The Cocker Spaniel 261 



in this variety, although for a long time it was evident that the blacks were 

 his favourites. Still, he has brought out one or two very pretty red 

 and whites a most attractive colour. In the particolour classification 

 the Spaniel Club has adopted a most peculiar rule, to the effect that any 

 dog with white other than on breast is a particolour. The result is that 

 we have dogs forced into the particolour class because of one or two white 

 toes, while one with ten times the amount of white on breast is a solid- 

 coloured dog. The well-known dog Buster Brown is a notable example 



o o r 



of straining at a gnat and swallowing a camel, as exemplified by this rule. 

 Buster has white enough on his breast to cover a man's hand, and on the 

 top of his nose there is the least touch of roan. By no stretch of the imagina- 

 tion can it be called a white blaze, the few white hairs running through 

 the coat not being observable until the dog is closely inspected. This 

 little flick of white makes him a particolour, however, while the wide frill 

 and great splash of white on his chest would not prevent his being shown 

 as a solid red. A particolour should be broken up in colour if it is one 

 with white as one of the component colours. 



The record of New York this year adds colour to the expressed opinion 

 regarding the older dogs holding their own. In the black dog division 

 we find Fritz III. on the retired list after having at six years of age beaten 

 his class at New York in 1904. In his place was the four-year-old dog 

 Rhinebeck Rollick. In other than black dogs, Romany Rye at seven years 

 of age and Chief II., six years, were the best two. In the bitch classes 

 Mr. Bloodgood did not show his old winners which had done duty so long, 

 relying upon Mepal's Dagmar, who was a little over two years old. In 

 the particolours and other than black Lorelei still held her own at four 

 years of age. We must of course look for many changes in forthcoming 

 prize lists in regard to the dogs named as winners this year, as they are all 

 getting to the age where it is advisable to retire them with honour; it is 

 not likely, however, that there will be any radical change in owners of 

 the winners. Since the Swiss Mountain Kennels retired a few years ago, 

 there has been little to interfere with the success of the Mepal Kennels, 

 and as the stock is breeding on and producing an annual crop of winners 

 and plenty of good bitches to breed from, the upper hand in blacks is held 

 at this kennel, closely followed by Mr. Greer's Brookdale Kennels, though 

 this gentleman is more prone to an occasional outside purchase than is 

 Mr. Bloodgood. Messrs. Douglas and Dunn, of Woodstock, still ably 



