SPORTING DOGS 49 



In the first place, rheumatism is by no means an uncommon complaint in China, and 

 no animal renders itself more liable to this ailment than one that is difficult and troublesome 

 to dry. A dog has to negotiate a lot of " water business " in the course of a day's shooting 

 in these provinces. He often returns to the boat wet, only to be turned over to the tender 

 mercies of a coolie who performs the essential duties of drying and grooming with customary 

 native perfunctoriness, so that the animal not only may be sent to bed wet himself but be 

 an active cause of discomfort to his kennel companions in the boat. Besides, retrievers 

 generally hold so much water in their coats as to render themselves a perfect nuisance when 

 crossing creeks in sampans or dinghies. Further than this, the very nature of their jackets 

 renders them specially liable to collect the grass and other seeds, "fruitful cause of untold 

 woe." And finally, retrievers from their size and weight constantly find themselves in trouble 

 when working brambly cover, are invariably clumsy in their attempts at extrication from 

 tangled beans and similar crops, and, as a rule, are not only slow in setting to work to bring 

 back a wounded bird but slower still in returning with the quarry. Such are the more 

 prominent objections to this class of dog. 



Still, should a sportsman elect to have a retriever in this country, he might with 

 advantage have regard to the following simple points : — The dog's coat should be jet black 

 and lie very flat, no curl whatever being admissible. The head should be long, with a 

 squarish not a pointed muzzle, the ear small, the neck "airy," and the tail carried below the 

 level of the back. Above all he should stand low. 



SPANIELS. 



For many years spaniels enjoyed a certain popularity in North China, if one might 

 judge from the comparatively large numbers one came across but they were mostly locally 

 born and so frequently of very questionable parentage, of all sorts of sizes, shapes and 

 colours, yet maintaining that headstrongness indissolubly associated, rightly or wrongly, 

 with the name of spaniel. I think wrongly, for a spaniel taken early in hand, as all dogs 

 should be if perfect obedience is expected, can be made as useful and amenable as any field 

 dog, while its gaiety is a never ending source of pleasure, and its persistency and perseverance 

 are virtues which compel admiration. Two kinds of spaniels suggest themselves as being 

 best adapted for this country, the big field spaniel, Norfolk for choice, and the Clumber. 

 The former should stand as high on the leg as possible, or it will find itself sadly discounted 

 when the tangle of a cane brake in half a foot of water has to be negociated. The Clumber, 

 the silent worker, to be of real service, should not exceed 50 lbs. in weight, yet be strong with 

 plenty of bone and a perfectly flat coat, for any curl is not only indicative of a cross but 

 sadly harassing to the animal. The great drawbacks to spaniels of any kind, the only 

 drawbacks in fact, are that their long ears and full coats are certain seed traps, and require 

 a large amount of care, thorough and incessant, to keep them clean and free. 



SETTERS. 



From time to time some capital setters have been seen in China — handsome, well-bred 

 and in some instances, well-broken dogs of nearly all the recognised breeds — Laveracks, 

 Llewellyns, Gordons and Irish, but they seem to have had their day, and an imported dog of 

 this class of any value nowadays is of the rarest occurrence. In a less degree, because his coat 



