THE SPORTING SPANIEL 159 



his new coat. In time, of course, it is liable to get somewhat 

 bleached by sun and weather, when it turns almost yellow. 

 Every expert knows this colour well, and looks for it at once 

 when judging a class of Sussex. 



The description of the breed given by the Spaniel Club is 

 as follows : 



Head The skull should be moderately long, and also wide, with an 

 indentation in the middle, and a full stop, brows fairly heavy ; occiput 

 full, but not pointed, the whole giving an appearance of heaviness 

 without dulness. Eyes Hazel colour, fairly large, soft and languishing, 

 not showing the haw overmuch. Nose The muzzle should be about 

 three inches long, square, and the lips somewhat pendulous. The 

 nostrils well developed and liver colour. Ears Thick, fairly large, 

 and lobe shaped ; set moderately low, but relatively not so low as in the 

 Black Field Spaniel ; carried close to the head, and furnished with 

 soft wavy hair. Neck Is rather short, strong, and slightly arched, 

 but not carrying the head much above the level of the back. There 

 should not be much throatiness in the skin, but well marked frill in the 

 coat. Chest and Shoulders The chest is round, especially behind the 

 shoulders, deep and wide, giving a good girth. The shoulders should 

 be oblique. Back and Back Ribs The back and loin are long, and 

 should be very muscular, both in width and depth ; for this develop- 

 ment the back ribs must be deep. The whole body is characterised as 

 .low, long, level, and strong. Legs and Feet The arms and thighs must 

 be bony, as well as muscular, knees and hocks large and strong, pasterns 

 very short and bony, feet large and round, and with short hair between 

 the toes. The legs should be very short and strong, with great bone, 

 and may show a slight bend in the forearm, and be moderately well 

 feathered. The hind-legs should not be apparently shorter than the 

 fore-legs, or be too much bent at the hocks, so as to give a Settery 

 appearance which is so objectionable. The hind-legs should be well 

 feathered above the hocks, but should not have much hair below that 

 point. The hocks should be short and wide apart. Tail Should be 

 docked from five to seven inches, set low, and not carried above the 

 level of the back, thickly clothed with moderately long feather. Coat 

 Body coat abundant, flat or slightly waved, with no tendency to curl, 

 moderately well feathered on legs and stern, but clean below the hocks. 

 Colour Rich golden liver ; this is a certain sign of the purity of the 

 breed, dark liver or puce denoting unmistakably a recent cross with the 

 black or other variety of Field Spaniel. General Appearance Rather 

 massive and muscular, but with free movements and nice tail action 

 denoting a tractable and cheerful disposition. Weight from 35 Ib. to 

 45 Ib. 



VI. THE FIELD SPANIEL. The modern Field Spaniel may 

 be divided into two classes. Indeed, we may almost say at 

 this stage of canine history, two breeds, as for several years 



