THE IEISH WATEE SPANIEL. 101 



at his elbows from his width of chest, and occasionally his legs are bowed from 

 rickets, to which disease he is especially prone. These defects when present should 

 be heavily penalised, as they are faults of great importance. 



8. The colour (value 5) is always white, with more or less lemon ; and 

 when the latter is freckled over the face and legs the colour is perfect. The 

 face should always be white, with lemon head, and at the best a line of white down 

 its middle. 



9. The coat (value 5) must be soft and silky, slightly wavy, and, though 

 abundant, by no means long, except in feather. 



10. The stern (value 5) must be set low, and carried considerably downwards, 

 especially when at work. 



THE IEISH WATEE SPANIEL. 



In Ireland two breeds of this dog are known, which are distinguished by the 

 prefixes North and South, the latter being also named after Mr. McCarthy, a gentle- 

 man who, between thirty and forty years ago, alone possessed it in perfection. At 

 the present time the M'Carthy strain may be considered to be the type of the Irish 

 water spaniel ; and his description published in the Field in 1859 is the standard by 

 which the breed is judged, and must therefore be so regarded. 



Most of the prize winners of late years have been more " on the leg " than Capt. 

 O'Grady's dog (an engraving of which was published in my first edition in 1865) ; 

 but several bitches have been successful even lower than he was. They all show, 

 however, in greater perfection one peculiarity of the strain, viz., the total absence 

 of feather both on tail and legs ; whereas Capt. O'Grady's dog, though good in tail, 

 was feathered considerably on his legs. I shall therefore substitute portraits from 

 remarkably good photographs of Mr. Lindoe's celebrated brace, Eake and Blarney, 

 which for five or six years shared with Mr. Skidmore's Doctor (half brother to 

 Eake) the chief prizes of the various English shows. Eake was descended from 

 M'Carthy's celebrated dog Boatswain, on the side of his dam ; but his grandsire on 

 the other side, also called Boatswain, was from another kennel. He was considered 

 by Capt. Montresor and by Mr. M'Carthy himself to be a good specimen of the 

 breed ; and their endorsement must be regarded as final. 



The Irish water spaniel has been imported into England in considerable num- 

 bers, but not to such an extent as to become common ; why, I am at a loss to know, 

 as from Mr. Lindoe's experience, and that of Mr. Englebach (formerly of Tedding- 

 ton), in addition to the account given originally by M'Carthy himself, I am led to 

 believe that he is by far the most useful dog for wildfowl shooting at present in 

 existence. " Notwithstanding their natural impetuosity of disposition," Mr. Lindoe 

 says, "these spaniels, if properly trained, are the most tractable and obedient of 

 all dogs, and possess in a marked degree the invaluable qualities of never giving up 

 or giving in. From real personal experience of almost every kind of dog," he goes 

 on to say, "they are the cleverest, gamest, and most companionable of all." 

 Judging from my knowledge of Mr. Englebach's Pat, bred by Mr. Skidmore, to 



