lack. SHOULDERS AND CHEST--Former sloping and
free, latter deep and well developed, but not too round and wide.
BACK AND LOIN--Very strong and muscular; level and long in proportion
to the height of the dog. HIND-QUARTERS--Very powerful and muscular,
wide, and fully developed. STERN--Well set on, and carried low, if
possible below the level of the back, in a perfectly straight line,
or with a slight downward inclination, never elevated above the back,
and in action always kept low, nicely fringed, with wavy feather of
silky texture. FEET AND LEGS--Feet not too small, and well protected
between the toes with soft feather; good strong pads. Legs straight
and immensely boned, strong and short, and nicely feathered with
straight or waved Setter-like feather, overmuch feathering below the
hocks objectionable. COAT--Flat or slightly waved, and never curled.
Sufficiently dense to resist the weather, and not too short. Silky
in texture, glossy, and refined in nature, with neither duffelness
on the one hand nor curl or wiriness on the other. On chest under
belly, and behind the legs, there should be abundant feather, but
never too much, and that of the right sort, viz., Setter-like. The
tail and hind-quarters should be similarly adorned. COLOUR--Jet black
throughout, glossy and true. A little white on chest, though a
drawback, not a disqualification. GENERAL APPEARANCE--That of a
sporting dog, capable of learning and doing anything possible for
his inches and conformation. A grand combination of beauty and
utility.

* * * * *

VII. THE ENGLISH SPRINGER.--It is only quite recently that the Kennel
Club has officially recognised the variety known by the name at the
head of this section. For a long time the old-fashioned liver and
white, or black Spaniels, longer in the leg than either Sussex or
Field Spaniels, had been known as Norfolk Spaniels, and under this
title the Spaniel Club has published a description of them. There
had, however, been a considerable amount of discussion about the
propriety of this name of "Norfolk," and the weight of the evidence
adduced went to show that as far as any territorial connection with
the county of that name went, it was a misnomer, and that it probably
arose from the breed having been kept by one of the Dukes of Norfolk,
most likely that one quoted by Blaine in his _Rural Sports_, who was
so jealous of his strain that it was only on the expressly stipulated
co