248 The Dog Book 



was closely related to the English water spaniel, and stated that some of 

 the strongest of the cockers were found in Sussex and called Sussex spaniels, 

 and that another and smaller variety was the Duke of Marlborough's. 

 Also that the term cocker was taken from their being used for woodcock 

 shooting. 



That is the only attempted distinction we have found written about 

 that time, and all other spaniel information tends to show that there was 

 little discrimination in spaniel names. In the Rev. Mr. Simons's useful little 

 book previously referred to regarding English and Irish setters he begins a 

 chapter headed "The Springing Spaniel" by saying: "The cocking or 

 gun spaniel of true, perfect breed." It is quite true that he only describes 

 what we know nowadays as the cocker — "back broad and short, legs short 

 with breeches behind" — which does not fit a large dog at all, besides which, 

 he first places the "black and tan, commonly called the King Charles" 

 breed. On the other hand, he describes no large spaniel at all, and yet 

 uses the words springing spaniel to cover the entire group. Mr. Simons 

 covers the ground from 1725 to 1775. We then take Daniel; 1801-13 

 are the dates of the editions of his "Rural Sports." Throughout the entire 

 work, of the editions we have seen, he never uses any word but spaniel, 

 no matter what the sport may be under consideration in which they are 

 used, except in one instance when he italicises springing spaniels in con- 

 nection with shooting some red-legged partridges in turnips which always 

 ran from pointers. It almost looks as if he meant to say that they were 

 not setting spaniels. Vincent's poem, "Fowling," is also drawn blank, 

 spaniel being the only word he uses, and on one occasion he might well 

 have used either "springing" or "cocking" when he writes, "The questing 

 spaniel some prefer," in his description of pheasant shooting. Again, in 

 Scott's "Field Sports" of the same period we find but the one word, "span- 

 iel." On the other hand, we have in Bewick's "History of Quadrupeds" 

 an illustration and description of "the springer, or cocker," in which he 

 includes the King Charles and the Pyrame Dog, Buffon's name for the 

 Blenheim. But here we must take into consideration that Daniel, W. H. 

 Scott and Vincent were experts with a thorough knowledge of the correct 

 terms in usage and Bewick was not. 



When we come to the next group of writers we find J. Scott, in the 

 "Sportsman's Repository," publishing an illustration by Reinagle of 

 a large, leggy spaniel springing a woodcock, with the title "springer,'* 



