154 WATCH DOGS, HOUSE DOGS, AND TOY DOGS. 



shrill note of defiance. The great objection to these handsome 

 little creatures as pets is that they follow badly out of doors, and 

 as they are always ready to be fondled by a stranger, they are very 

 liable to be stolen. Hence many people prefer the toy terrier, or 

 the Skye, which is now introduced very extensively as a toy dog, 

 and might with equal propriety be inserted in this chapter, as in 

 that which he occupies. The King Charles and Blenheim spaniels 

 are often crossed, and then you may have good specimens of each 

 from the same litter, but if true their colours never vary. 



The points of the King Charles spaniel are : extremely short 

 muzzle, which should be slightly turned up ; black nose and palate ; 

 full prominent eye, which is continually weeping, leaving a gutter 

 of moisture down the cheek ; a round bullet-shaped head, with 

 a well-marked " stop " between the eyes ; very long, full-haired, 

 and silky ears, which should fall close to the cheeks, and not stand 

 out from them. The body is covered with wavy hair of a silky 

 texture, without curl; and the legs should be feathered to the toes, 

 the length and silkiness of this being a great point. Tail well 

 feathered, but not bushy ; it is usually cropped. The colour 

 should be a rich black and tan, without a white hair ; but those 

 marked as in the left-hand dog of the engraving are not to be 

 despised, and sometimes make their appearance in a litter of 

 which both sire and dam had scarcely a white hair. The weight 

 should never exceed 6, or at the utmost 7 lbs. ; and they are 

 valued the more if they are as low as 4i or 5 lbs. 



The points of the Blenheim vary very little from those of the 

 King Charles, except in colour, which is always a white ground 



