able follower in the crowded streets when properly trained. There is no guile about him, and if he prefers to pay attention to all the movements of his fair mistress, and is ever ready to be fondled in her lap, he never forgets to come to a stranger and give him welcome, and no doubt expects a word of praise in return. He is not so liable to become fat and podgy as the King Charles, and in most respects the Ruby Spaniel takes after the Blenheim in disposition and character.

The black and tan and the tri-colour are alike in

general conduct and behaviour, and appear to be less dainty as to their food than are the other varieties, and so have a tendency to become obese. This they should not be allowed to do, as it interferes with the glossiness of their coats, and I am inclined to believe has a tendency to make the jackets become curlier and not so straight as would be the case under healthier surroundings. This tendency for the coat to lose its straightness with increasing age is one of the great drawbacks to the King Charles spaniel, and in this respect a modern fouryear-old dog is not to be compared with a puppy of twelve months or so. Some of these toy spaniels have a habit of lolling out their tongues, which is bad; others have indifferent sets of teeth, which is equally bad. Level mouths are the best, but in many

instances breeding for the abnormally short noses appears to have produced undershot mouths, i.e., where the lower row of teeth protrudes in front of the upper row. The mouth of the toy spaniel should

be as level and uniform as that of a terrier.

All toy spaniels require their toilet attending to, or the feather becomes matted, and the little creature loses the gloss on his coat. An ordinary hair brush and an ordinary comb will answer all purposes admirably, and if your little pet has these used on him pretty regularly once a day, and he is given a "tubbing" when he requires it, is not fed too highly, and is occasionally doctored with a gentle dose of magnesia, he will repay the trouble by being sleek and healthy, and as engaging a little companion as anyone need desire.

The following are the descriptions and points of the four English varieties as drawn up by the specialist club :

POINTS OF TOY SPANIELS (ENGLISH).

"Head.-Should be well domed, and in good specimens is absolutely semi-globular, sometimes even extending beyond the half-circle, and absolutely projecting over the eyes, so as nearly to meet the up-turned nose.

"Eyes.-The eyes are set wide apart, with the

eyelids square to the line of the face-not oblique or foxlike. The eyes themselves are large, so as to be generally considered black; their enormous pupils, which are absolutely of that colour, increasing the description. From their large size, there is almost a certain amount of weeping shown at the inner angles; this is owing to a defect in the lachrymal duct.

"Stop. The 'stop,' or hollow between the eyes, is well marked, as in the bulldog, or even more so, some good specimens exhibiting a hollow deep enough to bury a small marble.

"Nose. The nose must be short, and well turned up between the eyes, without any indication of artificial displacement afforded by a deviation to either side. The colour of the end should be black, and it should be both deep and wide, with open nostrils.

'Jaw. The lower jaw must be wide between its branches, leaving plenty of space for the tongue, and for the attachment of the lower lips, which should completely conceal the teeth. It should also be turned up or 'finished,' so as to allow of its meeting the end of the upper jaw, turned up in a similar way as above described.

"Ears.-The ears must be long, so as to approach the ground. In an average-sized dog they measure 20in. from the tip to tip, and some reach 22in. or even a trifle more. They should be

set low on the head, and be heavily feathered. In this respect the King Charles is expected to exceed the Blenheim, and his ears occasionally extend to 24in. "Size. The most desirable size is from 7lb. to Iolb.

"Shape. In compactness of shape these spaniels almost rival the pug, but the length of coat adds greatly to the apparent bulk, as the body when the coat is wetted looks small in comparison with that dog. Still it ought to be decidedly 'cobby,' with strong stout legs, broad back, and wide chest. The symmetry of the toy spaniel is of importance, but it is seldom that there is any defect in this respect.

"Coat. The coat should be long, silky, soft, and wavy, but not curly. In the Blenheim there should be a profuse mane, extending well down in the front of the chest. The feather should be well displayed on the ears and feet, where it is so long as to give the appearance of their being webbed. It is also carried well up the backs of the legs. In the King Charles the feather on the ears is very long and profuse, exceeding that of the Blenheim by an inch or more. The feather on the tail (which is cut to the length of about three and a half or four inches) should be silky, and from five to six inches in length, constituting a marked " flag" of a square shape,

and not carried above the level of the back.

"Colour.-The colour varies with the breed. The King Charles is a rich, glossy black and deep tan; tan spots over the eyes and on cheeks, and the usual markings on the legs are also required. The Ruby spaniel is a rich chesnut red. The presence of a few white hairs intermixed with the black on the chest of a King Charles spaniel, or intermixed with the red on the chest of a Ruby spaniel shall carry very great weight against a dog, but shall not in itself absolutely disqualify; but a white patch on the chest or white hairs on any other part of a King Charles or Ruby spaniel shall be a disqualification. The Blenheim must on no account be whole coloured, but should have a ground of pure pearly white, with, bright rich chesnut or ruby-red markings, evenly distributed in large patches. The ears and cheeks should be red, with a blaze of white extending from the nose up to the forehead, and ending between the ears in a crescentive curve. In the centre of this blaze there should be a clear 'spot' of red, of the size of a sixpence. The tri-colour, or Charles the First Spaniel, should have the tan of the King Charles, with markings like the Blenheim in black instead of red on a pearly white ground. The ears and under the tail should also be lined with tan. The tri-colour has no 'spot,' that beauty being peculiarly the property of the Blenheim.