Although Webb says that the coat should be straight, the picture which he gives is of a strongly wavy coat.

The Blenheim he describes in much the same terms as Stonehenge, and evidently drew from him. His remarks as to colour, however, are different. He says:

"The markings of the body are not of very great importance, provided there is no preponderance of either colour, and that both are distinct and clear. Freckled legs are not in favour; . . . the fewer of these spots the better. The ' red' should be brilliant and of a yellow or golden hue, by no means approaching the deep sienna stain of the Black-and-tan Spaniel or Gordon Setter, and many admirable specimens are of a positively sandy tone. This colour is not, however, Blenheim colour, which ought to be rich, pure, and defined."

He gives the following scale of points, which is the next oldest English scale of points in existence. I have given the oldest scale of all in my chapter on Origin and History:

Henry Webb's scale (1872):

King Charles

Head.....

10

Colour..........

40

Feather..........

10

Nose and jaw.............

10

Eyes...........

10

Ears.............

10

Texture of coat.......

10

Compactness of form.........

10

Size and weight..........

10

Carriage of tail..........

10

130

Proportion of head points, 30 to 100.

Blenheim

Head............

15

Eyes and ears...........

15

Coat............

10

Symmetry..........

10

Colour..........

20

Feathers.............

10

Weight............

10

Tail..........

10

.

100

Stonehenge's second scale of points in Rural Sports, 1876, is as follows:

Form of head.......

I5

Eyes and ears.....

15

Coat.........

10

Compactness and form......

10

Brilliant color and spots.......

20

Feather legs and feet........

10

Size and weight......

10

Tail and position........

10

100

Proportion of head points,. 22 1/2 to 77 1/2.

The. following scale of points, for Black-and-tans only, was recently published in the newspapers. It is said to be fifty years old, but there is no evidence in the matter. Miss Hall, Secretary of the Toy Spaniel Club, informs me that it was given her by an old fancier of Norwich, Mr. Riches, and that it was drawn up by thirty Norwich fanciers.

It contrasts rather remarkably with Henry Webb's scale, as given above, where colour was awarded forty points: .

Face. - Finish, depth, and width of muzzle and stop.......

15

Head. - Height, width, and roundness............

10

Eye. - Darkness, size, and placement...........

I0

Coat. - Length and silkiness............

I0

Ears. - Length,width, and fatherings..............

15

Shape. - Compact and low to ground............

10

Feet. - Round and full............

10

Colour. - Black with bright tan markings..........

10

Markings. - Clean spots over eyes, on each shoulder in front of chest,legs, and feather under tail..........

5

Tail. - Out straight and well feathered........

5

100

Stonehenge gives yet another - a third - scale in 1887:

Head........

1O

Stop..........

1O

Nose.........

1O

Lower jaw........

5

Ears...........

10

Eyes..........

5

Compactness of shape..........

10

Symmetry.........

5

Colour.........

1O

Coat ............

10

Feather..........

10

Size.........

5

.

100

Proportion of head points, 40 to 60.

Stonehenge gives a different scale every time, and each is so widely different that he seems to have had no very clear idea of what he wanted.

It is curious to note how his proportion of head points increases in eleven years from 22 1/2 in 100 to 40 in 100.

On comparing all these scales, it will be seen how far removed the present scale is from any of the old ones. I have thought over the matter very carefully, and consider that the following would be a far better one. Condition, symmetry, and size should not be massed together, as size is then given too great an importance. I have not adhered to 5 and 10 for each point with this system, as it is impossible to get the right relative value of the points:

The author's scale of points is as follows:

King Charles and Ruby

Blenheims

Tricolours

Symmetry, condition, and general appearance, including soundness and quality, also set of tail, which should be carried gaily...............

20

20

20

Size and fineness of bone.

8

8

8

Head and stop, including muzzle.........

12

12

12

Eyes............

10

10

10

Coat feather and ears....

20

20

20

Colour...........

10

Colour and markings, including spot ...

10

Colour and markings, including spot.....

10

Action..............

10

10

10

Expression........

10

10

10

100

100

100

Proportion head points, 32 to 68

32 to 68

32 to 68

Unsoundness should be an absolute disqualification unless the dog is otherwise entirely perfect; but if the unsoundness affects the shape, it should disqualify.

Penalties

Nose completely sunk into an enormous skull with strongly projecting under jaw.............

50

Too much under jaw.

10

Too little under jaw.....

15

Unsoundness...........

50

up to complete 100 of disqualification.

Size........

20

for 12 in., 80 for 13 in., 100 for anything above this height.

Bulldog type.............

100

i.e., disqualification.

Ugly head and expression

50

Too great depth of muzzle from nose to chin.

20

No coat or ears when over three years old...

50

White streak on head of

Black -and-tan.........

60 to 80, according to size.

White streak on head of

Ruby .........

20

Ears set too low.........

15

Harsh coat..........

15

Oblique eyes...........

25

Excessive timidity...........

25

Meyrick, 1842, gives the points of both King Charles and Blenheim as follows. This is the first standard of the breed:

"A short muzzle; breadth over the eyes. A black nose and roof to the mouth, a round head, full, prominent eyes. The ears close to the head and fringed with long silky hair, and a similar kind of hair growing from the toes and reaching beyond the claws. In colour the King Charles should be of a rich black-and-tan, but some of them have white markings. The Blenheim is white, with markings or patches of red or yellow, red being the preferable colour, but there should be no white on the ears or head except a short streak running up from the nose between the eyes. The weight of these dogs varies from four to seven pounds. The smaller they are the more they are prized, but the King Charles is seldom less than five or six pounds.

"It has long been the habit of London fanciers to cross the breed, when, strange to say, the litter is always composed of puppies some of which have the distinctive markings of the King Charles and some of the Blenheim breed. The object of the cross is to get a smaller King Charles by a mixture of Blenheim blood."1

A great deal more attention should be given to all-round excellence, as opposed to what I may call local excellence; but most judges think only of the head, or we may even say of the shortness of nose, and forget the body which supports it; and championships have occasionally been awarded without the dogs being even walked once round the ring. Action is a terribly neglected thing. It should be light and springy, and the dog should be smart and alert, and not cringing. He should be bold and active, taking small, quick steps, and having a prancing, rocking-horse movement, not that, however, of the Italian Greyhound, as recently suggested by a foreign writer. The action should not be large, loose, or slovenly, but compact and smart, and the dog should jump about and be full of life and vigour. A Toy Spaniel should be built like a miniature cob, yet when he dances about and plays on a lawn he should look as light as a handful of thistledown blown about by the wind. This is the ideal movement, and has only to be seen once to leave a lasting impression even on those most ignorant of the breed. I have said that a Toy Spaniel should be bold. Excessive timidity, except in a young puppy, is a serious fault, and should go against a dog in the ring.

It is impossible for any judge to examine the body and movement of a dog which sits shivering and walks all huddled up, with its tail invisible, and an expression of terror in its face.

I have the greatest objection to Toy Spaniels being timid. I like what is called "a merry little shower" - a dog who comes into the ring as if the whole show belonged to him and appears to enjoy it thoroughly. An excessively timid dog should be penalised, as it means a mental defect or affection of the nerves, which is generally hereditary, or else. is caused by bad treatment on the owner's- part, 'in which case, by losing his prize, he learns to treat his dogs better for his own sake. I am talking, of course, of adult, fully developed animals, not of puppies, as one cannot expect them to show well. I do not, however, approve of puppies being shown at all unless exceptionally strong and bold. I detest a sluggish dog who takes no interest in life, or an imbecile who sits down in a heap, with his ears thrown back, and will have his head pulled off sooner than move, or slinks across the ring with his back humped up and his tail tightly jammed between his legs. It is impossible to judge of the shape of a dog of this kind, as one has to judge by allowances and by an imaginary picture of what the dog would be if he was quite different from what he appears.

1 This is incorrect.