CHAPTER XXV 

 THE SPORTING SPANIEL 



I. THE SPANIEL FAMILY. The Spaniel family is without 

 any doubt one of the most important of the many groups which 

 are included in the canine race, not only on account of its 

 undoubted antiquity, and, compared with other families, its 

 well authenticated lineage, but also because of its many 

 branches and subdivisions, ranging in size from the majestic 

 and massive Clumbers to the diminutive toys which we are 

 accustomed to associate with fair ladies' laps and gaily-decked 

 pens at our big dog shows. 



Moreover, the different varieties of Setters undoubtedly 

 derive their origin from the same parent stock, since we find 

 them described by the earlier sporting writers as " setting " 

 or " crouching " Spaniels, in contradistinction to the " find- 

 ing " or " springing " Spaniel, who flushed the game he 

 found without setting or pointing it. As time went on, the 

 setting variety was, no doubt, bred larger and longer in the 

 leg, with a view to increased pace ; but the Spaniel-like head 

 and coat still remain to prove the near connection between 

 the two breeds. 



All the different varieties of Spaniels, both sporting and 

 toy, have, with the exception of the Clumber and the Irish 

 Water Spaniel (who is not, despite his name, a true Spaniel at 

 all), a common origin, though at a very early date we find 

 them divided into two groups viz., Land and Water Spaniels, 

 and these two were kept distinct, and bred to develop those 

 points which were most essential for their different spheres 

 of work. The earliest mention of Spaniels to be found in 



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