284 Modern Dogs. 



other respects, but higher on the leg and not so 

 massive and inclined to the spaniel type as that 

 excellent tri-colour dog shown by Mr. J. B. 

 Cockerton, and winning recently under the name 

 of Royal Rap. 



Albrecht Diirer was a Flemish painter. Had he 

 been from Spain, I might have taken his production 

 as some sort of evidence that our spaniel or setter 

 did originally come from Spain. All authorities say 

 so, but produce no proof of the fact. The country 

 of bull-fights appear to have been generally a happy 

 hunting-ground for the discovery of valued strains 

 of the dog, for, it has been said, the bulldog had its 

 origin there. One great English admirer of the 

 latter actually took a journey into Spain for the 

 purpose of bringing back new blood of pure bulldog 

 race, with which to cross and improve what he con- 

 sidered the degenerating bulldog of Great Britain! 

 John Bull allowing his fidus Achates to degenerate ! 

 What an idea ! I may say en passant that the big, 

 vulgar Spanish dog, with his ears shorn off, that 

 was imported, did not improve our native breed, nor 

 has our British bulldog degenerated in the least. 

 Even now, as in the day of Johannes Caius, we 

 like something foreign in the form of dog flesh, and 

 to Spain have we likewise flown fora coarse pointer; 

 to. France for poodles ; to Holland for pugs ; and to 



