CHAPTER XVII.

SPANIELS OTHER THAN BLACK.

AS CLASSES are provided for "Field Spaniels other than black" (not being Clumbers, Sussex, or cockers), and as such are entered in the Stud Books, allusion must be made to them here. Their varied colouring colouring gives them a hardier appearance than is observable in the blacks; their coats are often crisper and denser, or maybe they appear to be so in the absence of the raven gloss. It must not be forgotten that they spring from the same strain as the black variety.

The most common colours are black and tan; black and white, flecked more or less; brown, grey, and white approaching a roan; black, tan, and white; liver or brown and tan, and any variations of these many hues. Orange and white or yellow is seldom seen, and when this colour does crop up, it is a sign of a not very remote cross with the setter or the Clumber spaniel.

In respect to general shape and character they

are in common with the black, though, excepting in the case of the black and tan, the haw, to which exception is taken, is seldom apparent. The handsomest colours are the roans, black tan and white, and the black and white ticked, and the latter is exactly the same colour as the early spaniels drawn for Aldrovandus, who, over three hundred and fifty years ago, wrote of them as 'pantherius." So, however shape and type may have altered, the colour does not appear to have changed to any very great extent.

The liver and white variety has somehow or other become identified with the county of Norfolk, and known as the Norfolk spaniel, is dealt with on preceding pages.

He is, however, common to all parts of the country where such dogs are used for work, and will retrieve, hunt the day out and through, and is not excelled by any of his race as thoroughly a sportsman's dog. Some of the very best rabbiting spaniels I have ever seen were liver and white, and the only fault that could be found with them was more than a tendency to be hard in the mouth. Not an uncommon fault where a dog is employed almost entirely among rabbits, retrieving twenty or thirty couple a day, some of them struggling hard in the mouth and scratching with their feet.

I noticed a short time ago a very handsome strain of this race kept by Sir Thomas Boughey, at Aqualate, near Newport, Salop. The coats of these had more than a tendency to curl; their character at work was excellent, and the specimens I saw appeared to be remarkably good tempered, well broken, not inclined to run riot, and only hunting when ordered to do so. On inquiry I learned that this particular breed had been in the family for many generations, and was likely to remain so in the future.

About twenty-four years ago Mr. Burgess, of Brighouse, Yorkshire, showed a couple of liver and white spaniels with great success, Sam and Flora by name. Bred by Mr. Hopcroft, of Nottingham, at that time they were said to be Sussex spaniels, but, although their breeder tried to maintain their reputation as such, it was pretty certain that they had no claim to be of that variety. Mr. Hopcroft had the strain for some time, and valued it exceedingly. Sam and Flora were brother and sister, of nice character, but, though they won all before them in their time, they were much higher on the leg than bench winners of to-day; they, however, excelled in length of ears.

There are extant two capital chromo-lithographs of these celebrated dogs, and the blood of both

of them is still to be found in many of the best specimens at the present time.

Mr. H. P. Green, at Caistor Hall, near Norwich, has a strain of black, tan, and white and roan spaniels, which he values highly. Personally, I never saw any dogs that took my fancy more than they did when I first saw them on the show bench. A little over 40lb. weight or so, they abound in character, are long in ears, fairly straight in coat, and strong in bone; still, handsome though they be, they are more valued for work, notwithstanding the fact that they have earned distinction on the show bench. Their owner tells me he has had the strain for a quarter of a century, commencing with a bitch obtained from the late Sir Richard Wallace, which was mated with a tri-coloured dog. Both were excellent in the field, and appear to have transferred their good qualities to their progeny. The strain is easily trained, possesses great sense, plenty of dash and go, and can stand the hardest work without ill effect. Mr. Green uses them as retrievers in Scotland amongst the grouse, much to the admiration of some of the old Highland sportsmen. These spaniels are also excellent dogs for snipe, duck, and mixed shooting of all kinds; they cannot be excelled as water dogs, and I am certain that animals so handsome and so good are well worth cultivating.

Some of the best bred dogs of this variety are Mr. F. E. Schofield's Selaw; Mr. J. Smith's Coleshill Blue Boy; Mr. T. Harrington's Trumpington Don; Mr. F. C. Hignett's Crusader; Mr. J. H. Hussey's Rathgar Belle II.; Mr. R. Chapman's Heather Jean; and Mr. Le Gros' Old Ford Ted; but as a rule few appear on the bench, though their colour is so taking, and in other ways they seem attractive.

The Club descriptive particulars of any other variety of field spaniel are as follows, the points being similar to those adopted for the black variety, excepting, of course, as to colour :

"Head. Similar to that of the black spaniel, save in colour.

Eyes. The colour in all cases to match the coat and markings, viz.: Black and Tans-hazel or brown ; Liver and Tans—rather lighter than in black and tans, but of good rich tone; Liverslight hazel colour; Black Tan and White Roans, &c. somewhat similar to liver and tans; Liver and Tan Roans, &c.—somewhat similar to liver and tans. "Ears.—Similar to those of the black spaniel, except in colour.

"Neck. Similar to that of the black spaniel.

Body (including size and symmetry). Similar to that of the black spaniel.