Ladies' Toy Dogs, 87 



The King Charles Spaniel is now always either 

 black and tan without white, or a mixture of these colours 

 in handsome patches, the tan spot over the eye in the 

 latter case being always an important feature. In the 

 time of Charles II., from whom the dog gets his name, 

 the colour, as shown by Vandyck, was liver and white, 

 which colour was in vogue until the present century, when 

 the black and tan superseded it, and is now considered tlie 

 speciality of the breed. Nor is the modern shortness of 

 face of old standing when carried to the extreme which 

 now prevails. Vandyck's dogs are quite sharp-nosed, 

 and those which I remember early in the present century 

 were at least only halfway on the road to the state in 

 which they are now exhibited, with faces like those of 

 the bulldog. At present the dog should weigh about 7 lbs, 

 (not more than 10 lbs.) Perfection in shape is seldom 

 attained below 7 lbs., but if it can be obtained in smaller 

 compass, so much the better 



He should have a round skull and large round promi- 

 nent eyes, with a deep indentation or "stop" between them. 

 The lower jaw should project beyond the upper, and 

 turn up. Large ears " touching the ground " are highly 

 esteemed, but this is a figurative expression. They must 

 droop close to the head and be thickly coated. The back 

 of all the legs must be densely feathered, and the feet must 

 be almost lost in the feather, which ought to project 

 beyond the nails. 



The tail should be carried low, the dog should stand 

 on short legs, and appear compact. Any protrusion of 

 the tongue is most objectionable. 



His coat should be silky, straight, very abundant, and 

 of the richest colour. The black should be intense, the 

 tan vivid and rich. The dog should be altogether free 

 from white. He should have tan of this rich red quality 

 on his cheeks and the inner margin of the ear. His lips 

 should be tan, and he should have a spot of the same 

 colour over eacli eye ; the larger this spot is the better. 

 His cheeks should be well tanned, also his chest or 

 " mane," all his legs, his belly, the feather of his haunches, 

 his vent, and the under plumage of his tail. 



