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N.B.-In "any other variety" the Standard of Positive Points is the same, but in Negative Points subject to colour.

Illustrations.-The four dogs I have selected for the illustrations of this section are (black cockers): Ch. Ted Obo and Ch. Westbury Madge, and (any other variety) Ch. Ben Bowdler and Ch. Bob Bowdler. Other dogs mentioned by my contributors as typical representatives of the breed were Trumpington Ted, Betty Obo, Merry Girl, Sandy Obo, Chelmsford Cossie, Trumpington Kitty, and Braeside Dinah.

Ch. Ted Obo is one of the best representatives of the famous "Obo" strain, which has been consistently kept pure in the kennels of Mr. James Farrow for thirty-eight years. Ted Obo, who is by Frank Obo ex Ch. Lily Obo, was born in August 1894, and won championships and prizes too numerous to catalogue. weighs 24 lbs.

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Ch. Westbury Madge, belonging to Miss Joan Godfrey, was bred by Mr. W. H. Roscoe, by Toronto out of Westbury Peggy. She was considered the most perfect black cocker bitch of modern times. When in tiptop form she had lovely coat and quality, with typical head, beautifully placed ears, and deep, round, brown eyes of ideal size and expression. She was also most symmetrical, neither too long in the back nor too "jumped up," with big bone and straight front. She was the winner of five championships and over fifty first prizes. Unfortunately, none of the pups born to her survived.

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Ch. Ben Bowdler was bred by Mr. Henry Smith, by Braeside Bustle out of Colwyn Bee, and born in June 1899. He is the property of Mr. R. de C. Peele, who describes him as an active, restless dog; no merrier cocker has ever been exhibited." He is a blue roan, standing II inches at shoulder, and weighing 22 lbs., with very dark eyes, ears carried low, fair length of leather, profusely feathered, tail carriage low, and with typical cocker motion. He is a worker, not a toy. He has won four championships and many first prizes, and has proved himself particularly successful at stud, having sired, amongst others, Ch. Bob Bowdler, Flash Spot, Chishill Daisy, and Rolyat Roy-all heavy winners.

Ch. Bob Bowdler was bred by his owner, Mr. R. de C. Peele, and is by Ch. Ben Bowdler ex Judy Bowdler, thus presenting one of the few coincidences in this work of sire and progeny figuring as typical illustrations. Bob Bowdler was born in September 1901, and is a beautiful light blue roan in colour, with probably the best head and ears seen in a cocker spaniel for many years. He weighs 23 lbs., is absolutely straight in front, has a perfectly balanced body, and is as active and as merry as a cocker can be. He has been shown seven times up to the date of his being photographed, and only sustained defeat once, winning challenge prizes under such judges as Mr. Schofield, Mr. Gray, Mr. Smith, and Mr. Phillips.

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THE WATER SPANIEL

THE ENGLISH WATER SPANIEL

IN the wide-spreading spaniel family, as developed in this twentieth century, there are two varieties of water spaniels-the English and the Irish, and the former of these is one of the oldest, and certainly the rarest of the race-so rare indeed that many writers speak of it as extinct. At the Kennel Club Shows of the last four years there were only three specimens benched in 1900, four in 1901, four in 1902, and none in 1903; and of these eleven entries nine were made by Mr. J. H. Stansfeld, the foremost and most enthusiastic fancier of the breed. Wherefore I account myself fortunate to have received a contribution from him, and especially the following interesting note:

The breed of English water spaniels is a very old one-one of the oldest in the British Isles, and for this reason should be of great interest from a dog-lover's point of view. The original breed was probably imported into England at least as far back as the Tudor period. Edmund de Langley (1378-1465), in a book translated almost word for word from the French of Gaston Phoebus, gives an account of the breed, in which he speaks of its diving powers. This book certainly applied to the condition of things in England as much as in France, for where the customs of the two countries differ, de Langley makes additions. The water spaniel is also described by Caius, and was quite common in England during the Stuart period, being referred to by numerous

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