194 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Aran, 7, 1881. 



douse, the feather should not be very long anywhere, and should 

 on no account hand from the stern like a flag (as a Clumber's 

 does), nor should it extend bulovr the hooks, 



" I am one who (for several reasons) does not believe in judging 

 by points, but. for the benefit of those who do, 1 submit a code 

 which I consider about right : 



POSITIVE POINTS. 



Head 10 



Eyes 5 



Ears 5 



Nook... 5 



Body 15 



Fore-legs 10 



Hind-legs 15 



Feet II) 



Stern 5 



Coat 10 



General appearance 10 



Total positive points 100 



NECUITVF. POINTS. 



Light-colored eyes or nose, or showing the hair 10 



Ears with curly foather 10 



Curly coat 10 



Carriage of stern 20 



A top-knot or any other color or markings but golden- 

 liver, with or without a whito frill 50 



Total negative points , 100 



"The subject of your illustration, Romp, winner ot first prize 

 Crystal Palace, 1880, is by Mr. a. W. Marchant's old Rover (the 

 aire of Buohiugbam and Maude) out of Flirt, by a RosehhU dog out 

 of my champion Bustle. Marobant's Rover was by Sir P. Mick- 

 lethwaite's Dash out of Mr. Weston's Fanny, by Mr. S. W. 

 Marohant's Rover 11. out of his Duchess II." 



Mr. A. W. Langdale writes : 



" There is a notion in Sussex, especially round Brighton, 

 that liver-and-wbite is the orthodox Sussex" spaniel color ; but 

 such an idea is ridiculed when we get further into the county. 

 Old specimens arc very bad to_ see, and worse to obtain. I have 



iearch of a hona tide speei- 

 ired with a view, have never 

 t all my own. Of the use of 

 uuisy, babbling sort, that will 

 ft ; and so natural does this 

 l when out at exercise it one 

 , that same moment, no mat- 

 , and out comes the music. 

 i have been established, has brought 

 is, such as Bullock's George, Laug- 



mbled all over Susse: 

 men, and although I have been f : 

 yet been able to obtain one, and en 

 the dog there is no doubt. He is 

 raise a cock from the densest 08 

 babbliug seem to the breed, that Bf 

 gets off the high road into a meadi 

 tor how young, down go then - head; 

 The breed, since Sussex class* 

 out a number of different typ , 



dale's Lawyer, Salter's Chance, Spnrgin's Bebb and Pratt s General 

 Prim, to say nothing of MaXj Sweep, Rover III., Bucbingham, 

 Lady s-maid, Maude etc. Now, of these, George, Chance, Lawyer, 

 General Prim, Rover III. aud Bebb, are as different in their re- 

 spective points as it is possible to conceive. Buckingham (late 

 Mat) is called pure, aud claims his descent from Rosehill, the 

 place of all others, where this particular breed of Bpaniel is wor- 

 shiped. Taking him for a pure specimen, we cannot for one 

 moment believe that Bebb, Lawyer and George can be in the hunt. 

 Lawyer is a most taking dog, and when he made his debut he was 

 lauded to the skies, as the report in the Live Slock Journal of 

 July 4, 1874, when he was shown in the name of Nop, ran as fol- 

 lows : ' He appears to be good in all points, golden-liver in color, 

 with rare coat, good frill in front and a head so characteristic of 

 his breed that ho must prove a very dangerous rival to Bebb when 

 they meet in the ring.' So it was when, at tho next show, Mr. 

 Lort, after a long and deliberate look over the class, actually 

 placed this dog over Buckingham— a dog decidedly dark in color, 

 and very pointer-coated, but, as I have written before, said to be 

 true-bred. Maude (_his sister, same litter) is of much tho same 

 stamp, and if she were a little Longer in the head I don't know of 

 one to heather. Max, though having liver-aiid-white blood in 

 him, is decidedly the most typical dog of the day, aud bailing the 

 white star ou Landseer's Spaniel and Pheasant picture, is as like 

 that worthy draughtsman's specuneu as it is possible to be. I 

 will now give you what I consider to be the proper points of a 

 Sussex spaniel" Taking the head lirst — it must be a large head, 

 but not too narrow or long, yet not ehumpv ; in measurement T 

 should for a dog say h;„ luctma, a hitch bail' an inch less. The 

 ears should be large, but not heavily feathered ; no ourl is admis- 

 sible, and the shape of the ear is almost spoon-shaped, the mouth 

 of the spoon at the top ; they must be set low on the head. The 

 eye is full, and always hazel-colored . The nose liver-colored and 

 broad, not to say square. Fore-legs in many ot the dogs I have 

 been shown as pure bred are bowed, but why this should be I don't 

 know. It will have the effect of mailing them slower at their work, 

 and possibly that is desirable, but for appearance give me straight 

 limbs. Let them be well-feathered in the lore-legs, but not eo l)e- 

 low the hocks in the hind. The weight for a dog I put at forty 

 pounds, a bitch thirty-Jive poiuids. His shape aud make must be 

 long, low and heavy ; his stern must be docked to about ten 

 inches, aud when at work should be carried below the level of the 

 back. Toes and feet should Lo lirni and compact, and well fringed 

 between the former. Color should be golden-liver— puco or a 

 dead brown is decidedly objectionable, — and the less white on tho 

 chest the better. Coat must be Hat, not pointer-coated nor yet 

 setter but just between the two; a alight wave is not unbecoming." 



After so much has been said in favor of the Sussex spaniel by 

 the above two gentlemen, both of whom have worked so hard on 

 its behalf, there can remain but little to be added by ourselves. 



1. i . .m e ■ of a breed of spaniels which was identified with the 

 county of Sussex was known in the days of Taplin aud Scott, aud 

 Youatt, in his book, makes the following observations anient this 

 variety, for he says: " The largest and best breed of springers 

 is said to be in Sussex, and is much esteemed in the Wealds of 

 that county." This is by far tho handsomest compliment which 

 has been paid the Sussex up to Vouatt's time, and no doubt the 

 writer meant what be said, for the inhabitants of Sussex un- 

 doubtedlv set great storo upon then breed of spaniels. 



As in other varieties of dugs, color has been a fruitful cause for 

 discussion among admirers of the Sussex spaniel, and though 

 specimens of the correct shade have appeared in public, aud won 

 prizes at great shows, there have bar.n obpse l1oi:s r. l: i :- • ■ " i against 

 them on the ground that they were not pure Sussex ; uor, indeed, 

 were they such. The case of George, at Birmingham, which Mr 

 Bowers alludes to above, is a casein point, for hero was a good 

 liver-colored dog, tho offspring of black parents. It must not, 

 therefore, be by any means taken for granted that ft spaiuel is a 

 pure-bred Sussex beeauso his coat is of the desired color. This 

 should be a rich golden liver — which does not in the smallest de- 

 gree resemble the liver ot the water spaniel, which is more e-f a 

 puce color, The acquisition of the peculiar shade, so character 

 iatio of the Sussex, is ouo of the chief points for a breeder to have 

 in view, and without it uo admirer of this variety would be quite 

 .ma i e.j. T/i '■,_,,■ I.,, iieiy, owing to the many vicissitudes through 

 which the breed has passed, and the numerous crosses which have, 

 iu consequence, been resorted to, there are a number of dog 

 met with who do not possess the proper shade of a : ... i 

 haB, in fact, been made of dogs who, iu many respects, resembled 

 the true-bred Sussex, but who were disfigured by white markings, 

 which would be fatal to then- chances of success in competition, as 

 breeders of this variety are singularly uuanmious in their opinion 

 upon the subject of color, 



As a workman, the Sussex lays strong claim upon the sportBman. 

 Though not mute, they are not " babblers," and in this respect, 

 we must, with all dp> deferenoq, differ from the opinion expressed 

 above by Mr. A. W. Langdalo, who describes him as a noisy, bab- 

 bling dog. The Sussex throws bis tongue iu covert, but thai, he 

 is noisy few of his supporters will, we think, be brought to admit. 

 As regards his staying powers there is uo question, for being 

 lighter in the body, ho is comparatively fresh when the heavier 

 clumber is beaten, and this is uo small point iu the favor of a Sus- 

 sex. On the other hand, the dog ifl inclined to bo headstrong, and 



a little i 



jllilieioil 

 with ells 

 dom inj 

 water, a 

 as good 

 With 



pcdl|M-c< 



low, is a 



fulky at times, though this can generally be got over by 

 a handling. This variety can also be broken to retrieve 

 o, aud when be is so used, his mouth is tender and he sol- 



1 e,: :i,r air.] V, a I, eeVtenee iv, '! s eaptlokv 1"!' a;,. 111- . i 



well-known authori'v lately remarked to us "A Sussex is 



in water as he is ou laud."' 



reference to this dog's unreliability in breeding truly, tho 



i "i the well-a i :l oyi .aiv-e.ov -'pea [til:] Ilea, which aeplVo ! le- 



striking instance : 



f! 



io; 



Ie2 



I!** 









'■> 













r-°° 



"■_- 



►aO 



h 



*3 





id 





P 



D , 













-- 











c-i 







*3" 



~_?- 



11 



ii 



s« 





1 ao 



lm 3 







Rex was a successful competitor in Sussex spaniel classes, ami 

 yet his sister, Lena, was a liver-grey-an'd-tan, and was shown by 

 Mr. A. W. Langdale, at Norwich, as a Norfolk spaniel in 1874, upon 

 which occasion she won lirst prize. 



The dog wo have selected for illustration is Mr. T. B, Bowers' 

 Romp, which is alluded to by Mr. Bowers in his remarks upon the 

 breed. 



KTASDAKn OF POEiXH FOE JUDGINO SUSSEX SPANIELS. 



Value, 



Skull 5 



Eyes aud nose 5 



Ears 5 



Neck aud chest 5 



Body 10 



Feet and legs 5 



Coat and color 10 



General appearance 5 



50 



POINTS OF THE COCKER. 



Toronto, April 1, 1881. 

 Editor Forest and Stream: 



As a member of the " Cocker Club Committee " 1 received a 

 official communication asking my presence at a meeting to he hoi 

 at the, rooms of the Forester's Gun Club, iu i'.uir a' •. ■■■■> tie :;oi 

 till. At very great personal inconvenience I resolved to atteiu 

 considering it a dutv I owed to those who had done me tho hone 

 to elect me as ouo ot the committee. Having received no inline 

 tion meantime of any intention to postpone the meeting, I pro 

 oeeded ou Wednesday morning to Buffalc 



thusiustic 



per: 



nd \ 





>mbe 



who 



ntai 



aibe 



teat interest iu the 



or tin 



istrnc 



tion of a proper standard foi judging cot 

 members ..I the Forester's Club received us most kindly and 

 treated us with warm and gentlomahlv hospitality during our stay. 

 These gentlemen, like myself, bad no notice w hate.vor of tho meet- 

 ing having been deferred, and spent the whole day iu visiting the 

 hotels and sending to the railway station to welcome Ike, arrival of 

 their expected guests. I have since learnt that through tho gross 

 negligence of the Telegraph Company a message sent to me on 

 Tuesday, the 29th ult., did not reach my bouse until Wednesday 

 morning after ten o'clock, by which lime I had beon traveling 

 toward Buffalo for threo hours, but I must say it was hardly 

 courteous to tho sportsmen of the Forester's Club, who had so 

 generously tendered the use of then- commodious and elegantly- 

 furnished' rooms to the committee, not to have informed them that 

 the meeting had been put off. 



It is a matter of much regret to me that tho meeting did not 

 take place as announced, and as my time is too valuable to be 

 taken up iu going on what may prove to be another wild goose 

 chase, I propose to give the committee tho benefit publicly of all 

 the advice and opinions 1 iutended to submit at the meeting, and 

 to ask them to excuse me from acting any longer as a member of 

 the committee. 



POINTS OF FIELD SPANIEL OR COCKKU. 



Value. Value. 



1. Head 15 8. Legs 10 



2. Ears 5 7. Foot 10 



:i. Shoulders | ,- 8. Color 5 



neck and chest ( iu 9. Coat - 10 



1. Rack and loins.,.. 10 10. Tail 5 



5. Length 5 11. Symmetry 10 



50 50 



Grand total 100. 



1st. Head-value 15— should be of medium size in proportion to 

 body, skull of good length and broad with well defined brow, 

 showing good brain capacity. Stop fairly marked. Eyes well 

 apart, rather round in shape, of good size, but not too largo, and 

 neither protuberant nor sunken. Muzzle long and broad at nose, 

 cut Bquare off, not snipy. Jaws level, teeth large, sound and 

 while l.i pa rather ooltei-.! 1 o be loose than tight. Nose should 

 be black in black and black and white coated spaniels, and liver in 

 liver or liver and white coated ones. It should bo as large and 

 spreading as possible, moist and with widc-opeued uostrils. 



2d. Ears— , value 5— should be set on low, narrow at junction 

 with head, gradually broadening aud rounding off at end of leather: 

 woll covered with feather, which must be Hat and smooth, not in- 

 clined to run into cords or ringlets. Ears should ho fiat to head, 

 and should measure in a dog 30 lbs, weight, about 15 inches spread 

 across head, not including leather. A good measurement of a dog 

 weighing 30 lbs. weight, from tip to tip of feather, would bo 20 

 inches. The leather should be thin, comparatively spoaking, cer- 

 tainly not thick or coarse. 



3rd. Shoulders, neck and chest, value 15. The neek should be 

 long, ao as easdy to reach the ground when running. Shoulders. 

 muscular and sloping, but not loaded or coarse. Chest should be 

 capacious and deep, but not wide enough to spread the elbows of 

 the dog. 



4th. Back and loins, value 10. The loins are very important, 

 especially in a long-bodied dog. They must be muscular, and the 

 ribB should have good spring and run well back. There should be 

 no appearance of tuoked-up flanks in a full-grown dog. 



5th. Length, value 5. A cocker should never be less than twice 

 his height at shoulder, from uoso to sotting on of tail. He may be 

 twice and a quarter, but if bo, the additional proportionate length 

 should be in the neck, head' and quarters, not in the couplings 

 from shoulder to rump, unless there is great development of mus- 

 cle in the loins. 



6th. Legs, value 10. The forolegs should be short, strong iu 

 boue and muscle, straight, neither bent in or out at knee or elbow, 

 posterns straight, short aud strong ; elbow well let down out of 

 sloping Bhoulders. The hmd legs should be strong and somewhat 

 bent in the stifle : hocks straight, stipule, and near the ground, 



7th. Feet— vaiue 10— should be of good size, round, knuckles 

 well bent, and not too spreading. Tho soles should be furnished 

 with hard, horny pads. 



8th. Color, value 5. Any true spaniel color should be eligible, 

 and beauty of marking Should be taken into account. 



9th. Coat— value 10— should bo of good length, flat, with as 

 little wave as possible. It should be bright and glossy, soft aud 

 silky. The feathers on legs, ears and tail should be rather uioro 

 wavy and coarse in texture, than the body coat. Feathers should be 

 long and abundant on places above indicated, and also on the 

 belly. 



10th. Tail — value 5— should be docked to about a sixth of tho 

 entire length of the dog, from tip of uoso to end of tail ; e. g., if a 

 dog measures 36 inches from tip to tip, his tail should be six 

 inches. It should carry it always low at work, not over the level 

 of the back, and eagerly lash it when under excitement. 



11th. Symmetry and general appearance, value 10. A cocker 



field spaniel should be eminently "a well-built, g. 

 dog. He should exhibit powers of endurance 

 or clumsiness, and activity and eager sprigbtlinei 

 solidity and strength 

 Ah to classifying animals at bench shows, I i 



iceful and active 



ilhout heaviness 

 s, without want of I 



ug a BmaU o 



r class for dogs under 30 lbs. weight, and 



galive poi 



u positive 



i this, that s 



lass for field spanio. 

 points to be used iti j eclair 



They should be judged I 

 merit, he can be docked in 

 value be would have gaine 

 of them. What I moan 

 perfect head, he can ear 

 another dog has a notor 

 any points aelded, but the judge 

 as many points as ho elects from his total score for his defects. 



No dog should be awarded a first prize that does not score I 

 points out of 100. 



Your obedient servant, J. P. Kirk. 



iglit ; the same scale of 



if a dog is deficient in 



s corresponding with the 



lints, if he were worthy 



.-j-poaiug a dog to have a 



15 points toward bis total ; and suppose { 



inslj bad head, he will not only not get 



WANTED- A WOODOHfJCK DOG. 



Editor of the Forest, and Stream : 



London, Ont., March 20. 



last issue has struck a chord 



TRUE letter of "Lepus" in 

 -*- with the proper twang. 



Why should not farmers as well as sportsmen tako a pride iu hav-i 

 iug dogs that are serviceable to them in their pursuits? Some cor-' 

 respondent asks if " Fox-terriers have ever been used in rhi-i , -.11111- 

 try on ground-bugs'/" 1 can answer on that point most .-eoide.utb 

 in the affirmative, and, as is Baidiuthe "ring." '• they get their i 

 workiu well." 



The build of the fox-terrier is essentially that of a dog for going, 

 to earth— long, loan head, the shoulders line aud eJopin, 

 deep but not broad, the back strong, the loius broad and powerful, 

 (behind quarters siren;/ and muscular , those, w liich are the essen- 

 tial points of tho fox-terrier, all show that he is made for burrow- 

 ing. As for being game, no ouo who ever possessed otic can doubt 

 it; even as puppies they will tight till dcath-as has happe, led 

 often to the great loss of the owner, Mr. R. Gibson and Mr. Fox, 

 both extensive breeders of the,/ dog hi I ■ told me of num- 

 bers of ground-hogs killed on their farm.- by their terriers who do 



lion their own account ; it m not n< ---m - ,"mmi- l.hoj 



take to it naturally. They need uo training, as by naturi they p;o 

 for anything with fur ou it, from a mouse to a bear. So much for 

 fox-terriers. 



Another terrier whflso build and disposition is very antagonistic i 

 to ground-hogs is tho Irish terrier. 



The Irish terrier, tako him all around, is a barrlier and stronger 

 dog than the fox-terrier, and his coat is hard and rough and capa- 

 ble of bearing any amount of exposure without injury. He is built 

 ou the same plau exactly as, tho fox-terrier, and the good points of 

 the one are those of the other— with the exception of the length of 

 log and the coat. Thev are only at home when thev are at "werk 

 digging, and never seem tired of it. I should say he would till 

 the want which " B. W." snffers from as well as' the tot-terrier 

 —if not better. 



I have a youngster, livemonths old, whose only delight is digging 



alter sals, and site ci lal.e the larpesl, ai.i.po '.ike 'pie;., est. 



lightning" at Sight The Irish terrier has only to be known to be 

 appreciated. They are most affectionate aud are good bouse dogs, 

 and as companions have few equals iu the dog world. In Ireland 

 they are used as rabbit doga with ferrets, and every poacher pos- 

 sesses one or two of them. 



It is customary before purchasing one of them there to prove 

 then- gameness try what is called "drawing the badger." Tho 

 badger is an animal a little, larger than a ground-hog, but with a 

 most punishing mouth, a tough, rough Lido and eoat, arid most terri- 

 ble feet, armed with powerful claws. The badger is placed in a barrel 

 with a hole in it just large enough for the dog to get in ; it is 

 necesstry for the dog to go in and bring the badger out, wh'ch if he 

 is worth anything he will do in a very short, tune, hut not without 

 himself suffering to some extent. I think if " B. W." were to got 

 a good Irish terrier he would not have many ground-hogs left to 

 make " hog holes " to injure Ins burses. M. B. 



St. Marv's. March ■>$. 

 1 would sav to "Lepus " that the best known kind of dog for tho 

 abovo pest is tho No. 1>£ Ncwhouso steel trap. With a. half dozen 

 of these a farmer can very soon rid nifl farm of woodehtieks— if 

 ho knows their holes. Let him place the trap in the hole with the 

 spring outward. The chain should be, about eighteen inches long, 

 with swivel, and on one end of tho chain should boa ring .about i mo 

 and a quarter inch iu diameter. Draw the chain to en ,i 

 the hole ; drive a stake through tho ring. The stake should bo so 

 shaped that the ring cauuot slip off, and should be driven down 

 even with the surface of tho ground. Now collect a small quan- 

 tity of grass or leaves from neat about the hole, aud with it care- 

 fully cover trap and chain. Set. traps about the middle of the day. 

 Li visiting the traps go no nearer than is necessary to see what vou 

 have got. If you have him, don't kill him near the hole, and 

 when you want to reset your trap smoke it over a bunch of burning 

 straw. The farmer will find this a much cheaper plan than with 

 dogs, as well as a much surer one. — Dutcuman. 



I see that " Lepus," asks for a dog to huut out the ground hog 

 from its holes. I qnerry very much if there is any suitable dog te 

 be had for the purpose, but, having been an old "warrener" in 

 davs gone bv on the slopes of the- W elsh mountains, I have an idea 

 that the common English ferret (Muslela fitro, L.), would an- 

 swer admirablv. Let him first be "coped" (i. e., muzzled), and 

 then turn him "in the burrow and let " li. W." and a friend or two 

 be on baud with their " shooting irons," and 1 11 warrant they will 

 have lots of tun, and I bo woodchuek family will be non est iu a 

 very short time. I presume that the English ferret is to bo got iu 

 New York. J. Matthew Jones. 



Fern Lq&ge, WaterviMe, Kings Co., JV. 8. 



