294 



THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG. 



13. Coat. — Straight or flat, and thick. 



14. Colour. — Red or orange and white. 



15. General Appearance. — Symmetrical, com- 

 pact, strong, merry, active, not stilty. built for 

 endurance and activity, and about ;8 lb. and 

 upwards in weight, but not exceeding 45 lb. 



MRS. H. D. GREENES LONGMYNU MbGAN 



BY KIMLA DASH LONGMYND RUTH. 



I'hulogiarh by T. Fall. 



IX. The Cocker Spaniel.- For the last 

 few years the popuktrity of this smaUer 

 sized branch of the Spaniel tribe has been 

 steadily increasing, and at the time of 

 writing the Cocker classes at most of the 

 best shows are remarkable both for the 

 number of entries and the ^•ery high 

 standard of excellence to which they at- 

 tain. I have latterly often judged large 

 classes containing a dozen or more dogs, 

 every one of which fully deser\-ed a card 

 of commendation — a mark of apprecia- 

 tion which I never bestow out of empty 

 compliment, or to any animal I do not 

 consider possesses a considerable amount 

 of merit. 



A short time ago black Cockers were 

 decidedly more fashionable than their parti- 

 coloured relatives, but now the reverse is 

 the case, and the various roans and tricolours 

 have overtaken and passed the others, 

 both in general quality and in the public 

 esteem. The reason for this popularity 

 of the breed as a whole is not far to seek. 

 The affectionate and merry disposition of 



the Cocker and his small size compared 

 with that of the other breeds pre-eminently 

 fit him for a companion in the house as 

 well as in the field, and he ranks among 

 his admirers quite as many of the fairer 

 se.x as he does men — a fact which 

 is not without a certain element 

 of danger, since it should never be 

 lost sight of that the breed is a 

 sporting one, which should on no 

 account be allowed to degenerate into 

 a race of mere house companions 

 or toys. 



Small-sized Spaniels, usuall}' called 

 Cockers, from their being more espe- 

 cially used in woodcock shooting, have 

 been indigenous to Wales and Devon- 

 shire for many years, and it is most 

 likely from one or both of these 

 sources that the modern type has 

 been evolved. It is probable too 

 that the type in favour to-day, of a 

 short coupled, rather " cobby dog," 

 fairly high on the leg, is more like 

 that of these old - fashioned Cockers 

 than that which obtained a decade or 

 two ago, when they were scarcely re- 

 cognised as a separate breed, and the 

 Spaniel classes were usually divided into 

 ■' Field Spaniels over 25 lb." and " Field 

 Spaniels under 25 lb." In those da3''s a large 

 proportion of the prizes fell to miniature 

 Field Spaniels. The breed was not given 

 official recognition on the Kennel Club's 

 register till 1893, nor a section to itself 

 in the Stud Book ; and up to that date 

 the only real qualification a dog required 

 to be enabled to compete as a Cocker was 

 that he should be under the weight of 25 lb., 

 a limit arbitrarily and somewhat irration- 

 ally fi.xed, since in the case of an animal 

 just on the border-line he might very well 

 have been a Cocker before and a Field 

 Spaniel after breakfast. I was instru- 

 mental in 1901 in getting the Spaniel Club 

 to abolish this hard and fast weight limit 

 in their description, and the Kennel Club 

 accepted the amendment, so that, as is the 

 case wit!: almost all other breeds, the matter 

 is now entirely a question for the judge, 

 who, if lie knows his business, will probably 



