June
1873, at the Agricultural Hall and elsewhere. Until 1895 it was the custom for the Kennel Club to hold two shows annually. Edinburgh, Manchester, Dublin, Darlington, Bristol, indeed almost all our large centres, hold or have held exhibitions of dogs, whilst private individuals have been successful in a similar manner. Mr. C.
Cruft, at the Agricultural Hall, Islington, by liberal classification, has obtained enorm mous entries. The greatest number of dogs ever "benched" at any show was at Islington in 1863, when, with only seventythree classes provided, 1,678 entries were obtained. Many of these entries included braces of pointer and setter puppies; couples and three couples of hounds, harriers, and foxhounds, swelling the total number of dogs to about 2,100, a record which has not been reached since, although the classes are now more than quadrupled.
In those early days no dog was allowed to compete in more than one class; now the arrangements are such that exhibitors are encouraged to enter one dog in as many classes as possible. The entry-fees are higher now than then, and, with the exception of challenge cups, which are not for open competition, the individual prizes are lower than formerly, although more of them can be won. Other important shows are those for foxhounds, harriers, and beagles, annually held in summer at Peterborough and Reigate. Some of the specialist societies arrange shows of their own, those TRAINING POINTERS. under the auspices of the Fox Terrier Club being the most important, and that body has held one or more shows annually since its establishment in 1876. Other clubs, not wealthy enough to run their own specialist gatherings, give extra support to the more comprehensive exhibitions. It may be estimated that nearly 900 dog shows are held in the three kingdoms annually, many of them, however, of but local interest, whilst others take place in connection with the district agricultural societies. a Trimming or Faking. This is common but dishonest practice performed on a dog to make it appear better than it actually is. So far as sporting dogs are concerned it is confined to the removal of 66 the coat by plucking when it is too heavy, curling and pulling curly-coated retrievers, wetting the coats of the latter and singeing, rubbing, or in other ways doctoring" a pointer's tail in order to make it look finer and small than nature had intended it.
Cases have been known where tails have been "nicked," or cut underneath, to make their carriage more perfect, and it used to be the custom to cut underneath the ears 66 of some terriers in order that they might drop" in the fashion required. When the latter is required now, plasters and weights are used when the dog is young, and, being continually worn, give the ears a downward carriage. There are special rules of the Kennel Club which deal with this matter, and they make cutting, singeing, damping, oiling, plucking, &c., disqualifications, though poodles are allowed to have their coats clipped.
Beagle. The beagle, though varying much in size, is, generally speaking, the smallest of our hunting hounds, and is “ BEAGLE DOG HOUND. divided into many varieties. There is the Kerry Beagle," a large black-and-tan hound, which has been kept for many generations near Killarney and in other parts of Ireland. The Kerry Beagle is not unlike miniature bloodhound, and is generally from 22 inches to 24 inches in height at the shoulders. a The beagle proper is usually houndmarked and "blue-mottled," the latter a very pretty colour; it should not stand more than 15 inches in height at the shoulders.
In addition to the Kerry Beagle already alluded to there are some smaller hounds of about 14 inches, black-and-tan in colour; 66 [DOGS there are others, very rare, fawn or wheaten in colour, with hard wiry coats. When classes are provided for beagles at our dog shows, they should be sub-divided into such as are between 12 inches and 15 inches in height, and those below 12 inches. The smaller sizes are known as rabbit beagles, and from time to time very pretty specimens from 9 inches and upwards in height have been produced. The terms toy" beagles and "sleeve" or "pocket" beagles ought not to be used, the latter originating from a story that a few generations ago it was customary to take beagles to the meet in the pockets of the master and hunters, whilst it has been (also erroneously) stated that Queen Elizabeth had a pack of beagles which could be carried in a glove. The beagle, which has a stud-book provided, ought to be built on the lines of a miniature foxhound, and whilst the majority are smooth coated, there is also a rough-coated variety. In the United States and Canada the beagle is more popular than in this country, and competitive working trials are often arranged, in which perhaps a score of little hounds take part. (See HUNT- ING.) Bloodhound. - This hound, also known as the Sleuth hound, is the largest of all the variety which hunt by scent, the male varying in weight from 85 lbs. to 110 lbs., the female from 75 lbs. to 100 lbs., their respective heights at the shoulder being from 25 to 27 inches and from 23 to 25 inches respectively. His colour is blackand-tan, brown (or liver-coloured) and tan, sometimes flecked with white or with "badger-coloured" hairs. The nature of the bloodhound is kindly and sympathetic, by no means of that ferocity which his name implies, and which seems by common consent to have been ascribed to him. He makes a nice companion, and is far less ferocious than almost any of the big dogs - Newfoundlands, St. Bernards, Mastiffs, &c. His progenitor may have been the Lymer of Gaston or the Talbot of other earlier writers. Originally intended to hunt the larger game-the stag and such likehe was trained to hunt man, and by a continual process of selection he now naturally does the latter. An ordinary sporting puppy will commence to hunt hares, rabbits, &c., but a bloodhound puppy's natural bent is to hunt man-a stranger, and not his master, as other young dogs will do. To this faculty he, no doubt, owes his bad reputation, which is gradually being removed, for when he has "hunted his man to "tree" or elsewhere, he will not worry him to death, as has been said, but either وو DOGS] runs up to him to be fondled, or "bays" him-i.e., stands back and barks. The hounds which were said to hunt slaves in the Southern States of America were foxhounds, and not bloodhounds, and the former on scent are much the more ferocious of the two. Extraordinary stories are told of the bloodhound's capacity for hunting the line of a man, on whose scent he has been laid, through crowded thoroughfares. He cannot do this, and, therefore, as an aid to the detection of criminals in busy centres he is useless. In country places he may be used with advantage by the police to assist in the capture of poachers, burglars, and other law-breakers, for, being laid on the scent, even if it is several hours old, he can generally make it out, though should it be too much foiled by others crossing it, or by cattle, sheep, and BLOODHOUND. horses, the hound is at a loss. He used to be employed on the borders against robbers and other offenders, and has been tried unsuccessfully in London and the provinces in cases of murder. In crossing with other hounds he has been found useful, inasmuch as he has improved their olfactory organs and made their voices more melodious. A good bloodhound, when properly trained, ought to be able to hunt what is called the "clean boot"-i.e., hunt a man who has not had his boots smeared with blood or any concocted ingredient. During the past twenty years several "bloodhound trials" have been run under the management of the Association of Bloodhound Breeders and the Bloodhound Hunt Club, the quarry being men or lads; but although so far successful, they did not seem likely to serve any useful purpose beyond providing those who ride to hounds a good gallop. Packs of bloodhounds have been used for stag-hunting, the last of these being Lord Wolverton's, who, about twenty years since, hunted the VOL. II "carted deer" with them in Dorsetshire.
At present the bloodhound is mostly valued as a show dog and as a companion, but he will always be found useful as a cross with other sporting dogs when it is sought to improve the size, nose, and voice of the latter. It is interesting to note that, although in ears, wrinkles, head, and other 66 fancy" points the bloodhound has been much improved of late years, this has not been done at the expense of other more important attributes. In certain States of North America bloodhounds are kept in connection with the penitentiaries or gaols, to assist in the capture of escaped prisoners.
In Brach (Brache, Rache). This name, now obsolete, was by early writers used to describe a hound or any dog which hunted by scent. Sometimes it was applied to a bitch or female hound, but appears to have been given also somewhat indiscriminately to hounds in general. The earliest appearance of the name appears in the Arthurian Legend of Sir Gavaine and the Green Knight (1340). "Braches bayed therefore and breme (loud) noise made." Household Expenses (1467), "a young brasch of halfe yere holde." Caxton Emydos (1490), "Theyr braches, retches, and bloodehoundes." Carew (1594), "A brache to hunt and bring the game to his hand." Markham Count. Content. (1611), "When your bratche is near whelping you shall separate her from other hounds," and in his Gentleman's Recreations the same writer says, brach, a mannerly name for a bitch hound."
Shakespeare makes several allusions to the brach: "Brach Merryman, the poor cur, is imbost"; "Couple Clouder with the deep-mouthed brach"; "I had rather hear, Lady, my brach, howl in Irish"; "When Achilles' brach bids me": "Hound or spaniel, brach or lym." Caius describes brache or rache as the "shee" sex. In border history the brach was known: "In Gillsland was that Brachell bred, Sikyr of scent, to follow him that fled." Again: ،، a 66 But this sleuth brach," both evidently in allusion to the bloodhound of that day.
Jameson, in his Scottish dictionary, defines brachell as a hound employed to discover and pursue game by scent. In Spencer's well-known ballad "Gelert" we have: "And many a brach and many a hound obeyed Llewellyn's horn." Perhaps "poetic licence" allowed him to use the word to signify another dog than a hound. Other writers have recognised in the brach the beagle and harrier.
Deerhound. This extremely fine hound, so nearly allied to the greyhound, is often H erroneously called the staghound. He is the Scottish deerhound pure and simple, sagacious, intelligent, and in his rough affection and somewhat rugged appearance anything but uncharacteristic of his country.
Probably the earliest mention we have of the Scottish deerhound appears in Hector Boece's "History of Scotland," a peculiar work, inasmuch as, originally written in Latin, and printed in France, 1526-7, it was translated into English by royal command in 1531. Here a story is mentioned that certain Picts went to hunt with the King of Scots at Craithlint. The hounds of the latter so proved their vast superiority to those of the former that the Picts were astonished. To console them the king presented them with both dogs and bitches of the best strains, but, not being contented therewith, the Picts stole one of the king's DEERHOUND. favourite hounds. The thieves were chased and overtaken; a great fight took place, in which a hundred Picts were slain and threescore gentlemen of the other side, besides a great number of commoners; and of the latter it was said that they had not known what the fight was all about. The hound was recovered. The Scottish nobles have from that time to the present carefully preserved their strains of deerhounds, which were originally used for the purpose of aids in deer-stalking and in coursing deer.
Deer-coursing is not followed now, and retrievers and collies are used in most forests in preference, as disturbing the ground less, and not being so liable to drive the deer out of bounds. At present, it is doubtful whether there are in all half-a-dozen forests where the deerhound is kept for purely sporting purposes, and some recent statistics obtained show that, out of sixty forests, Scottish deerhounds were used only in about seven. The hound will, however, survive, if only as a purely fancy dog and as a com- [DOGS panion, for he is good-tempered, handsome, and sensible, and, when brought up and trained to live in the house or in the stable, no dog is more faithful, and his noble bearing and dark-coloured almond-shaped eyes are always objects of admiration. Of late, Englishmen have paid greater attention to the improvement of the deerhound so far as appearance is concerned, and in all cases when Scottish kennels have been dispersed by auction Englishmen have secured the plums. Prices have ruled small, and at an auction some fifteen years since, well-bred and good-looking deerhounds brought little more than a number of mongrel terriers would have realised, a grand old stud-hound of great character failing to attract a higher bid than a solitary one of a sovereign. The deerhound should in colour be either brindled in various shades, or blue or fawn, even inclining to red; white is detrimental, though a little is often found on the chest and feet. Occasionally white deerhounds have been produced, or at any rate very pale fawns, but a purely black specimen has not come under notice. The brindles are considered best, and are perhaps most attractive, but many persons prefer a fawn dog, a hue which somehow or other appears to enhance the elegance of the outline of the hounds. The very large and heavily made dogs are not desirable, as, though they may be better able to hold a stag, they are much more liable to cut themselves on the rocks and loose stones than are the lighter hounds. A good male specimen should not stand more than 30 inches at the shoulders, a bitch a couple of inches less; a dog may weigh between 80 lbs. and go lbs., a 66 a bitch from 70 lbs. to 80 lbs. These figures are taken from well-known specimens of the modern hound which have secured leading honours at our chief shows.
Many stories are told of the endurance of the Scottish deerhound; he can run on scent as well as by sight, and is mute in the chase, but when his quarry is brought to bay" the hound opens, and by his baying or barking attracts his master, who soon gives the coup de grâce to a noble stag. At all well-regulated shows with any pretensions to comprehensiveness, classes for deerhounds are provided; but for some reason or other, which can only arise from the vagaries of fashion, he is not a popular dog, and where a St. Bernard approaching perfection might be sold for anything between £200 and £500, a deerhound of equal merit would not realise more than from £50 to £100, and nearer the former figure than the latter.
Foxhound. - It has been said that the DOGS] foxhound has been so carefully bred as to be at the present time the most perfect specimen of the canine race extant. That he is the most valuable no one will deny.
He is built in a manner which ensures speed and stamina, and in both respects he cannot be excelled. He is not often seen on our show benches, though when classes are provided for him he is sure to attract attention. There is a foxhound show held at Peterborough each year, which is largely attended; and there representatives of the leading packs are always to be seen. A dog hound weighs from 70 lbs. to 80 lbs., whilst a bitch weighs from 60 lbs. to 70 lbs. As to the value of a pack of foxhounds, great variation is found. Squire Osbaldiston's altered less than any other family of the dog in type, however it may have improved in pace. The greyhound is one of the most graceful and elegant varieties of the canine race, but he is seldom used as a companion, FOXHOUND. pack was sold at Tattersall's in 1840 for 5,219 guineas, whilst the Haydon in 1884 went for 15 guineas; but these are the extremes. A lightly made foxhound is especially bred in the north of England, where it is used for "trail-hunting." In various parts of the world the foxhound has been introduced. In the United States it is popular; in Canada likewise. The Virginian hound is less heavily built than our foxhound, has longer and more pendulous ears, and certainly inclined to the bloodhound type. (See HUNTING.) Greyhound.There can be no doubt that the greyhound is the oldest variety of hound which we possess, and the many sculptures which have reached us from the East prove his very ancient lineage. The greyhound was probably introduced into this country when the "Scoto-Celts settled in Scotland and Ireland from Europe." There is a MS. drawing extant of a Saxon with two greyhounds and his henchman, date about the ninth century. Since that period it has GREYHOUND. and seems out of place on the benches at our dog shows, where, however, classes are usually provided for him. As a rule, the best and speediest greyhounds are not the most elegant in shape, and thus it often has happened that the cleverest animal in coursing is beaten in the ring by a very inferior performer. Greyhounds Greyhounds vary much in colour and marking, brindles, fawns, reds, blacks, blues or slate, with more or less white, being the usual colours. Greyhounds entirely white are rare. (See COURSING.) Harrier. This hound may be said to be a connecting link between the foxhound and the beagle, the modern type resembling in appearance the former rather than the latter. The harrier was the Leverarius of ASSYRIAN GREYHOUND.
Caius and of other early writers, and was used to hunt the hare. Of late years, owing to the scarcity of "ground game" in some districts where it formerly abounded, the harrier hunts the "carted deer" and the H 2 ! fox. There is an old-fashioned Welsh harrier which in the principality hunts the fox, the hare, and the otter, bearing a reputation for nose and care in working out a cold scent which is not excelled by any [DOGS hardest and most exacting character. Then the constitution must be thoroughly sound and strong. Some modern otter hounds show a distinct cross with the bloodhound, and it is not uncommon to find in the same litter of puppies one that will be blue, grey, and tan in colour, hard and wiry in coat, and fit to win on the bench; whilst another HARRIER DOG HOUND. other hound. It is generally marked or coloured in the orthodox foxhound style, but there is also a strain of black and tan harriers. (See HUNTING.) Irish Wolfhound. - A great deal has been written about the Irish wolfhound; he has had admirers and traducers. The latter with a good deal of reason urge that the last of his race became extinct when the last Irish wolf was destroyed, the former say he still survives in all his purity. The OTTER HOUNDS. of the litter may be almost smooth-coated, and a half-bred bloodhound in appearance.
Some of our leading dog shows provide classes for otter hounds, and their noble appearance, good temper, and animation give them a popularity exceeding that of most other dogs. (See OTTER HUNTING.) Stag Hound. The modern stag hound is merely a foxhound entered and used for the purpose of hunting either the wild or IRISH WOLFHOUND. modern Irish wolfhound is undoubtedly a cross between the Great Dane and the Scottish deerhound; he is by no means uncommon now, and is useful in hunting big game, while he can also do his duty satisfactorily in the Scottish deer forests. Otter Hound.-In many particulars this is one of the most interesting of the varieties of the hounds, and appears to be one which we can pretty well call our own. He is a rough, or hard-coated hound, whose hair should be close, piley underneath, and thoroughly weather and water resisting, for the work of the otter hound is of the STAG HOUND. "carted" deer. The name is often applied, but very wrongly, to the Deerhound. (See HUNTING.) Welsh Hounds. There are two varieties of Welsh hounds, one of which partakes of the harrier in size and character, the other resembling the foxhound in size and appearance. Both are, however, rough or hard DOGS] coated, the hair being hard and crisp, close, and water and weather resisting. The most desirable colour is tawny red, mixed with black and grizzle hairs, and white; others are marked like ordinary foxhounds, and black-and-tans are not uncommon. Some of these Welsh hounds are extremely fine animals, and it is to be regretted that the race has been on the decadence for many years; recently some inquiry has been made for them, as masters of hounds have found them extremely useful in otter hunting.
They cast on their own account when at a loss better than the modern foxhound, can hunt an old drag more correctly, and, if IOI same time there were other pointers in France, some of which were no doubt from time to time brought over to this country.
Then Colonel Thornton (Thornville Royal) crossed the Spanish pointer with the foxhound, and is said to have improved the strain exceedingly. From this combination of Spanish, French, and foxhound blood has sprung the handsome animal of the present day. Sidney Gilpin, the eminent animal painter, was commissioned to take the portraits of Pluto and Juno, two of the gallant Colonel's best animals, and it is said that they remained on point for an hour and a quarter whilst they were being sketched.
POINTERS. slower, are more painstaking, and throw their voices more freely than most of the cracks of our best hunting countries.
SHOOTING DOGS.
Pointer. Though a comparatively recent introduction into this country, this dog is now one of the most popular of our sporting varieties. The date of its first appearance here, although not exactly known, was somewhere about 1720, at the time when shooting on the wing was coming into vogue. It is said that one Baron Bechill, who lived in Norfolk, had the earliest pointer, which he brought from Spain. At any rate, for a long time they were known as Spanish pointers, and from what we have been told they were thicker set and clumsier in build than is the modern pointer. They were useful in finding game and had good noses, but were said to tire soon. At the Colonel Thornton had another celebrated dog called Dash, which he sold to Sir Richard Symons for champagne and burgundy valued at £150, a hogshead of claret, a gun, and another dog! Then the Earl of Lauderdale, the Duke of Kingston, and other noblemen had celebrated strains of pointers, and Daniel Lambert, so renowned for his obesity, had some black pointers, which bore a great reputation. Later, Mr.
Thomas Webb Edge, of Streeley, near Nottingham, gave great attention to breeding pointers, and produced that which was once so widely known as the Edge strain, which, however, is now lost. Some of the blood, nevertheless, remains, and Mr. Edge having nothing but those that were liver and white in colour, such became the most popular, and remain so to this day. Sir R.
Garth, Q.C., Mr. J. H. Whitehouse, Mr.
Moore, Lord Chesterfield, Lord Derby, Sir R. Goodrich and others formed a connecting link between what may be called two generations, and later came Mr. R. J. Lloyd Price and Mr. Pilkington, who secured "plums" at Mr. Garth's sale in 1874, where eight brace of pointers realised 490 guineas, £150 for the seven-year-old dog Drake being the top figure. With the introduction of field trials and dog-shows, pointers and other sporting dogs improved in quality and increased in quantity. Judges were not so particular as to colour, and now, so long as a dog works well, he may be black, black and white, orange and white, lemon and white, or liver and white, and we have found dogs of any and all of these colours running successfully in public competitions. On the show bench the liver and white, and different shades of lemon or orange and white do best, although black and whites, and even blacks, sometimes win.
In size the pointer varies considerably, and seventy or eighty years ago it is said that the Earl of Lauderdale had a strain which did not exceed 30 lbs. in weight. The pointer is easily trained to point or stand game, while in America and Canada he is trained to retrieve. He is as popular on the Continent as in this country. A hot climate suits him better than it does the setter, and he can run longer without water than the latter variety.
Retrievers. With many sportsmen the retriever is considered to be the coming dog, as, in the many cases where grouse and part- GOLDEN-COLOURED RETRIEVER. ridge are "driven" or "walked up," a retriever is more useful than pointer, setter, or spaniel; besides, he is a good all-round dog for a shooting man. There are three varieties of the retriever proper, the curly coated, which may originally have been produced from the Irish water spaniel or the poodle; the flat or wavy-coated, which is no doubt a cross between the Labrador dog, the collie, and the setter. Black [DOGS is the prevailing colour of each, though in the first-named variety liver or browns are not uncommon, and black and tan are sometimes seen. Of the flat-coated variety, liver-coloured specimens are unusual, though puppies of that hue are sometimes produced from black parents. The older variety is the curly-coated retriever; indeed, until a comparatively recent date, say twenty-five years ago, the flat-coated CURLY-COATED RETRIEVER. variety was hardly known, and in the first volume of the Kennel Club stud book he is classified with the curly coats; but now it is rapidly forcing its cousin from public favour. Harder in mouth, not so amiable in temper, nor so companionable as the flatcoated variety, the curly-coated retriever chiefly depends upon its popularity as a wild-fowl dog, and as a winner on the show bench. He is the hardier and pluckier dog of the two, but requires the greater amount of work to keep him in proper subjection.
Although the flat-coated retriever has had many detractors, he could scarcely have flourished and reached such a popularity as he has done, were he not a sound, good, and useful dog for all kinds of work. No doubt there are soft, unpersevering animals of the variety; indeed, we have met with such, but they are the exception. As water dogs they are certainly not equal to the curly coats, but in nose, faithfulness, fondness for retrieving, and beauty, they cannot be excelled. In purchasing a retriever, particular attention ought to be paid to the dog's appearance, which should be kindly, sagacious, and sensible, for his work repeatedly requires more intelligence to do it properly than that of other sporting dogs.
The light-coloured gooseberry-eyed " specimen, with sinister, sour expression, ought to be at once discarded, and should on no account, if kept, be used for breeding The brown, or liver-coloured, curly-coated retrievers are known in different localities as the Norfolk retriever and as the Irish 66 DOGS] retriever, but there is no reason to believe that they are particularly connected with either place. The Labrador retriever originally came from Labrador, and at field trials during the past few years it has proved its value as a gundog, Mr. Maurice Portal's Flapper, a winner at both the Kennel Club and the International Meetings being one of the finest workers ever seen in public. The Duke of Buccleuch has a pure strain of the variety in his kennels in Scotland. The Russian retriever, introduced to this country in the early days of dog shows, was a huge beast of the poodle type, wearing long ringlets qualified to hang up any dog in a thicket of gorse and furze.
The Chesapeake Bay dog is a strong crossbred retriever used a great deal in America for wildfowl shooting; he is usually brown or somewhat mixed in colour, has a semicurly coat, is very hardy, and a powerful, FLAT-COATED RETRIEVER. strong swimmer. A useful working retriever may weigh anything between 45 lbs. 45 and 65 lbs., according to the sex and the purpose for which it is required.
Setter. There are three varieties of this dog, viz., the English setter, the Gordon, or black and tan setter, sometimes called the Scottish setter, and the Irish setter. The first named is black or blue and white, orange and white, black, tan and white, lemon and white, and liver and white in colour: the Gordon, as its name implies, is black and tan, and the Irish is usually red -sometimes red and white. There have been strains of black English setters, but they do not appear to have survived, and the colours alluded to certainly predominate at the present day. Until recently the setter was known as the spaniel, a name which is still applied to it in some country places.
In 1814 William Dobson of Eden Hall published a work on training the spaniel and the pointer, and by spaniel he meant setter.
The dog was used as far back as the sixteenth century for the purpose of assisting to take game by means of nets, when SETTER. it was called the "sitter" or "setter" because it crouched down. Even earlier than this, a dog, which was no doubt not unlike our modern setter, had been trained to find partridge and quail, which were flushed and then killed by falcons. The oldest painting of a setter of the modern English form is one by Albrecht Dürer, who died in 1528. It illustrates St. Hubert, and in one corner of the picture is an excellent representation of a black, tan, and white dog of the modern type. In the time of James I. no man was allowed to keep a setting dog," unless by himself or wife he owned land to the value of £10 per annum, or to £30 per annum if only of life interest. There is extant the copy of an agreement dated 1685 whereby one John Harris was to be paid thirty-one shillings for training a "spaniell bitch named Quand ENGLISH SETTER. to sitt partrages, pheasants, and other game." Since these early days many changes have been made in the English setter, the improved edition of which was introduced by Mr. E. Laverack early in the fifties. He tried various crosses with different strains, which he mostly obtained in the north of England, the result being handsome dogs which could win on the bench as well as do hard work in the field.
In 1872 Mr. Laverack published a book on the setter, which he dedicated to Mr.
Purcell-Llewellin, who continued and improved the breed. After Mr. Laverack's death the strain became so mixed that at the present day, although there are many good setters, such a thing as a pure Laverack" is unknown. The colours were blue and white ticked, which he called blue Beltons, from a village in Northumberland, and orange and white, or liver and white, all more or less heavily ticked or flecked.
Mr. Llewellin still keeps his own strain, guarding against an out cross of any sort; thus the family likeness is preserved, and GORDON SETTER. the habits and methods of working peculiar thereto are maintained. The English setter is one of the handsomest of sporting dogs, good tempered and kindly, is easily trained to shoot over, and often retrieves naturally, a faculty which is not encouraged in this country. Many good dogs have gone to America and to the Colonies at high prices, but Mr. Llewellin refused an offer of £1,200 for Count Wind 'Em, a winner in the field as well as on the show bench. Still, the English setter does not realise so much money as some less useful varieties of the dog. The weights vary somewhat, dogs being from 48 to 60 lbs. in weight, and bitches from 40 lbs. upwards. The Gordon, or black and tan, setter was first introduced to the public from Gordon Castle in Banffshire, the Highland seat of the Dukes of Richmond and Gordon. It was possibly originally produced early in the present century from a cross between an ordinary setter and a bloodhound. Many of the original Gordons were black, tan, and white [DOGS in colour, but by careful crossing the white became entirely eliminated, and a Gordon to-day should be black and tan, although a little white on the feet and on the chest is allowed. In this country he is not a popular dog, and more specimens are to be found in America and on the Continent than here.
The Irish Setter is much more popular, and during the past twelve years has come more prominently before the public than he had done before. He is a red dog, or red and white, with a certain character of his own, rather lighter and more elegant in build than either of the varieties already alluded to. History does not tell where the Irish setter came from, and he was not known as such much before about 1830, when he was red and white, and it was not probably until twenty years or more later that whole red became the fashionable colour. The loss of the white was certainly not an improvement, as the entirely red dog is very difficult to see on the moors, so much so that he is often used with a white collar or handkerchief around his neck to make him more easily distinguishable against the dark background of rock and heather. As a dog to shoot over, the Irish setter cannot be excelled, and, if a little headstrong and difficult to train, when thoroughly broken he is untiring, and can certainly go longer day after day over the mountains and bogs than either the Gordon or the English variety.
His scenting powers are quite equal to those of any other dog of the kind, and his pace and style are likewise first-rate.
RAWDON B. LEE.
Revised by WALTER BAXENDALE.
Spaniels. There are four varieties of field spaniels, irrespective of the Cocker and the Irish Water Spaniel; these are the Clumber, the Sussex, the Black, and the anyother-colour. All of these have certain points in common, having very long bodies in comparison to their height, short legs, and perfectly flat coats, the points in which they differ being the formation of the head, the colour, and, as regards the Clumber, in the size. A dog called a spaniel was known in this country 400 years ago, for it is mentioned (by the legendary Juliana Barnes) in "The Bokys of Hawking and Hunting," 1486. From this animal the setter is supposed to have been produced, but it is scarcely probable that there was very much resemblance between the spaniel spoken of in the fifteenth century, and that of the present day. The use of the spaniel, according to Nicholas Cox in his Gentleman's Recreation, published in 1677, was as an assistant in hawking, by springing and DOGS] retrieving game. The same writer also alludes to shortening the tails of spaniels, a custom which still obtains, but not for a similar reason. At that time the fallacy prevailed that the cutting of the tails of spaniel puppies was a preventive against worms. The tail of the spaniel is now docked in order that he may be enabled to work amongst briars and thick underwood without its becoming lacerated. The spaniel mentioned by Cox is probably that from which all the present varieties of land spaniels have sprung, not excluding the toy spaniels, as, with regard to the latter, it is a matter of history that the Blenheim spaniel, which has now lapsed into a pet dog, was at one time used for covert shooting. It is, however, unfortunately the fact that the improvement in appearance of the field spaniel to meet the requirements of the show-bench has been accomplished without consideration for his working qualities; fancy points are held in greater favour than some that are considered much more important by sportsmen, and prizes have been given to dogs with forelegs so badly shaped as to render them almost incapable of work.
The Clumber spaniel, white in body, with lemon markings on the head and ears, weighs from 45 lbs. to 65 lbs., according to sex. He is massive in build, with long body, short legs, and strong bone, a large head, of medium length, with heavy brows and deep stop, the flews being well developed. The eyes are dark amber, slightly sunk, and showing the haw. The ears are large and vine-leaf shaped and hanging slightly forward, the hair straight, the feather not extending below the fleshy CLUMBER SPANIEL. part of the ear; the coat long and dense, heavy feathering behind and on the legs, the stern not carried higher than the line of the back. It is a defect for the colour on head and ears to be orange; the lighter the shade the better. In the field, a wellbroken Clumber spaniel is a very useful dog; working about 20 yards in front of the gun at a steady trot, he does not give tongue, and can be trained to drop to hand, wing, or shot, and will retrieve. He is a slow dog, but does not "tire." Clumber spaniels are sometimes worked in teams of a few brace, when they take the place of beaters. This dog takes its name from 66 Clumber" near Worksop, one of the seats of the Duke of Newcastle, the breed having been introduced from France into this country by an ancestor of the present Duke, who lived about the middle of the last century.
The Sussex spaniel is not so large nor massive as the Clumber, the distinguishing SUSSEX SPANIEL. feature of the variety being its rich golden liver-colour. Here again is a short-legged dog, with great length of body, well ribbed up, and with muscular hind quarters; his coat is rather hard in texture, dense underneath, and perfectly straight, feathering moderate, that will allow a willing dog to work in the thickest covert of briars and brambles. The head is a modification of the Clumber's, the brows being not so much overhung, the skull moderately long and wide, with an indentation in the middle and a full stop. The eyes dark hazel, fairly large, not showing the haw overmuch; the muzzle square, and lips somewhat pendulous; the nose liver, the ears fairly large and lobe-shaped, coated with straight silky hair, and free from fringe at the tips; tail carried the same as the Clumber and docked.
He is hardy, busy, reliable as a worker, and sticks close to his game. He gives tongue when on the line of scent, but is not over noisy; he will retrieve, and is tendermouthed. The Rosehill strain, perfected by Mr. Campbell Newington, takes its name from Rosehill Hall, Brightling, near Hastings, where the late Mr. Fuller kept the 4 variety for over fifty years, and used his dogs for beating the large woods and plantations in the vicinity of Brightling and Heathfield.
The Black and any-other-coloured - spaniels are a much more modern production than either the Clumber or the Sussex. When all black he is a particularly handsome animal, in which length of body and shortness of legs with enormous bone are again produced to exaggeration. In head he differs from the Clumber, or the Sussex, inasmuch as it is longer and narrower; the skull is, however, well developed, the occipital bone being prominent, the ears longer and set lower, with more feather. As with the Sussex, the feet should not be too small, and should be protected with short hair between the toes; rather more feathering is, however, admissible below the hocks. The eyes should not show the haw. The "any-other-colour" include black and tan, liver and tan, liver, black and white, and liver and white, with FIELD SPANIEL. black-roan and liver-roan. Admirers of these dogs claim for them that they are reliable workers with the gun, but they are probably seen to more advantage on the show bench, and may be taken as a sound example of what can be done in the matter of breeding "for show points." A variety of this spaniel is known as the Norfolk spaniel, but it is pretty well distributed throughout the British Isles, and is by no means confined to the county from which it takes its name. It is liver and white in colour, inclined to be curly in coat, or at any rate wavy, and is higher on the legs and a more active, useful dog for sporting purposes than the ordinary black spaniel.
The Cocker is a particularly active little dog, and differs considerably in shape from the black spaniel. He must not weigh more than 25 lbs., and is shorter in body, and comparatively high on the legs in comparison with his size; the muzzle is not so square as in the other spaniels, and the [DOGS frontal bones rather more prominent, showing plenty of room for brain power; the stop rather more decided; the ears, set on COCKER SPANIEL. low, are fine in texture and do not extend beyond the nose when laid in that direction.
The dog is well clothed with long silky hair, which must be straight or wavy-no postive curls or ringlets; the coat flat or wavy, and soft in texture. In colour he is the same as the black, or any-other-coloured field-spaniel. He is a merry and busy worker, specially smart in driving game from a gorse covert or other rough place. a The Irish water-spaniel is a dog in every respect the antipodes of any other of the varieties of spaniel, excepting only an animal known as the English water-spaniel, of which sight has now been lost, but which, when in existence, might be considered a link between the curly-coated liver-coloured retriever and the Irish water-spaniel. The early history of the Irish water-spaniel is IRISH WATER SPANIEL. such that no authority has ventured to say much about his origin; all that is known about it is that there were at one time two, DOGS] if not more, varieties in the north and south of Ireland, and that the type recognised in the south has been taken as the modern one. About the same height as a retriever, in colour he is rich liver with a puce shade. He has the appearance of a strong and dashing dog, with quaint and very intelligent expression, the quaintness being emphasised by the peculiar topknot which falls between and over the eyes, and hides a capacious skull, which is somewhat domed. The face is long, square in muzzle, and perfectly smooth; the nose liver in colour; the coat consists of short crisp curls all over the body, and round and down the legs to the feet, which are large and round.
The inside of the hocks to the ground should, however, be smooth in a specimen of absolutely perfect coat, and there should be but little hair on the tail, which is thick at the base, somewhat short, and tapering to a point. Amber eyes are admissible, but when they are a soft brown the expression of the face is greatly improved. The ears, which are long and set on low, are abundantly covered with wavy hair, the feather reaching at least 3 inches below the flesh on either side; the whole measures from 24 to 26 inches. He is an excellent water dog, and particularly good for work on wild fowl in marshy ground, but next to useless in covert on account of his coat.
Instances have been known where he has been taught to set game, and back like a pointer or setter, but they have been very rare; indeed, his capacity for retrieving is his primary qualification. 66 TERRIERS.
The Airedale Terrier is the largest of the terrier race, and is a most useful animal to those who can only keep one dog for sport. Originally produced from a cross between the otter hound and a terrier, less than forty years ago he was to be seen in the northern counties of England (but more generally in Yorkshire), with hound-like ears, and other characteristics of the hound.
At that time he went by various names, the Bingley terrier " and the "Waterside terrier." During the last thirty years, however, since he was given an entry in the