RETRIEVERS. AV 



sometimes curly, pointing to a cross with the water spaniel. As 

 house-dogF Cockers give infinitely more satisfaction than nine- 

 tenths of the animals usually assigned tcthat service. Average 

 weight 15 lbs. Blenheim and King Charles spaniels properly 

 belong to the Cocker family. 



Clumbers are properly a variety of the old Springer family, 

 of which were also the Norfolk and Sussex spaniels, but the 

 name has come into use in America to designate a class of 

 mutes, in contradistinction from cockers, which give tongue. 

 The clumbers proper are a strain orginating with the Newcastle 

 family, and were always of a lemon and white color. The Sussex 

 and Norfolk strains are not mute, the former being a decided 

 liver color with a golden shade, and the latter black and white, 

 or liver and white, with ticks of either color on the white. 



RETRIEVERS. 



There are two species, the water and the land retriever. The 

 water retriever is, or ought to be, a cross between the smaller kind 

 of Newfoundland dog, sometimes called the Labrador dog, and 

 the setter. This dog is especially useful to the sportsman when 

 shooting wild fowl, through creeks, bayous, etc., and saves him an 

 infinite deal of trouble, and is by no means in the way. Many 

 sportsmen imagine that this dog will scare wild fowl, but his 

 actions teach us just the contrary, as his careful training, natural 

 instinct, and color, act as a decoy rather than otherwise. A good 

 water retriever is, however, seldom to be met with, and should be 

 taught when quite young. Nothing answers this purpose better 

 than shooting divers or any young duck, then sending the retriever 

 in the water, and, after he has got his bird, call him to you, take 

 the bird gently oufof his mouth, caress and pat him. In three or 

 four lessons, if the water be not too cold, you will find there will 

 be no necessity of even telling him to fetch, as instinct and his 

 natural fondness for the water will be all that is necessary to make 

 a thorough retriever of him. The great drawback, however, is 

 that he must be kept in almost constant practice, and should be 

 carefully broken from rats, which abound on the banks of rivers 

 and lakes. 



The best cross for land is a setter with a springer or cocke/ 



