252 ALL ABOUT DOGS 



The Japanese Spaniel — The last of the Toy Spaniel 

 family to be noticed is the Japanese Spaniel, and, at the 

 present time, I think, it enjoys the most popularity, and 

 is kept by ladies of high rank, as well as by their hum- 

 bler fellow-creatures. In point of colour, they most re- 

 semble the Prince Charlies, and they are sometimes, 

 but not often, seen almost the colours of a Blenheim. 

 They are not so high, or domed in skull, but much wider, 

 both in head and face, with very short nose, fairly large, 

 pendulous ears, large, dark, full eyes, rather short on 

 legs, cobby in body, and with tail curled over back, 

 something in the way of the Maltese Terrier. They have 

 a very quaint, old-fashioned look about them, even 

 when puppies, and, unless they have been bred in this 

 country, or, until they get acclimatized, are certainly 

 delicate, and the mortality amongst the imported speci- 

 mens has been very great. It is now sometime since I 

 had any of the breed, and, at that time, larger specimens 

 were in vogue than now appear at our shows; but no 

 doubt, as ladies' pets, they are better, not exceeding 

 eight or nine pounds. I may mention, to prove how 

 these pretty little creatures have come forward of late 

 years, I was present at a large London show, where a 

 Japanese Spaniel, belonging to a friend of mine, a well- 

 known lady-exhibitor, was awarded the first prize (a 

 seventy-guinea silver cup in which the winner might 

 have been hidden!) as the " Champion of champions," 

 in a class composed of all the specimens of all kinds of 

 dogs, that had been awarded a championship at that 

 show, and the gratified owner had the honour of receiv- 

 ing the splendid prize from H. R. H. the Princess of 



