I must begin with the disagreeable statement that none of the Rubies (including my own) are typical of what I consider Rubies should be. The majority are very poor in coat and body and lack refinement and quality. There has been very little competition for the last few years both as to quantity and quality, open classes often containing only one or two entries, the "open dog" class at one of the last Crystal Palace Shows (the most important show of the year) having only two entries for competition. One of these was an American dog and the other a puppy. In eleven open classes at big shows I have counted an average of two entries to each class. When this is the case, Challenge certificates are won far too cheaply, and now that the Kennel Club has decided to amalgamate the Rubies with the Black-and-tans by offering only one challenge prize between them, we shall not have many more Ruby champions unless we improve the quality of our exhibits. This will not be a bad thing. I cannot call to mind a single really well-made small dog with profuse coat and ears, and I hope that our breeders will turn their attention seriously to improving the Rubies, as the classes for this colour are most unsatisfactory. This will best be achieved by allowing show specimens to win with white breasts.

The white breasts are natural to them, and by being so absurdly particular about getting rid of every white hair the best specimens are excluded from the shows. The Ruby with the best head now existing is Miss H. G. Parlett's American dog Ch. Red Rival. From his photograph I judge him to be of the highest type. We have nothing over here to touch him.

The Black-and-tans are much better in quality than the Rubies, though here again the craze for eliminating the white breast does a great deal of harm, and from the incessant inbreeding to secure complete absence of any white hairs, as well as the noseless face, there is hardly a single strain which is not radically unsound. The coats are much better than in the Rubies, and this has led to a false idea that the Rubies are not required to have nearly so much feathering as the King Charles. A recent deputation to the Kennel Club mentioned this as a reason for giving them separate challenge prizes, which seems a wrong principle. A glance at the picture of Mr. Naves's Shepperl, of about 1880, will show that at that date the Ruby was as well coated and feathered and had as long ears as any of the other Toy Span-iels, and one can only wonder what has brought about the deplorable change for the worse which has come over our present dogs. It is true enough that the modern Rubies have not got as much coat as other Toy Spaniels, but this would be a reason for discontinuing the challenge prizes until the coats have improved, and not for adding fresh ones because the dogs cannot reach the proper standard. The three best Rubies I have ever seen had white breasts.

Walkley Mac is one of our best-headed Rubies and a lovely all-round dog, with style, action, and quality. At least, he was so when I saw him a year or two ago. Mrs. Lloyd's Midget is one of our best-coated dogs. . Champion Royal Rip has made a great name for himself as a sire, and his son Champion Royal Clyde is perhaps the most lavishly coated dog I ever saw. The American dog, Ch. A. M. Baronet, is one of our most consistent winners in Ruby classes and has a beautiful head.

The greatest fault among the Black-and-tans is unsoundness. The coats are better than is the case with the Rubies, and Mr. Hope Paterson's Champion Macduff and Champion Royal Clyde stand right out from the rest. The profusion of their feathering and ears cannot be surpassed. Mr. Hope Paterson also has a great fancy for pretty faces, and both these dogs have beautiful expressions, though I have found it impossible to get a photograph of Champion Macduff which does him anything like justice. Champion Highland Lad, the property of Mrs. Cooper, is a handsome dog, and Mrs. Larking's L'Ambassadeur has a head second to none, and ought to have been a champion long ago. His size, quality, and beauty have not given him the fame which is his due. His daughter, Myrtle Blossom, is one of the best bitches now on the bench, and his expression is inherited by his stock.

The chief faults of the Blenheims are either defective stamina or coarseness. The absence of coat and its harshness are also prominent defects. The best-coated dogs are Champion Little Tommy, Little Jock, and Seetsu Prince. Roscoe is one of the prettiest Blenheims on the bench. He has a beautiful expression and great quality, and has not had anything like his deserts on the show bench. The Tricolour Champion Casino Novelty has also an excellent expression. Champion The Troubadour (once my own property) had a lovely face, which his disposition did not belie. There are many winners which I consider quite untypical, even from the modern standpoint. Among these are dogs whose praises have been universally sung. A comparison between the various photographs in this book and the type which I have given as a model will show any observant person my reasons for disagreeing with the general verdict, notably in the case of Ch. The Advocate, Ch. The Dragon Fly, Cottage Flyer, Ch. Captain Kettle, and Ch. Clevedon Magnet.

Champion Joy (now dead) had a beautiful head. Mrs. Mitchell's Pandora is one of our best Tricolours. She shows great quality, and so does Mrs. Bright's Caris, both daughters of Champion The Cherub. This dog has, I think, sired more winning stock than any other Toy Spaniel. He has been much discussed as to type. In my opinion, he has one superlative merit - i.e., that of transmitting quality to his stock. No other dog has this merit to such an extraordinarily marked degree, and, though his own expression is not altogether pleasing, his stock are quite remarkable for their pretty faces. Cherubel, Champion The Seraph, Pandora, Champion Casino Novelty, Seraphina, Fairy Cherub, Fairy Blossom, and many others, all have lovely faces. There are now no young Blenheim dogs with what I consider lovely faces. The younger generation are almost all of the C type, which lacks the delicacy and style which are absolutely essential to a first-class show specimen. In some instances these dogs may be good to breed from if judiciously mated, but shows are intended for the exhibition of the "finished article" only, and not for the component parts before they are amalgamated. The "spot" is too rare among Blenheims. It is seldom seen in any perfection.