THE SPANIEL 105 



The Rosehill strain became talked about so much 

 in the seventies that buyers appeared from all over 

 the country. The distinguishing feature of this dog 

 is his rich golden liver colour. " This," says the 

 Spaniel Club, "is a certain sign of the purity of 

 the breed, dark liver or puce denoting unmistakably 

 a recent cross with the black or other variety of 

 Field Spaniel." In general appearance he is rather 

 massive and muscular, but with free movements and 

 nice tail action. He weighs from 35 Ib. to 45 Ib. 

 In disposition he is tractable and cheerful. Accord- 

 ing to the official standard, the skull should be 

 moderately long and also wide, with an indentation 

 in the middle and a full stop. The brows are fairly 

 heavy, the occiput full but not pointed, the whole 

 giving an appearance of heaviness without dulness. 

 The eyes are hazel colour, fairly large, soft, and 

 languishing, and not showing much haw. The muzzle 

 should be about 3 inches long, square, and the lips 

 somewhat pendulous ; the nostril well developed and 

 liver-coloured. The ears are thick, fairly large, and 

 lobe-shaped, set moderately low, but relatively not 

 so low as in the Field Spaniel. They are carried 

 close to the head and furnished with soft, wavy hair. 

 The neck is rather short, strong, and slightly arched, 

 but not carrying the head much above the level of 

 the back. There should not be much throatiness in 

 the skin, but a well-marked frill in the coat. The 

 chest is round, especially behind the shoulders, deep 

 and wide, giving a good girth. The shoulders should 

 be oblique. The back and loin are long, and should 

 be very muscular both in width and depth. For 

 this development the back ribs must be deep. The 

 whole body is characterised as low, long, level, and 



