THE TOY SPANIELS 277 



speciality of the breed. Nor is the modern short- 

 ness of face of old standing when carried to the 

 extreme which now prevails. Vandyck's dogs are 

 quite sharp-nosed, and those which I remember 

 early in the present century were at least only half- 

 way on the road to the state in which they are now 

 exhibited, with faces like those of the Bulldog.'* 



Concerning the Blenheim, a correspondent of the 

 Field wrote in 1866 : " This drawing-room favourite 

 derives his name from the celebrated seat of the 

 Dukes of Marlborough, where he used to be care- 

 fully bred, the town of Woodstock being some years 

 ago the fountain-head for pure Blenheim Spaniels, 

 which could also be purchased wonderfully small and 

 well marked at Oxford about twenty-five years since. 

 It is very difficult indeed to trace the origin of 

 this dog, which, judging from Vandyck's pictures, 

 was cherished at Courts in the days of Charles I. 

 Sir Godfrey Kneller, we have heard, has painted 

 small Red and White Spaniels at the feet of several 

 Court beauties, or nestling in their laps. We are 

 also informed that portraits from his hand are to be 

 seen at Blenheim Palace and Arundel Castle, and 

 that the small ' comforter ' of this colour was in 

 favour in the reigns of Charles II., James II., and 

 up to the end of the reign of Queen Anne. ... It 

 is impossible to give positive information as to the 

 early origin of the Blenheim ; and we incline to the 

 opinion that it sprang from a race of Cockers of 

 that colour, for which the first owner of Blenheim 

 was celebrated, and that the small race known by 

 that name derived their origin from in -and -in -breed- 

 ing, and jealousy to preserve the breed." A race 

 of Blenheims is still in existence at the Palace, and 



