A writer in 1802 speaks of the King Charles as being "small, black, and curly"

An old breeder tells me that forty years ago the Toy Spaniels had coats which swept the ground, with immense ears and frills, but that they were often curly or very wavy,

I have been informed by experts on the subject that the formation of curly and straight hair is entirely different; and that a straight hair, examined under a strong magnifying glass will be seen to be round, like a tube, whereas curly hair is flat, like a blade of grass; and has much the strongest growth of the two. In the only instance when I took the trouble to verify this statement I found it to be correct, but I will not be responsible for its scientific accuracy, as I cannot generalise on a single instance.

The standard of the Toy Spaniel as given by Stone-henge in 1887, and adopted, with certain alterations, by the Toy Spaniel Club, is as follows, according to Stone-henge and Dalziel :

"Head should be well domed, and in good specimens is absolutely semi-globular, sometimes even extending beyond the half circle and absolutely projecting over the eyes, so as nearly to meet the upturned nose.

Eyes

The eyes are set wide apart, with the eyelids square to the line of the face - not oblique or foxlike. The eyes themselves are large and dark as possible, so as to be generally considered black, their enormous pupils, which are absolutely of that colour, increasing the description. There is nearly always a certain amount of weeping shown at the inner angles; this is owing to a defect in the lachrymal duct." (This is not in the original text, but taken from Mr. Berne's points of the Blenheim.)1

The last paragraph is omitted by the American Toy Spaniel Club.

Stop

The "stop" or hollow between the eyes is well marked, as in the bulldog, or even more so; some good specimens exhibit a hollow deep enough to bury a small marble.

Nose

The nose must be short and well turned up between the eyes, and without any indication of artificial displacement afforded by a deviation to either side. The colour of the end should be black, and it should be both deep and wide, with open nostrils. A light-coloured nose is objectionable, but shall not disqualify/'

It must be remembered that this is only twenty-one years old, and was invented by Stonehenge, who had no historical authority even for his first standard, in 1867.

Jaw

The muzzle must be square and deep, and the lower jaw wide between the branches, leaving plenty of space for the tongue and for the attachment of the lower lips, which should completely conceal the teeth. It should also be turned up or ' finished' so as to allow of its meeting the end of the upper jaw, turned up in a similar way, as above described. A protruding tongue is objectionable, but does not disqualify.

1 The sooner we get rid of this defect the better.

Ears

The ears must be long, so as to approach the ground. In an average-sized dog they measure twenty inches from tip to tip, and some reach twenty-two inches or even a trifle more. They should be set low1 down on the head and hang flat to the side of the cheeks, and be heavily feathered. In this last respect the Black-and-tan is expected to exceed the Blenheim, and his ears occasionally extend to twenty-four inches.

Size

The most desirable size is from seven pounds to ten pounds.2 Dalziel says:' In size both vary from five pounds to ten pounds, the smaller the better, if otherwise well proportioned'

Shape

In compactness of shape these Spaniels almost rival the Pug, but the length of coat adds greatly to the apparent bulk, as the body, when the coat is wetted, looks small in comparison with that dog. Still, it ought to be decidedly 'cobby' with strong, stout legs, short, broad back, and wide chest. The symmetry of the King Charles is of importance, but it is seldom that there is any defect in this respect.8

Coat

The coat should be long, silky, soft, and wavy, but not curly. In the Blenheim there should be a profuse mane, extending well down in the front of the chest. The feather should be well displayed on the ears and feet, and in the latter case so thickly as to give the appearance of being webbed. It is also carried well up the backs of the legs. In the Black-and-tan, the feather on the ear is very long and profuse, exceeding that of the Blenheim by an inch or more. The feather on the tail (which is cut to the length of about three and a half or four inches) should be silky and from four to six inches in length, constituting a marked flag of a square shape, and not carried above the level of the back." 1 (This is quite incorrect.)

1This has no foundation in history.

2 The American Toy Spaniel Club has the weight from nine to twelve pounds.

3 The last paragraph omitted by American Toy Spaniel Club.

Colour

The colour varies with the variety. The Black-and-tan is a rich, glossy black and deep mahogany tin; tan spots over the eyes, and the usual markings on the muzzle, chest and legs are also required. The Ruby is a rich chestnut red, and is whole coloured. The presence of a few white hairs, intermixed with the black on the chest of a Black-and-tan, or intermixed with the red on the chest of a Ruby Spaniel, should carry weight against a dog, but shall not in itself absolutely disqualify; but a white patch on the chest or white on any other part of a Black-and-tan or Ruby Spaniel shall be a disqualification. The Blenheim must on no account be whole-coloured, but should have a ground of pure, pearly white, with bright, rich chestnut or ruby markings evenly distributed in large patches.

"The ears and cheeks should be red, with a blaze of white extending from the nose up the forehead, and ending between the ears in a crescentic curve. In the centre of this blaze at the top of the forehead there should be a clear "spot" of red, of the size of a sixpence. Tan ticks on the fore-legs and on the white muzzle are desirable.2 The Tricolour should in part have the tan of the Black-and-tan, with markings like the Blenheim in black instead of red on a pearly-white ground. The ears and tinder the tail should also be lined with tan. The Tricolour has no 'spot' that beauty being peculiarly the property of the Blenheim.1

1 The American Toy Spaniel Club, as quoted by Field and Fancy, give the length of the tail one and one half inches and the length of the feather only three to four inches.

2 This last phrase is taken from Berries' points of the Blenheim and omitted by the American Toy Spaniel Club. They should be very slight and few in number, and on no account so thick as to give the face a dirty appearance, as this is most disfiguring. Their desirability is doubtful.

"That in future all Red King Charles be known by the name of Ruby Spaniels, the colour of the nose to be black. The points of the Ruby to be the same as those of the Black-and-tan, differing only in colour."