THE SPANIELS 325 



day, were all square in the muzzle. A dog with a head of this 

 description would be ignored nowadays ; but I am by no means 

 disposed to say that the snipe-nosed ones, which certain of our 

 judges go in for, are correct it is the fashion to call a weak, bitch- 

 faced dog, 'full of quality.' This so-called quality in the Irish 

 Water Spaniel cannot be got without a corresponding loss of bone 

 and, in my opinion, constitution. 



The head, from the apex to the eye, is large and capacious, 

 giving the appearance of being short, which is by no means the case, 

 only appearing so from its being so heavily furnished with topknot ; 

 the dog, which looks long as a puppy, loses it as he gets older. 

 The topknot is one of the chief characteristics of the breed, and it 

 does not arrive at perfection, as a rule, until the dog attains the age 

 of about two and a half years ; it should not grow straight across the 

 face to between the eyes, like a wig, but from the front edges of the 

 ears should form two sides of a triangle, meeting in a point between 

 the eyes. The head should be well covered with this topknot, the 

 hair of which should be, in a dog in full coat, 4in. or more long, 

 the forelocks hanging gracefully down the face ; but I very much 

 admire the topknot when about half grown, and when standing 

 straight up all over the head, giving the dog a wild appearance. 



The face is long, and is the most remarkable feature of the breed 

 to my mind, being, in a good specimen, quite smooth, the hair no 

 longer than that upon a smooth Terrier ; this short hair should 

 extend to the cheeks. I know of no other dog which carries the 

 same quantity of hair on its head, legs, and ears, that has not also 

 a rough face ; and however remote may be the cross of Poodle or 

 Russian Retriever, it will show itself upon the face and cheeks as 

 moustachios and whiskers. This is a point which judges should 

 specially make a note of. I have named it to several, who all have 

 made light of it ; not so, however, with Mr. M'Carthy and other 

 breeders. The nose is large, and with a slight squareness of muzzle. 

 The eyes, too, I have never seen taken into account by any judge, 

 and yet it is the eye that gives character to the face ; this should 

 be a deep, rich brown, which in the dark or shade is beautiful not 

 to be described, but seen. A light yellow or gooseberry eye is my 

 detestation, and is always accompanied by a coat which, before 

 moulting time, assumes a very light sandy hue; whilst the dark- 

 eyed ones are many shades darker at the same period of coating. 



The ears are about i8in. long in the flesh, lobe-shaped, not 

 pointed, and, when well furnished with hair, should be from 26in. 

 to 3oin. from tip to tip, when measured across the head. Old 

 Doctor measured, when he won the last time at the Crystal 

 Palace, 31 in. 



The chest should be deep, and the ribs well sprung, so that 

 the body appears round rather than deep. The shoulders are 



