When Mr Jacobs had old Champion Bachelor in his possession, he had not more than one Sussex bitch to mate him with, to my recollection. There can be no doubt that the great improvement--for the show bench--of the modern Spaniels began when Jacobs crossed Bachelor with old Negress, a black Field Spaniel bitch. It destroyed the purity of the Sussex, but if it had not been indulged in, there would, in all probability, have been no class for the breed now. Blacks, livers, and liver and tan, all used to come in the same litter out of Negress, who certainly constituted the nucleus of a fortune to her owner. The points of the Sussex are as follows:-- _Colour._--Deep golden liver. _Coat._--Flat, and slightly wavy, but absolutely free from any tendency to curl. Soft and abundant. _Weight._--About 40 lbs. _Head._--Heavy, though smaller and lighter than that of the Clumber. _Eyes._--Rather deeply set, giving the dog a very thoughtful expression. _Ears._--These should be long and well clothed with long, silky hair. Above, the ears ought to be rather narrow, but broad below, set on low down, and carried close to sides of head. _Nose._--Broad and liver-coloured, open nostrils. _Neck._--Short and strong, and the back long, strong, and level. _Shoulders and Chest._--A fairly deep chest, oblique shoulders, and well-sprung ribs are necessary. Flat-sidedness, and "tucked up under" are decidedly faulty. _Fore-limbs._--Must be short on the leg. Arms and forearms short but well boned. Crooked fore-limbs are objectionable; turned out at elbows equally bad. There should be an abundance of feather springing from the backs of the fore-limbs, and down to the hocks, in the hind ones. For the show bench the more feather the better. Feet also well feathered, round and strong. The chief faults of the Sussex are: white hairs on any portion, tan markings, curly coat, too leggy, light in body, snipy head, short ears, want of feather, bad constitution, and Bloodhound expression on face. =Field Spaniels= To attempt to define the term "Field Spaniel" so as to be free from objection, would be, indeed, a difficult problem. Unquestionably it is a very ambiguous term, and capable of wide interpretation. The mere fact of the Kennel Club and other shows having a class or classes for Field Spaniels, does not satisfy (though it simplifies classification) the mind of the thoughtful observer. Anything from a half-bred Clumber, or Irish Water Spaniel may constitute a Field Spaniel, and rightly so, in the eyes of a sportsman. That such dogs would win--say at a Kennel Club Show--could not be entertained for a moment. It is the cross-bred Sussex that generally comes out top, and the longer and lower and more Sussex-like in character, the better the chances of success on the show bench. These are the author's views, though they may not coincide with those of others.