410 Modern Dogs. 



of the poodle with the daring of the spaniel, and 

 although, by reason of its coat, nearly useless in 

 covert, still no day is too long, no water too cold ; 

 and happy indeed ought the wild fowler to be if he 

 can procure a specimen of this invaluable and almost 

 extinct breed." 



The above and other letters brought a reply from 

 Mr. McCarthy, who had for long been looked up to 

 as the authority on the variety, and his communica- 

 tion to the Field (February i9th, 1859) must be 

 taken as the most important contribution on the 

 subject that had hitherto appeared. From this 

 description of his strain, the type of water spaniel 

 was formed, and so it has continued to the present 

 day. Mr. M'Carthy wrote: 



" I have been the owner of the curly coated Irish water spaniel 

 for the last thirty years, and have been, as it were, the godfather of 

 most of those to be disposed of, the dealers always recommending 

 their dogs by saying ' they are one of McCarthy's real old breed.' 

 I have bestowed many scores of dogs and bitches to gentlemen in 

 every county in Ireland and many parts of England, and bitches 

 have been sent to me from every part of this country for the 

 services of my celebrated dog Boatswain, the patriarch of all the 

 highly-bred dogs in the country, 



" There is in reality but two breeds of the true Irish Water 

 Spaniel. In the north the dog has generally short ears without 

 any feather, and is very often of a pied white and brown colour 

 in the south, the dog is of pure liver colour, with long ears, and 

 well curled, with short stiff curls all over the body. The present 

 improved and fancy breed, called M'Carthy's breed, should run 



