3i 6 BRITISH DOGS 



is thick or the ground rough ; and he is precluded by his shape 

 from doing much retrieving of dead game, while a strong-running 

 bird will naturally escape from him. He would be greatly improved, 

 from the sporting point of view, if he were bred with a powerful, 

 arched loin ; but this at present is forbidden by Fashion. Those 

 specimens that have very long, flat loins, crooked, unsound limbs, 

 and superabundance of feather are, of course, remote from the 

 province of the sportsman. 



If many of the show strains are not saturated with Basset or 

 Dachshund blood, not only does their appearance but also their 

 demeanour belie them, as in many cases sunken, blood-shot eyes, 

 narrow, peaked skulls, crooked legs, splay feet, and gay tails are 

 accompanied by such stubborn disobedience as demands a servant 

 with a hunting-whip to circumvent ; they are inclined, also, to 

 throw their tongues without reason, and to babble in anything 

 but a Spaniel key. 



Field Spaniels can have but little chance at trials in competition 

 with the longer-legged breeds, and in the writer's opinion they 

 should have a stake exclusively for them, so that they might gain 

 efficiency at work, and not drift into the condition of being mere 

 curiosities. 



Concerning this variety the opinion of Mr. Farrow is certainly 

 of interest, from his experience as a breeder and judge ; as, also, 

 he has associated himself with the exhibition of Spaniels almost 

 from the commencement of shows, his reminiscences of winners 

 will always command attention. It is only wisdom, therefore, to 

 append his remarks on the early show specimens of the breed, 

 as written for the last Edition of " British Dogs" about fifteen years 

 ago: 



"The Black Spaniel, or perhaps I should say the black variety 

 of Springer, is, if one may judge from the entries at our dog shows, 

 the most popular, and is a very useful dog for general work in 

 the field, but certainly no more so than some of the other varieties 

 of Spaniels. Some sportsmen object to his colour for field work. 

 I must say, however, that I have never found any difficulty in 

 this, and I think a Black Spaniel is every bit as easily seen when 

 at work as a Sussex or a liver-coloured one ; indeed, I give the 

 black colour the preference. In head properties the Black Spaniel 

 of to-day, in my opinion, has much deteriorated, when compared 

 with the Black Spaniel of some dozen years ago. The head of so 

 many of those now seen is a something between the Sussex head 

 and the beautiful head of the Black Spaniel of years ago, being too 

 heavy in one part or the other, too wide and short in many 

 instances, coarse, and, indeed, not the quality in head throughout 

 as of old. If, for instance, asked now to name a Spaniel with the 



