Sussex is the variety of Spaniel from which the Setter 

 has been produced, to counterbalance its inherent unlikelihood and 

 the numerous facts and opinions of authoritative writers that may 

 be arrayed against it. 



Although known among sportsmen of the county, and to some 

 beyond it, " Stonehenge " was the first minutely to describe the Sussex 

 Spaniel in his book " The Dog in Health and Disease." He says : 

 "The Sussex is a distinct and a very old-established breed. He 

 divides the honours of old family with the Clumber, and he always 

 has been, and always will be, in demand." The present state of 

 what, in the circumstances, may be not inaptly called the Sussex 

 Fancy, shows how unsafe it is to prophesy anything about sporting 

 dogs when they are bred for the bench and not for work : at the 

 present time the Sussex is certainly not in the demand he was 

 years ago. 



" Stonehenge," in his work published 1857, selected a brace of 



