The Clumber is unquestionably the aristocrat of the spaniel family, in comparison to whom his modern black brother of the benches is a mere parvenu, and the Irish water spaniel as an unkempt kerne to a polished gentleman. The grave and somewhat weird Sussex cannot compare with him in dignity of demeanour, and the busy little cocker, with his fussy usefulness, neat and taking though he be, is commonplace in comparison with the Clumber, whose manners, solemn, slow, and almost dull, are yet stamped with that repose which the least imaginative may easily conceive rests on the proud consciousness of his long descent.

How the variety of spaniel under consideration came into being I have failed to discover. That the present characteristics he presents have for several generations of men been preserved by in-and-in breeding appears pretty certain, and for long the breed was confined to the Newcastle family, from one of whose seats they take their name.

But how a dog differing so considerably from other spaniels first originated is a puzzle to me which I would like solved. His long barrel, short legs, general heavy and inactive appearance, differ widely from the sprightly cocker and ordinary springer; and then, again, his big heavy head, large truncated muzzle, deep eyes, sometimes showing the haw, suggest a cross with a short-legged hound, which the fact of his being mute in questing seems to contradict. But, as I must have a theory of his origin, I content myself with imagining that the introduction of French bassets to the Clumber kennels may have produced the form and stamped him with many of the peculiar features which distinguish him from other breeds of spaniels.

The Clumber, if pure bred, invariably hunts mute; they have excellent noses; from their low build, great strength, thick flat coats, and close lying ears they are extremely well fitted to force their way through and under the thickest tangles of briar, whin, or bramble, but it is not now in Thridding the sombre boskage of the wood that he is mostly used, but in the battue, where his silence, docility, and excellent retrieving qualities make him valuable; he is easily broken to retrieve, and works steadily and with a plodding and untiring patience; many of them prove excellent water dogs, although that is not their forte, and, well entered, they prove equally useful and steady on snipe, pheasants, or rabbits; in packs they work splendidly together, showing less jealousy and disposition to copy than many breeds, and to the single-dog sportsman the Clumber proves a useful, reliable, and, although a rather sedate one, an intelligent and pleasing companion.

MR. W. ARKWRIGHT'S CLUMBER SPANIEL "LAPIS." Sire Duke of Portland'sBob - Dam Floss (K.C.S.B. 4397).

This breed has been guarded with great jealousy by several of the noble families in whose kennels it has long held a place; of these, first on the list are the Dukes of Newcastle, Norfolk, Portland, and Earl Spencer.

Mr. Foljambe's name is intimately associated with our best specimens. Mr. R. S. Holford, in the earlier days of dog shows, exhibited some very grand specimens; and Mr. W. Arkwright, of Sutton Scarsdale, is an enthusiastic admirer of the breed and a successful exhibitor and breeder; and among the more celebrated Clumbers exhibited of late years we may include his Lapis (the subject of our engraving), Mr. Phineas Bullock's celebrated Old Nabob, Mr. James Fletcher's Beau, and Mr. T. B. Bowers' Belgrave.

A correspondent who has lately visited the Welbeck Kennels, celebrated for their ancient and stainless pedigree, writes me he saw about a score specimens, everyone fit to grace a show ring.

The general appearance of the Clumber is that of a long, low, heavy dog, somewhat slow and dull-looking.

The head is large, long in skull, with the muzzle broad and cut off square.

The eyes are large, often rather deeply set, with a quiet thoughtful expression.

The nose is liver or flesh coloured.

The ears are large, lying close to the cheek, free from curl, but covered with short close hair, with rather longer hair at the edges.

The neck is long, thick, and muscular.

The shoulders are very thick through, and giving a heavy appearance.

The chest and body are deep and round, the ribs well sprung, wide apart, and extending well back, the back ribs deep.

The back is very long, straight, and both it and the loins are strong.

The hind-quarters are not much bent in stifle, the fore legs are straight with immense bone, the fore arm very thick and strong, the feet large, rather flat, and these and the legs are well feathered.

The tail is generally docked, but not very short, feathered, and with a downward carriage.

The coat is thick, flat, and soft - a curly coat is objectionable; the colour is white and lemon, which should be nicely distributed, the lemon should come down the head to below the eyes, and be divided by a line or narrow blaze of white up the forehead.

The subject of our engraving is Mr. W. Arkwright's Lapis, winner at the Crystal Palace Show, 1877; he is a three-year-old dog, by the Duke of Portland's Bob out of Mr. Arkwright's Floss, by the celebrated Duke out of Arkwright's Rose.

The following shows the weight and measurements of Lapis and other good specimens. Lapis is higher at the shoulder than many.

Mr. W. Arkwright's Lapis: weight, 621b.; height at shoulder, 18in. ; length from tip of nose to set on of stern, 42½in.; length from occiput to between eyes, 6in.; thence to tip of nose, 4¾in.; length of tail, 6½in.; girth behind shoulders, 29in.; girth of head, 18½in.; girth of forearm, 8in.; girth of loin, 25in.

Mr. W. Arkwright's Busy: Height at shoulder, 16in.; length from nose to set on of tail, 45in.; length of tail, 7in.; girth of chest, 26in.; girth of loin, 25in.; girth of head, 17½in.; girth of overarm, 7½in.; length of head from occiput to between eyes, 5¾in.; length from eyes to nose end, 3¼in.

Mr. W. Arkwright's Looby: Length from nose to set on of tail, 39in.; length of tail, 6in.; girth of chest, 23iin.; girth of loin, 22in.; girth of overarm, 7¾in.; length of head from occiput to between eyes, 6in.; length from eyes to nose end, 4½in.