CLASSIFICATION OF DOGS. 69 



neglect to examine into the muscular development and 

 condition of the dogs that came before them in some 

 such way as is customary with the greyhound, for a dog 

 that has not plenty of muscle and in hard condition is not 

 lit for work ; and a dog with a make-up that is unsuited 

 for the intended purpose should not win, or judging will 

 become a farce and bench-shows a hindrance rather than 

 a help to the production of good animals. 



The Spaniels. — The spaniels do not point, but are 

 taught to keep within a short distance of the gun, and 

 give tongue when game is discovered by the nose. The 

 Clumber spaniel, however, hunts mute. 



In Britain the breeds most in favor are the Clumber, 

 the field, the cocker, the Irish water spaniel, and the Eng- 

 lish water spaniel. In America the only one of the span- 

 iels that is thoroughly popular is the cocker, and even he 

 is more of a companion or a house dog than a worker, 

 hence the tendency at present to breed very small speci- 

 mens. Excepting the water spaniels, the breeds agree in 

 being long, stoutly made, low dogs, with a profusion of 

 coat of soft texture. 



All the spaniels should be of an eminently docile and 

 sweet disposition. Those of the opposite characteristics 

 should be discarded. 



The Cocker and the Field Spaniels. — The former an ac- 

 tive, merry little dog, strong but not clumsy, and perhaps 

 the most symmetrical of all the short-legged group (pp. 

 216, 224, 230). 



Long, low, heavy-boned, and cobby in build, but a 

 small dog (between eighteen and twenty-eight pounds). 



He differs from the field spaniel in size, relative length, 



