In introducing "Castra " to our readers it will be sufficient to say he is a gentleman who has taken an enthusiastic interest in, and done much to save the true Sussex spaniel from annihilation by absorption into more modern strains. Not only has he been a successful breeder and exhibitor, but nearly all the winning dogs of this strain at the present day are from or bred direct from, his kennels.

"Castra" says:

" This variety of spaniel is one of the oldest known breeds of English sporting dogs, and is probably the one from which the setter has been produced by the simple process of selection; such appears to be the opinion of 'Idstone,' and such was the opinion of the king of setter breeders - I refer, of course, to the late Mr. Laverack - who went so far as to admit that in breeding the animals for which he became so justly famous, he always aimed at producing an enlarged spaniel; and maintained that the formation of a pure Sussex spaniel was perfection for the purposes of endurance.

" My theme has been so well and so exhaustively treated by modern writers, and their writings are so fresh to my memory, that it will be preferable, for my purpose to quote certain passages from Youatt, 'Stonehenge,' and ' Idstone' verbatim, rather than permit their ideas adopted by the writer to appear secondhand.

" It is generally agreed that the spaniel is of Spanish origin, and thence its name. Youatt declares 'he is evidently the parent of the Newfoundland dog and the setter; while the retriever, the poodle, the Bernardine, the Esquimaux, the Siberian, and the Greenland dogs, the shepherd and drover's dog, and every variety distinguished for intelligence and fidelity, have more or less of his blood in them.'

"'Stonehenge' says ' The Sussex is a distinct and a very old-established breed. He divides the honours of old family with the Clumber, and he always has been and always will be in demand;' whilst 'Idstone' writes in 1872 thus: ' The Sussex is nearly if not quite extinct, and I have not seen a first-class one for some years»

These dogs were as silent as Clumbers, but as a rule they would fling their tongue under strong excitement, and especially on view, unless they were broken to drop to game. Good spaniels may be obtained of any colour, but the true Sussex is golden liver. The dog has never been produced in great numbers, nor has he ever been common. He has been in the hands of a few families, and the late Mr. Fuller, of Rosehill, was celebrated as a breeder, and for the breaking and discipline of his team.

" 'For the patient, genuine sportsman there is no better dog than the short-legged, thick-set, long, and low spaniel, which ought to down charge, to retrieve, and to swim well and cheerfully.

"' The Sussex possesses all these accomplishments, and is a capital dog to go through thick covert or woodlands, being able, from his formation, to burrow under gorse or tangle, and to rouse fur or feather in situations inaccessible to his master.

"' For this purpose he should have a thick, straight, but not a voluminous coat, such as shall protect but not impede him, and ears of moderate size, or what a judge of exhibition spaniels would declare small. A dog with heavily-coated ears, and with leather sufficient to cover one-half of a football, may be ornamental to the benches of a dog show, but he is useless as a sporting dog.'

"From one cause and another Sussex spaniels had become well nigh extinct about the year 1870, when a few gentlemen undertook the task of resuscitation with this result, that the breed has now classes at all our chief exhibitions, where there is generally to be seen a very fair sprinkling of the old sort, although, I regret to say, that the spurious article is still supplied in considerable numbers.

"In general appearance the Sussex spaniel should be long and low, and of a deep golden liver colour - not mealy nor yet puce - but the shades of the liver in a strong light should appear golden.

"The head should resemble that of a good Clumber; it should not appear long.

"The ears should be lobe shaped, and thickly clothed with straight silky hair; and should spring in front from a point above the level of the eyes.

"The nostrils should be very large, and the lower jaw should recede considerably; the flews should be so large as to be capable of being drawn together underneath the extremity of the lower jaw.

"The eyes should be of a dark hazel colour, and should be overhung by the eyebrows. The expression should be extremely intelligent, and entirely free from any indication of frivolity. Mr. William Lort says that the true Sussex has a weird look, and that even when young it is a steady, sober sort of dog.

"The neck must be thick, and not too long, with a slightly arched crest.

"The body must be long, deep, and very strong; the shoulders oblique, and the loin just sufficiently arched to give an indication of power.

"The legs must exhibit immense bone; they should be short and straight in front, whilst those behind should be very much bent at the stifles and the hocks, in order to give the requisite propelling power to a heavy, low dog.

"The feet must be large, round in shape, and sufficiently furnished between the toes with short, thick hair, which is necessary for the protection of the feet when at work.

"The tail - which indicates the purity of a spaniel sooner than anything - should be docked to a length of about 9in., and should be carried below the level of the back, except under very strong excitement, such as that caused by a quarrelsome dog.

"The coat must be perfectly straight, of ahardish texture, and very thick; the feather must not be too abundant anywhere, nor must it extend below the knees in front or the hooks behind.

"The weight should be from 331b. to 401b. "

Measurements of some good Sussex spaniels:

Mr. George Parsons' s Mo use: Age, 3 years; weight, 26½1b.; height at shoulder, 12½in.; length from nose to set on of tail, 33½in.; length of tail, 6in.; girth of chest, 23in.; girth of loin, 19½in.; girth of head,

14in.; girth of forearm, 6½in.; length of head from occiput to tip of nose,

8½in.; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 8in.; from elbow to toe nail, 7½in.; from elbow to ground when standing, 6in.; ears tip to tip, 19in.; sex, bitch.

Mr. George Parsons's Noble: Age, about 2½ years; weight, 451b.; height at shoulder, 16in.; length from nose to set on of tail, 40in.; length of tail, 8in.; girth of chest, 26in.; girth of loin, 19in.; girth of head, 20in.; girth of forearm, 9in.; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 10½in.; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 9in.; elbow to toe, 10in.; elbow to ground, 9in.; ears tip to tip, 23in.

Mr. George Parson's Puzzle: Age, 1 year; weight, 261b.; height at shoulder, 13in.; length from nose to set on of tail, 34in.; length of tail, 6in.; girth of chest, 22in.; girth of loin, 18in.; girth of head, 14½in.; girth of forearm, 8in.; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 8½in.; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 8in.; elbow to toe, 7¾in.; elbow to ground, 6¾in.; ears tip to tip, 19in.

Mr. T. Jacobs' champion Bachelor (K.C.S.B., 6287): Age, 3½ years; weight, 461b.; height at shoulder, 15in.; length from nose to set on of tail, 32in.; length of tail, 6in.; girth of chest, 25in.; girth of loin, 23in.; girth of head, 17in.; girth of forearm, 7in.; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 9iin.; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 9½in.; length of front leg from elbow to toe nail, 9in.; when standing, from elbow to ground, 7¾in.; length of ears from tip to tip, 22in.

Mr. F. C. Barton's bitch Countess: Age, 10 months; weight, 401b.; height at shoulder, 13in.; length from nose to set on of tail, 31in.; length of tail, 5½in.; girth of chest, 24in.; girth of loin, 22½in.; girth of head, 15½in.; girth of forearm, 8in.; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 8½in.; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 9in.; length of ears from tip to tip, I7in.; golden liver colour.