94 THE DOGS OF THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 



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

 latter of whom has crossed them with the Sussex, and apparently with the water- 

 spaniel. In the last ten years he has almost monopolised the prizes in the spaniel 

 classes, and without doubt he has deserved his success. I regret that I am unable 

 to present to the readers of this book a portrait of any of his dogs, having in 

 vain applied to him for the necessary facilities ; but the omission is of the less 

 consequence, because he has gradually introduced so much Sussex blood into 

 the old strain that the produce are almost exactly of that type, with the single 

 exception of the head; and for the illustration of the pure Sussex I prefer the 

 original selection, as represented by Mr. Soames's George. In order to obtain 

 the genuine field spaniel other than Sussex or Clumber, I have consequently been 

 obliged to look outside Mr. P. Bullock's kennel, and have fortunately discovered 

 the very best specimen I have ever seen in the possession of Mr. W. Gillett, of 

 Hull, together with his dam, the former bred by Mr. W. W. Boulton, of Beverley, 

 whose portraits are given with this chapter, associating with them a little old- 

 fashioned cocker bitch, bred by Mr. Lort, to serve as a contrast. Brush, the young 

 dog above alluded to, has all the bone, symmetry, and quality of Mr. Bullock's 

 dogs, with a flatter, softer, and more silky coat, and without the heavy ears, 

 which are, in my opinion, faults in the Bilston kennel. His ears are of the true 

 spaniel type, lobular in shape without being too heavy, and he has plenty of feather 

 for his age, whilst his middle only requires another six months to be perfect. As 

 to his head, legs, and feet, I have never seen them equalled, and his colour is the 

 finest jet black, with a most beautiful polish. Nell shows signs of age, and has 

 too much ear for my taste; but her success on the show bench qualifies her for 

 her position in the group. As to Ladybird, I have selected her as the type of a 

 working hedgerow spaniel. She is about 181b. in weight, with excellent legs and 

 feet, and ears not likely to get in her way in pushing through the brambles or 

 gorse. She was bred by Mr. Lort, and combines the Burdett and Lort strains with 

 other old ones unknown to fame. 



Since the above was written in 1876 Brush has won several prizes, my opinion 

 of him being endorsed by various judges. 



THE MODEEN COCKEE. 



The above title includes every kind of field spaniel except the Sussex and 

 Clumber, and it is therefore necessary to allude to the Norfolk Spaniel as well 

 as to the Welsh and Devon Cocker. The Norfolk spaniel is still found scattered 

 throughout the country, and is generally of a liver and white colour, sometimes 

 black and white, and rarely lemon and white; usually a good deal ticked with 

 colour in the white. Higher on the leg than the Clumber or the Sussex, he is 

 generally more active than either, sometimes almost rivalling the setter in lightness 

 of frame ; his ears are long, lobular, and heavily feathered, and he is a very useful 

 dog when thoroughly broken, but he is apt to be too wild in his behaviour and 

 too wide in his range until he has had a longer drill than most sportsmen can 



