70 THE DOG IN HEALTH. 



and head. The liead of the cocker, as a whole, is not so 

 heavy, nor the muzzle so square throughout. The dome 

 of the skull of the cocker should correspond nearly with 

 the segment of a circle. Ears in both low set, but more 

 so in the field spaniel, in which they are also larger. 



The eyes should not be either full or sunken, and in 

 color correspond with the coat. They are apt to be too 

 light, which spoils the expression. The correct amount 

 of stop and cleanness of chiseling, with correct eyes, has 

 much to do with quality in both breeds — in fact, in any 

 breed of dogs. 



In the rest of the form the field spaniel and the cocker 

 differ but little from each other. 



The neck should be long enough to allow the nose to 

 reach the ground, but free from throatiness ; shoulders 

 muscular and sloping ; chest fairly wide and deep ; ribs 

 well sprung and extending back, so that the coupling shall 

 be short ; the loin strong, and the flank not tucked up. 



Legs and Feet are parts which, in spaniels as in 

 all other very long and low dogs, are apt to be wrong. 

 Legs should be strong in bone, to support weight and 

 enable the animal to push through thick coverts ; fore- 

 legs short and straight (not bandy) ; elbows free, and 

 neither in nor out ; hind-legs strong, with well-bent stifle 

 and good hocks, turning neither in nor out. Feet of 

 moderate size, thick ; toes well arched, pads hard, and 

 plenty of hair between the toes. 



Length. — It is still agreed that the field spaniel should 

 be very long and low ; but in America there is now a re- 

 action against cocker dogs as long as those high in favor 

 in England. The standard in vogue says of the cocker : 



