240 The Dog Book 



She was bred by Mr. Spracklin, and her sire was Bob Jr. by Bob III. out 

 of Black Bess. Her dam Muggins was by Brahmin out of Gipsy, by 

 Rollo out of Judy. Black Bess was Dr. Niven's cocker celebrity by the 

 English dog Brush out of Dr. Boulton's. great cocker bitch Rhea. Bob III. 

 was a leggy fellow we got from "Billy" Graham, of Belfast, and a dog 

 that lives in our memory as the worst spaniel to fight we ever had. After 

 much consideration we decided to stretch the bonds of friendship with 

 the most amiable friend we had, Dr. Niven, so Bob III. went to London, 

 Ont., and, mated with Black Bess, got some very useful spaniels, such as 

 Doctor and this Bob Jr. Graham visited New York a year or so after the 

 arrival of Bob III., and we asked him what prompted him to send such a 

 fighting spaniel. When Billy could not answer he usually asked a question, 

 so in this case he wanted to know if we had ever seen him fight a red dog, 

 and then came the story: 



"I had him at my place before I sent him out to you, and he was the 

 divil to fight, and I got tired of it. One day I thought I would stop him, 

 so I slipped three of the hardest of my terriers (Irish) out of their kennels, 

 and then I helped them a bit with my stick. The divil a red dog would 

 Bob touch after that, and he went out for his daily run with the rest of 

 them till I sent him to you." 



Mr. Keasbey took another first with the black and tan Newton Abbot 

 Farmer, a dog of many owners in this country. Judex was given the 

 special for the best field spaniel, which is in keeping with what we have 

 just written as to his merits as the best American bred, written purely 

 from recollection of the dog and prior to noting this good win. 



The year 1894 was not particularly noticeable in field spaniels. A 

 new dog called Staley Baron was brought over by Toon and Thomas — a 

 particularly lengthy dog, but one we never took a liking to. His first test 

 against a good dog was in 1895 at New York, when he was beaten by Royd 

 Monarch. Mr. Marcel A. Viti also made a first appearance in a very 

 modest way as the owner of a black bitch named Gossip, bred in Canada 

 by Mr. Laidlaw, and out of his Woolland bitch Bridford Gladys. Gossip's 

 sire was Muggins, who was by the cocker Black Pete II. out of Queen, 

 the winning New York bitch just referred to, who was by a son of Bob III., 

 the fighting spaniel. Gossip proved a very useful purchase for Mr. Viti. 



The following year brought about some changes. Mr. George R. 

 Preston, Jr., who had for a year or more been showing Clumbers with 



