THE IMPROVED ART OF FARRIERY. 445 



they more resemble each other in shape, style of hunt- 

 ing, or last, not least, in strength and courage. It 

 is an old saying, of dogs as well as horses, that a good 

 dog cannot be of a bad colour ; nor, as many will 

 infer, of a bad sort. It cannot be denied, that in some, 

 nay, in many instances, arrant curs have proved ex- 

 cellent hunters ; and have, in every respect, answered 

 the purposes of the spaniel. As breeders, however, 

 they cannot be depended on. To some of their pos- 

 terity they may transmit their good qualities ; but as, 

 from natural causes, they must in time degenerate, 

 and get fond of vermin, moreover, as the appearance 

 of them is such a discredit to the sportsman, the true 

 spaniel should be substituted in their stead. 



Of the few real spaniels now amongst us, the sup- 

 posed descendants of such as were formerly introduced, 

 when woodcocks were plentier in the western parts of 

 England, we may trace three or four families ; the 

 yellow-pied, with fine silky hair ; the liver-coloured, 

 long-legged, sharp- eared ; as also the liver-spotted, 

 round-eared, short-jointed, both peculiar to Devon- 

 shire ; and the coal-black, with tan legs and tan spots 

 over the eyes, in Cornwall. These are all supposed 

 to be of a genuine breed ; and those which have been 

 well broken have turned out invariably good ; because 

 they have ever borne spots and marks as indicative of 

 their family ; and because, when broken, they have 

 resembled each other as respectively in their habits 

 and utility. The rough breed, of various colours, and 

 the large, liver-spotted, with very long shaggy ears, 

 seem almost extinct. 



" When we speak of breed, however, in the spaniel, 

 we speak of one half only of what is required of this 

 sort of dog. Without good breaking, the best show 

 their origin, and resemble their ancestors only in 



