The English Water Spaniel. 429 



Spaniel dog class. Although beaten for the first place at this 

 exhibition, he made such an impression upon me that I can see 

 him in my mind's eye at the time of writing these notes, almost as 

 clearly as when I was looking at him at the Birmingham Show in 



1869. I had more than one conversation with those old spaniel 

 and sporting dog judges, Mr. W. Lort and the Rev. Frank Pearce 

 (" Idstone '') in reference to this dog, and both thought him a most 

 typical specimen. He won first prize at Birmingham in 1866, 1868, 



1870, and at the Crystal Palace, and gold medal at Paris in 1865 

 the latter a win that, however, the owner and breeder of Rover 

 thought more of, and a medal he was more pleased to show his 

 friends than, any of his numerous other prizes. This dog was a 

 beautiful bright chestnut red in colour, with a very deep square 

 body, which was not long, legs straight, and about twice as long 

 as the fashionable field spaniel seen at our present exhibitions, 

 with beautiful flat bone, which in quantity was sufficient to carry 

 his grand body without being lumbersome. I never heard the 

 weight of Rover, but should judge him, in show form, about 

 481b. ; his tail had been shortened a bit, but was rather long ; his 

 neck was simply grand, and sprung from the very best of working 

 placed shoulders, and his head was simply a study. Nothing in 

 the show world at the present time have we, even in the numerous 

 beautiful field spaniels, black, exhibited, have we a head with such 

 quality. The occiput showed itself slightly, and the head was of 

 considerable length throughout, the length from eye to occiput 

 and eye to nose being so beautifully balanced ; the brows very 

 cleanly cut, muzzle grandly developed, with just the correct 

 quantity of flew required to give a nice squareness ; the eyes dark, 

 showing no haw, but just a little bit of " coral " could be seen at 

 the inner corner of each eye, and the whole face was brimful of 

 spaniel fondness, life, and intelligence ; ears long, well feathered 

 inside as well as outside, and placed low, altogether making up 

 such a head as I would willingly travel 500 miles to see once 

 again. The coat was dense, but silky in texture, the curl of 

 which was not so close or crisp as we like in an Irish water 



