I have derived benefit from crossing with the strains both of Mr. Engelbach and of the late Sir Wm. Verner, and also from that of Mr. W. S. Tollemache, who, for a period of over thirty years, kept the breed in its purity ; and, although he never exhibited them, Mr. Tollemache has owned some of the finest dogs of the breed it has ever been my lot to look upon. Mr. Morton, of Ballymena, Ireland, has for a long time been foremost in this breed in his own country, and he is the most formidable opponent I have had to meet at our shows. We have rung the changes repeatedly in crossing, to our mutual advantage.

It has been argued that the Irish Water Spaniel is too impetuous and hard-mouthed to be worth much as a field dog. To this I must say that the dogs which have caused this remark to be applied to the whole breed have either been crossbred animals, or else have had a defective education. With true-bred dogs the reverse is the case, they being tender-mouthed enough to please the most fastidious; and if they are taken in hand young enough, and trained properly, the libel will die out. When Blarney was a puppy, I had her and her brother Fudge (who died of distemper), and I trained them to retrieve by means of a tame pigeon, which, from some cause or other, could only fly a short distance. I used to put it in my pocket when I took the puppies out for a run, and for a period of at least three months they each retrieved it some dozen times nearly every day, without injuring the pigeon in the least. I have seen one of them (the dog, I think) so afraid of harming it as to take hold of it by the wing and fairly lead it to me. Can any other breed of retriever beat that for tender mouths ? Their dam, Juno, was also as tender-mouthed and as clever a retriever as any sportsman could wish to be master of; but I will freely admit that some of the breed have been made hard-mouthed, and so also have hundreds of Retrievers, from the same cause. The Irish Water Spaniel, as every one knows who has owned one, is never satisfied unless he is doing something to please his master; for this reason he is kept as a companion, and taught to carry a stick, fetch stones, balls, etc. This kind of education it is which causes them to be hard-mouthed, especially if this is done before they have been taught to retrieve game. They are high-couraged, like the Irish Setter, and, like them also, when well broken cannot be beaten.

There is considerable diversity of opinion as to their points for exhibition purposes; and since Mr. McCarthy brought them to what he considered perfection, there has been a great confusion, brought about by judges (who have never been breeders) giving prizes to a class of dog that was far from correct. For instance, Mr. McCarthy, in his description in the Field in 1859, says the head should be capacious, forehead prominent, whilst his dogs, and the dogs of his day, were all square in the muzzle. A dog with a head of this description would be ignored nowadays; but I am by no means disposed to say that the snipe-nosed ones, which certain of our judges go in for, are correct - it is the fashion to call a weak, bitch-faced dog, 'full of quality.' This so-called quality in the Irish Water Spaniel cannot be got without a corresponding loss of bone and, in my opinion, constitution.

The head, from the apex to the eye, is large and capacious, giving the appearance of being short, which is by no means the case, only appearing so from its being so heavily furnished with topknot; the dog, which looks long as a puppy, loses it as he gets older. The topknot is one of the chief characteristics of the breed, and it does not arrive at perfection, as a rule, until the dog attains the age of about two and a half years; it should not grow straight across the face to between the eyes, like a wig, but from the front edges of the ears should form two sides of a triangle, meeting in a point, between the eyes. The head should be well covered with this topknot, the hair of which should be, in a dog in full coat, 4m. or more long, the forelocks hanging gracefully down the face; but I very much admire the topknot when about half grown, and when standing straight up all over the head, giving the dog a wild appearance.

The face is long, and is the most remarkable feature of the breed to my mind, being, in a good specimen, quite smooth, the hair no longer than that upon a smooth Terrier; this short hair should extend to the cheeks. I know of no other dog which carries the same quantity of hair on its head, legs, and ears, that has not also a rough face; and however remote may be the cross of Poodle or Russian Retriever, it will show itself upon the face and cheeks as moustachios and whiskers. This is a point which judges should specially make a note of. I have named it to several, who all have. made light of it; not so, however, with Mr. M'Carthy and other breeders. The nose is large, and with a slight squareness of muzzle. The eyes, too, I have never seen taken into account by any judge, and yet it is the eye that gives character to the face; this should be a deep, rich brown, which in the dark or shade is beautiful - not to be described, but seen. A light yellow or gooseberry eye is my detestation, and is always accompanied by a coat which, before moulting time, assumes a very light sandy hue; whilst the dark-eyed ones are many shades darker at the same period of coating.

The ears are about 18in. long in the flesh, lobe-shaped, not pointed, and, when well furnished with hair, should be from 26m. to 3oin. from tip to tip, when measured across the head. Old Doctor measured, when he won the last time at the Crystal Palace, 31 in.

The chest should be deep, and the ribs well sprung, so that the body appears round rather than deep. The shoulders are inclined to be a bit thick, as the dog all over should appear cobby.

The back and quarters are as strong as those of a waggon-horse.

The legs should be straight, with good feet, well clothed with hair, both over and between the toes; the fore legs are heavily feathered at the sides and behind, with a curled or rough appearance in front. The hind legs are smooth in front, from the hocks downwards, whilst it is essential that they should be feathered behind down to the foot. In crossing with certain breeds, such as the Retriever, this is one of the first points lost.