106 THE SPANIEL 



strong ; the arms and thighs must be bony as well 

 as muscular, knees and hocks large and strong, 

 pasterns very short and bony ; feet large and round, 

 and with short hair between the toes. The legs 

 should be very short and strong, with great bone, 

 and may show a slight bend in the forearm and 

 be moderately well feathered. The hindlegs should 

 not be apparently shorter, than the forelegs, or be 

 too much bent at the hock. They should be well 

 feathered to the hocks, but should not have much 

 hair below this point. The tail should be docked 

 from 5 to 7 inches, set low, and not carried above 

 the level of the back, and thickly clothed with 

 moderately long feather. The body coat is abundant, 

 flat, or slightly waved, with no tendency to curl. 



English Springers have the credit of scoring a 

 large number of wins at field trials, which is one of 

 the most gratifying things one could say about a 

 sporting dog. Classes provided for them at shows 

 do not as a rule fill well, their owners evidently 

 preferring to rely upon their working quali- 

 ties. At the same time, one does not wish to dis- 

 parage good looks, provided the points aimed at 

 are not antagonistic to properties required in the 

 field. The term " Springer " is really a somewhat 

 comprehensive title, including dogs of medium length 

 in the leg, of all colours, as opposed to the short- 

 legged Field Spaniels. Some of the older writers 

 in the middle of trie last century called them 

 " Norfolk Spaniels."- Youatt says, however, that 

 these were produced from a cross with the terrier, 

 and, being kept by the Duke of Norfolk of that day, 

 were named after him. It is only right to say that 

 the late Mr. Rawdon Lee was opposed to this theory 



