AMONG the earliest records of venerie in England, the spaniel is alluded to as used for hawking and netting, and he claims, with the greyhound, the bulldog, and the mastiff, the honour of having been the first of his species introduced into this country. I do not pretend to settle this moot point; but there can be no doubt that in this century he is remarkable among his compeers for tenderness of nose, high intelligence, devotion to his master, pluck, stamina, and perseverance in the pursuit of his game. Possessed of these high qualities, he is not only useful as a "dog of all work," but he is also a sagacious and faithful companion. Nevertheless, for some years past the spaniel has been supplanted in general estimation by the pointer, setter, or terrier, partly owing to the superior speed of the first two better suiting our modern ideas, and partly also to the fact that the terrier will not only hunt game, but vermin, about which the spaniel is comparatively indifferent. Still there are many excellent sportsmen who adhere to the spaniel, and who use nothing else for beating hedgerows, small coverts, and even turnips or clover, where, of course, this dog is constantly kept within range of the gun by careful breaking.

In our modern farming, the large inclosures and the very thin fences which are its distinguished feature also lessen his utility; and even in Wales, Devonshire, and Norfolk - each of which districts used formerly to possess its peculiar breed - spaniels are comparatively rare, and these three strains are no longer to be met with in a typical form. There is, however, one kind of game - the woodcock - which still demands a couple or leash of spaniels; and "cock shooting" being highly valued, a few good sportsmen, for this and other reasons, have recently done their best to improve the breeding of this dog, in externals as well as utility. In the early days of dog shows Mr. F. Burdett, the secretary of the Birmingham Dog Show, and in fact its prime mover, possessed a breed of black Cockers, obtained from the neighbourhood of Lutterworth, where they were bred by an old family of the name of Footman. They were unrivalled in appearance as well as at work, taking every prize for which they competed. Mr. Burdett's early death, however, caused their distribution, and the best specimens passed into the hands of Mr. Jones, of Oscott, and Mr. Phineas Bullock, of Bilston, the latter of whom has crossed them with the Sussex, and apparently with the water-spaniel. In the last ten years he has almost monopolised the prizes in the spaniel classes, and without doubt he has deserved his success.

I regret that I am unable to present to the readers of this book a portrait of any of his dogs, haying in vain applied to him for the necessary facilities; but the omission is of the less consequence, because he has gradually introduced so much Sussex blood into the old strain that the produce are almost exactly of that type, with the single exception of the head; and for the illustration of the pure Sussex I prefer the original selection, as represented by Mr. Soames's George. In order to obtain the genuine field spaniel other than Sussex or Clumber, I have consequently been obliged to look outside Mr. P. Bullock's kennel, and have fortunately discovered the very best specimen I have ever seen in the possession of Mr. W.Gillett, of Hull, together with his dam, the former bred by Mr. W. W. Boulton, of Beverley, whose portraits are given with this chapter, associating with them a little old-fashioned cocker bitch, bred by Mr. Lort, to serve as a contrast. Brush, the young dog above alluded to, has all the bone, symmetry, and quality of Mr. Bullock's dogs, with a flatter, softer, and more silky coat, and without the heavy ears, which are, in my opinion, faults in the Bilston kennel.

His ears are of the true spaniel type, lobular in shape without being too heavy, and he has plenty of feather for his age, whilst his middle only requires another six months to be perfect. As to his head, legs, and feet, I have never seen them equalled, and his colour is the finest jet black, with a most beautiful polish. Nell shows signs of age, and has too much ear for my taste; but her success on the show bench qualifies her for her position in the group. As to Ladybird, I have selected her as the type of a working hedgerow spaniel. She is about 181b. in weight, with excellent legs and feet, and ears not likely to get in her way in pushing through the brambles or gorse. She was bred by Mr. Lort, and combines the Burdett and Lort strains with other old ones unknown to fame.

Since the above was written in 1876 Brush has won several prizes, my opinion of him being endorsed by various judges.