CHAPTER XXII.

THE CLUMBER SPANIEL.

WITH the Irish water spaniel it may be said that shows have wrought less change in the Clumber spaniel than they have done in any other variety of dog. The reason for this is not far to seek, for the latter is but a comparatively modern introduction; he does not stand crossing well, and has come to be so bred in and in, that the tendency has been towards making him delicate and difficult to rear, rather than to alter or completely change his type, according to the fashion prevailing at the hour.

That fashion does change in canine matters pretty much as it does in dress and otherwise, no one having any knowledge of dogs will deny. About fifty years ago, William Youatt wrote his book about the dog. Strangely, he never mentions the Clumber spaniel, but gives an illustration of the English water spaniel. The latter is obsolete now, the former has classes provided for him at all shows

that pertain to leading rank, and is a fairly popular dog likewise.

We all know that this dog takes its name from Clumber near Worksop, one of the seats of the Duke of Newcastle, and where that dog has been kept from its first introduction to this country to the present time. When that first introduction took place is not exactly known, but it was probably about the middle of the eighteenth century when the Duc de Nouailles presented the then Duke of Newcastle with a number of spaniels, which in France had a reputation as being better than others, as they were steady workers and easily brought under command, i.e., there was little difficulty in training them. This good character remains with them at the present day. For many years the breed was kept was kept at Clumber, and so zealously guarded and so identified with the place, that in due time it came to bear the name of the seat, which is still retained This appears to be the early history of the Clumber spaniel, and, although in various parts of France many spaniels are still found and used in work, I have not been able to trace any kennels of true Clumbers in that country.

That the Clumbers were with the Duke of Newcastle at the end of last century proof remains on canvas. There is a portrait of his Grace, seated

on a shooting pony and surrounded by a group of his spaniels, which are identical with the Clumbers of the present day, though, perhaps, they appear rather smaller, and are rather longer in the head, than the majority of the best dogs we see now. At that time, or rather a few years later, a writer in the "Sporting Magazine" called them "springers This admirable and useful picture, the work of F. Wheatley, R.A., was, in 1797, engraved; the painting itself remains, copies of the engraving are still extant, and, although highly valued by the admirers of spaniels who own them, others are occasionally to be found in the leading shops that deal in such treasures..

or

"cock-flushers."

Dog shows were unknown then, and the spaniel was kept solely for working purposes. In due course, this strain from Clumber came to be somewhat spread about the country, though comparatively scarce and highly valued. That the latter was the case may be inferred from the fact that, at the first Birmingham show, say in 1859, a class was provided for them, and the following year two divisions were given this handsome spaniel, and such have been continued ever since. At the early show Lord Spencer was the winner with a good looking dog, but the succeeding one saw Mr. E. Boaler, of near Chesterfield, taking first honours

in both classes, the Spencer kennel coming but second. On this occasion there were a dozen entries.

It was, however, in 1861 that the chief interest was caused, when there was a capital collection of seventeen dogs and bitches. Mr. C. E. Holford, of Weston Park, Tetbury, sent up an exceptionally smart team, and succeeded in winning all the six prizes awarded. Following, this kennel was for a time almost invincible when it was represented on the show bench, which was not often, as the dogs were kept for working the coverts, where they did what was expected of them very well indeed. Of late years Mr. Holford's Clumbers appear to have deteriorated very much, for when, about a year ago, they were dispersed at Aldridge's, in St. Martin's Lane, the puppies were but a sorry sample, and, with one or two exceptions, the old dogs were not much better. However, for a generation or two Mr. Holford's Clumbers formed one of the leading kennels of that variety in the country.

To hark back, Mr. Boaler's Bustle and Floss, that won in 1860 and at other shows about this period and later, were excellent specimens ; lemon in markings, with good bodies, great bone, and certainly not excelled by any of the same race that appeared at these earlier shows. It is interesting to

note that at the present time a son of this Mr. Boaler-namely, Mr. G. Boaler, of Mansfield Woodhouse, Notts, still has Clumber spaniels good enough to show and appear in the prize list, and of the same strain that his father won with thirty years ago. This kennel has been kept up for over fifty years, and it is owing only to the failing health of their owner that they do not appear oftener on the show bench.

It need scarcely be said, that in the first volume of the Kennel Club Stud Book classifications were given this dog, the entries reaching the excellent number of sixty-five.

At this period, no doubt, some peculiar decisions were given at our dog shows, where, in many cases, a judge undertook his duty without knowing anything at all about the breed upon which he had to adjudicate. Instances were not isolated where he awarded the prizes more to the man than the dog, and so, to his own satisfaction, got out of a difficulty into which his own self-assertion had led him. It is said that on the eve of one of the large shows there was a difficulty in obtaining a judge for Clumber spaniels. The secretary was at his wit's end and did not know what to do, when, seeing Mr. one of the so-called "all-round " judges, a happy inspiration occurred. "Eh!"