To the preceding varieties we now add another, which "Saxon," a Norfolk sportsman, claims as peculiar to his county. Of the correctness of so doing, however, we have some doubt, for although retrievers answering his description may be more plentiful in Norfolk than elsewhere, they are met with often enough in all parts of the country. He says:

"There is no doubt that dog-shows have done much towards improving the various breeds of dogs; but there are still some counties which are, so to speak, outside the magic circle of shows, and in these counties the improvement is not so manifest. Norfolk is one of them, and though it is a first-rate county for shooting of all kinds, yet at the same time, from a show point of view, its dogs are not up to the mark.

"It is well known that the retriever is not a distinct breed, and purity of blood, therefore, can only exist so far as the strain is concerned. In spite of this there is a strong family likeness visible in most good specimens of the so-called Norfolk retriever.

"For many a long year Norfolk has been celebrated for its wildfowl shooting. On broad, river, sea-coast, and estuary, wildfowl abound during the winter months, and unassisted by boat or dog the gunner would lose by far the greater part of the fowl he shot. In rough weather, when the fowl are most easy of access, the use of a boat in many instances becomes difficult, not to say dangerous and impossible, and some kind of dog, therefore, became necessary to the fowler of olden times. The old-fashioned pointer, so steady and good after partridges in the long hand-reaped stubbles, failed signally in most instances when the thermometer hung feelingly in the neighbourhood of zero and the beard of the shooter was white with icicles and hoar frost. It was not his trade, and he knew it. A hardier dog was necessary, and one with a rougher coat. The old-fashioned English water-spaniel was undoubtedly good at flushing the birds from reed-beds and the like, but for all-round work his impetuosity would be against him. Something more sedate than all spaniel blood was required, and yet the dash and resolution of the genuine spaniel should be retained.

By continual crossing - frequently accidental and still more frequently injudicious - by a strong infusion of Irish water-spaniel blood, with here and there a tinge of the Labrador, the necessary animal was by degrees manufactured.

"Such is my theory concerning the origin of the Norfolk retriever. Now for a description of the dog. The colour is more often brown than black, and the shade of brown rather light than dark - a sort of sandy brown, in fact. Coat curly, of course, and the curls hardly so close and crisp as in the show retriever of the present day, but inclined to be open and woolly. The coat is not long, however, and across the back there is often a saddle of straight short hair. In texture the coat is inclined to be coarse, and it almost invariably looks rusty and feels harsh to the touch. This, however, may in some measure be due to neglect. The head is heavy and wise-looking, the muzzle square and broad; ears large, and somewhat thickly covered with long curly hair. The limbs stout and strong, with large and well-webbed feet. The tail is usually docked like a spaniel's, but not so short. This seems to be quite a keeper's custom, and probably originated from the fact that, to an inexperienced eye, the tail of a puppy generally appears too long for the dog. However, although docking the tail improves the appearance of a spaniel, in my opinion it completely spoils the symmetry of a retriever. I remember once asking a Norfolk keeper's opinion of a very handsome flat-coated retriever I had.

After examining the dog carefully, the man said, ' Well, sir, he would be a rare nice-looking dog if you only cut half-a-yard off his tail.' I need hardly add that I did not act on the suggestion.

"When white appears on the chest it is more frequently in the form of a spot or patch than a narrow streak. They are usually rather above than below the medium size and are strong compact dogs. As a rule, they are exceedingly intelligent and tractable, capaple of being trained to almost anything, both in the way of tricks and with the gun. In temperament they are lively and cheerful, making excellent companions; and it is very rarely that they are found sulky or vicious. When only half-trained they are apt to be headstrong and impetuous, and, though naturally with a strong retrieving instinct, are often a little inclined to be hard-mouthed. This defect can be traced to two causes. It may be the rusult of injudicious breeding from hard-mouthed parents, or it may arise from careless or slovenly handling in their young days. However, when they are wanted almost exclusively for wildfowl shooting, this failing is not of so much moment, for they will be principally used for retrieving birds that fall in the water, and, as fowl are for the most part very tough birds, the rough grip as a dog seizes a duck will not cause much mischief, and while swimming the most inveterate "biter " will seldom give his birds a second nip. For wildfowl shooting they are admirable.

Their resolute nature renders them most determined in hunting coots, moor-hen and half-fowl, as the gunners call many of the smaller members of the anas tribe, for which their too limited knowledge of natural history cannot supply a name. When accustomed to sea-shore shooting they will face a rough sea well, and they are strong swimmers, persevering, and not easily daunted in their search for a dead or wounded fowl."