[Footnote 14: The writer of this work had a brace of greyhounds as arrant thieves as ever lived. They would now and then steal into the cooking-room belonging to the kennel, lift the lid from the boiler, and, if any portion of the joint or piece of meat projected above the water, suddenly seize it, and before there was time for them to feel much of its heat, contrive to whirl it on the floor, and eat it at their leisure as it got cold. In order to prevent this, the top of the boiler was secured by an iron rod passing under its handle of the boiler on each side; but not many days passed ere they discovered that they could gnaw the cords asunder, and displace the rod, and fish out the meat as before. Small chains were then substituted for the cords, and the meat was cooked in safety for nearly a week, when they found that, by rearing themselves on their hind legs, and applying their united strength towards the top of the boiler they could lift it out of its bed and roll it along the floor, and so get at the broth, although the meat was out of their reach. The man who looked after them expressed himself heartily glad when they were gone; for, he said, he was often afraid to go into the kennel, and was sure they were devils, and not dogs.] [Footnote 15: Scott's 'Sportsman's Repository', p. 97.] [Footnote 16: Blaine's 'Encyclopedia of Sporting'.] [Footnote 17: For a set of laws for Coursing Matches. see Appendix.] [Footnote 18: 'Sportsman', vol. xi. p. 314] [Footnote 19: Bell's 'British Quadrupeds', p. 241.] [Footnote 20: Tickell's 'Miscellanies'] [Footnote 21: 'Sporting Mag.' 1837, p. 156.] [Footnote 22: 'New Sports. Mag.' xiii. 124.] * * * * * CHAPTER III. THE VARIETIES OF THE DOG. SECOND DIVISION. The head moderately elongated, the parietals not approaching from their insertion, but rather diverging, so as to enlarge the cerebral cavities and the frontal sinuses; consequently giving to these dogs greater power of scent and intelligence. They constitute the most pleasing and valuable division of the Dog. The Spaniel is evidently the parent of the Newfoundland dog and the setter; while the retriever, the poodle, the Bernardine, the Esquimaux, the Siberian, and the Greenland dogs, the shepherd and drover's dog, and every variety distinguished for intelligence and fidelity, have more or less of his blood in them. THE SPANIEL is probably of Spanish origin, and thence his name. The ears are large and pendent, the tail elevated, the fur of a different length in different parts of the body, but longest about the ears, under the neck, behind the thighs and on the tail, varying in colour, but most commonly white with brown or black patches. There are many varieties of the spaniel. The smallest of the 'land' spaniels is THE COCKER. It is chiefly used in flushing woodcocks and pheasants in thickets and copses into which the setter, and even the springer, can scarcely enter.