326 BRITISH DOGS 



inclined to be a bit thick, as the dog all over should appear 

 cobby. 



The back and quarters are as strong as those of a waggon- 

 horse. 



The legs should be straight, with good feet, well clothed with 

 hair, both over and between the toes ; the fore legs are heavily 

 feathered at the sides and behind, with a curled or rough appear- 

 ance in front. The hind legs are smooth in front, from the hocks 

 downwards, whilst it is essential that they should be feathered 

 behind down to the foot. In crossing with certain breeds, such as 

 the Retriever, this is one of the first points lost. 



The tail is, like the face, a sure indication of the breeding ; 

 and, at the risk of repeating myself, I assert that no other breed of 

 dog exists with a smooth tail which carries as much hair elsewhere 

 as does the Irish Spaniel. These characteristics viz. tail, face, and 

 topknot stamp him, in my opinion, as the purest of pure-bred dogs. 

 The tail is shorter than in most other dogs, thick at the root, and 

 tapering to a sting at the point. For about 3in. from the body it 

 is covered with small curls, the remaining portion being smooth. 



The coat should consist of innumerable hard, short curls, free 

 from woolliness. These curls get felted, or daggled, before moulting 

 time. A woolly coat shows the Poodle cross, which may also be 

 detected in the head. A silky coat, with an inclination to waviness 

 instead of curl, indicates a cross with Land Spaniel or Setter ; this 

 cross also shows itself in the quality of the leg-feather. The colour 

 is that dark shade of liver called puce, having a rich plum-coloured 

 hue when seen in the sun. The best-coloured dog of the breed I 

 ever saw was my old Champion Duck, when she was in the prime 

 of life. A patch or star of white is often seen on the chest, and 

 should not be regarded as fatal to a dog's winning, as it is met with 

 in the best strains ; in fact, in a litter of puppies, if there is one with 

 more white on than the rest, it, as a rule, is the largest. Whether 

 white is a sign of strength or not I am not prepared to say. 



In respect to symmetry by which I mean the general appear- 

 ance of the dog, his carriage, style, etc. he should be judged as 

 you would judge a cob. Many of the dogs of the present day are 

 too leggy. A leggy Spaniel, of any breed, I dislike. The best dogs 

 we have seen of late years of this breed have been : Doctor and 

 Rake, bred by Mr. Robson, Hull ; Pilot and Sailor, breeder Rev. 

 A. L. Willett ; Blarneystone and Chance, bred by Mr. Salisbury ; 

 Mr. P. J. D. Lindoe's Blarney, Mr. Engelbach's Pat, Mr. Fletcher's 

 Young Doctor, Mr. Morton's Paddy and Shamrock, Mr. C. Pilgrim's 

 Barney, and Bridget and Patsey, all bred by myself." 



The Irish Water Spaniel, like many another breed, doubtless 

 originally resulted from a cross, although it seems impossible to 



