284 



THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG. 



bitch indeed, being directly descended from 

 the dogs carried off from Rosehill by old 

 Relf ; and he subsequently became pos- 

 sessed of two other pure Rosehill bitches, 

 named Cyprus and Bustle, so that his 

 strain is probably the purest, and more full 

 of the original blood than any other. Al- 

 though Mr. Newington's kennel has been 

 somewhat overshadowed by the phenomenal 

 success of the " Bridford " Spaniels, it has 



MRS. F. wooLLAND's CH. BRIDFORD MOCKY 



BY BRIDFORD PRINCE BRIDFORD MINNIE. 



BRED BY MR. M. WOOLLAND 



always maintained a \'ery high standard 

 of excellence, and many famous show 

 specimens have come from it, notably 

 Rosehill Ruler II. (a splendid Sussex, 

 scarcely inferior to Bridford Giddie), Romu- 

 lus, Reine, Rita, Rush, Rock, Rag, and 

 Ranji, and many others of almost equal 

 merit. 



Although the lion's share of the prizes has 

 been divided between these two kennels, 

 a good many useful Spaniels of this breed 

 have been shown from time to time by other 

 exhibitors. ]\Ir. Robert Chapman's Heather 

 Glen, Heather Ann, and Heather May were 

 all of more than average merit, and Mr. 

 F. C. Wade and Mr. E. Boniface have both 

 achieved a certain measure of success. 



My own kennel of Sussex, started from 

 a " Woolland-bred " foundation, has been 

 going for some fifteen years, the best I have 

 shown being Jonathan Swift, Celbridge 

 Eldorado, and Celbridge Chrysolite. I have 

 not found them very easy to breed, the 



bitches being very uncertain, and the pup- 

 pies delicate and hard to rear when one does 

 get a good litter ; but in spite of this I still 

 retain enough enthusiasm to stick to it, 

 especially as at the present time, owing to 

 Mr. Woolland's retirement, the breed seems 

 to be left almost entirely to Mr. Newington 

 and myself, we having furnished between 

 us eighteen out of the twenty entries at 

 the last Kennel Club Show. This delicacy 

 I attribute mainly to excessive inbreeding, 

 which is, I fear, almost unavoidable, as there 

 are so few pure-bred specimens left. 



The breed has always had a good charac- 

 ter for work, and most of the older writers 

 who mention them speak of Sussex Spaniels 

 in very eulogistic terms. They are rather 

 slow workers, but thoroughly conscientious 

 and painstaking, and are not afraid of any 

 amount of thick covert, through which they 

 will force their way, and seldom leave any- 

 thing behind them. 



All Sussex Spaniels give tongue when on 

 a scent ; at least, there are very few ex- 

 ceptions to this rule, and it used to be 

 said that one could tell by the difference of 

 the note whether one of these dogs was 

 hunting fur or feather. 



In these days mute Spaniels are fashion- 

 able, and it has been the custom among 

 Field Trial judges to penalise a Spaniel who 

 gives tongue. This is, I think, a mistake, 

 as it is natural for some breeds to do so ; 

 and I must say that to my ears the deep 

 melodious note of a Sussex Spaniel is a 

 most pleasant sound, and not without its 

 uses, as one often brings off a shot, particu- 

 larly at rabbits in thick covert, which one 

 would not have a chance of without that 

 warning from one's four-footed companion. 

 Several of Mr. Newington's Sussex have 

 competed, with considerable credit to them- 

 selves, at the Field Trials, though the more 

 attractive work of the Clumbers and Spring- 

 ers has prevented them attaining the high- 

 est honours. 



A well-bred Sussex Spaniel is a very 

 handsome dog. Indeed, his beautiful colour 

 alone is enough to make his appearance an 

 attractive one, even if he were unsym- 

 metrical and ungainly in his proportions. 



