412 Modern Dogs. 



J. S. Skidmore, Mr. N. Morton, and a few others 

 took them in hand. But they never appeared to 

 become popular, possibly because their coats were so 

 often ragged and untidy, and, maybe, shooting men 

 found other dogs equally useful for wild fowl pur- 

 poses. In 1862 two classes were provided for them 

 at Birmingham, and, although there were but three 

 competitors the Curzon Hall executive have sup- 

 ported the Irish spaniel ever since, although, as 

 a rule, competition is meagre and the entries are 

 few. 



To me it has been a matter of regret that nothing 

 appears to be known as to the early history of the 

 Irish water spaniel, and even Mr. McCarthy omits to 

 tell us where he first obtained his strain. Richard- 

 son is equally silent on the matter, and he an Irish- 

 man too. Still, he writes of and illustrates a dog 

 similar to the breed already described. Gervase 

 Markham (1595) tells of a " liver-hued water 

 dog" that is " swiftest in swimming;" but he 

 does not identify it with the Emerald Isle. Perhaps 

 some one interested in the subject may yet be able 

 to find out something as to the origin of this 

 variety, and about what period it first came to 

 be identified with the country from which it takes 

 its name. 



Without entering more fully into the particulars, 



