160 DOGS AND ALL ABOUT THEM 



past there has not been very much intermingling of blood 

 between the Blacks and those known by the awkward designa- 

 tion of " Any Other Variety," though, of course, all came 

 originally from the same parent stock. 



The black members of the family have always been given 

 the pride of place, and accounted of most importance, though 

 latterly their parti-coloured brethren seem to have rather 

 overtaken them. 



Among the really old writers there is one mention, and one 

 only, of Spaniels of a black colour. Arcussia speaks of them, 

 and of their being used in connection with the sport of hawk- 

 ing, but from his time up to the middle of the nineteenth 

 century, though many colours are spoken of as being appro- 

 priate to the various breeds of Spaniels, no author mentions 

 black. 



The first strain of blacks of which we know much belonged 

 to Mr. F. Burdett, and was obtained from a Mr. Footman, 

 of Lutterworth, Leicestershire, who was supposed to have 

 owned them for some time. Mr. Burdett 's Bob and Frank 

 may be found at the head of very many of the best pedigrees. 

 At his death most of his Spaniels became the property of 

 Mr. Jones, of Oscott, and Mr. Phineas Bullock, of Bilston, the 

 latter of whom was most extraordinarily successful, and 

 owned a kennel of Field Spaniels which was practically un- 

 beatable between the dates of the first Birmingham Show 

 in 1861 and the publication of the first volume of the Kennel 

 Club's Stud Book in 1874, many, if not most, of the dogs which 

 won for other owners having been bred by him. His Nellie 

 and Bob, who won the chief prizes year after year at all the 

 leading shows, were probably the two best specimens of their 

 day. Another most successful breeder was Mr. W. W. 

 Boulton, of Beverley, whose kennel produced many celebrated 

 dogs, including Beverlac, said to be the largest Field Spaniel 

 ever exhibited, and Rolf, whose union with Belle produced 

 four bitches who were destined, when mated with Nigger, a 

 dog of Mr. Bullock's breeding, to form the foundation of the 



