Poor old Bachelor had a violent death through fighting with a kennel companion—a Gordon Setter.
Champion Rover III. was withdrawn from the show ring for some reason.
Even in those days animated discussion went on in the Press as to what was and what was not typical of the Sussex. There is no gainsaying one fact, and that is that the Sussex of twenty years ago existed in a different state of purity to what he does in the present day.
In casually looking over recent entries at the Kennel Club Show of Sussex Spaniels, it is questionable whether there is a single animal so entered that can justly claim the title of Sussex.
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.