This will bear out the statement that the smaller type of Spaniel may be descended from the Cockers.
The ground colour of this dog is white, with chestnut encircling the ears to the muzzle, the sides of the neck are chestnut, as are also the ears. There is a white blaze on the forehead, in the centre of which should be a clear lozenge-shaped chestnut spot, called the beauty spot, which by inbreeding with other varieties is fast being lost. Chestnut markings are on the body and on the sides of the hind-legs. The coat should incline to be curly; the head must be flat, not broad, and the muzzle should be straight. The chestnut should be of a rich colour.
The four varieties—the King Charles, Tricolour or (as he has been called) Charles I. Spaniel, the modern Blenheim, and the Ruby—have all the same points, differing from one another in colour only, and the following description of the points as determined by the Toy Spaniel Club serves for all:—
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HEAD—Should be well domed, and in good specimens is absolutely semi-globular, sometimes even extending beyond the half-circle, and 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 fox-like. 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 always a certain amount of weeping shown at the inner angles. This is owing to a defect in the lachrymal duct. 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. 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. 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 low on the head, hang flat to the sides of the cheeks, and be heavily feathered. In this last respect the King Charles is expected to exceed the Blenheim, and his ears occasionally extend to twenty-four inches. SIZE—The most desirable size is indicated by the accepted weight of from 7 lb. to 10 lb. 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. 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 their being webbed. It is also carried well up the backs of the legs. In the Black and Tan the feather on the ears 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 three and a half to four inches) should be silky, and from five to six inches in length, constituting a marked "flag" of a square shape, and not carried above the level of the back. COLOUR—The colour differs with the variety. The Black and Tan is a rich glossy black and deep mahogany tan; 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, shall 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 red 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. 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 under the tail should also be lined with tan. The Tricolour has no "spot," that beauty being peculiarly the property of the Blenheim. The All Red King Charles is known by the name of "Ruby Spaniel"; the colour of the nose is black. The points of the "Ruby" are the same as those of the "Black and Tan," differing only in colour.
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The King Charles variety used to consist of black and tan and black and white Spaniels, and it is thought that by the inter-breeding of the two specimens the Tricolour was produced. The colour of the King Charles now is a glossy black with rich mahogany tan spots over the eyes and on the cheeks. There should also be some tan on the legs and under the tail.
The Prince Charles, or Tricolour, should have a pearly-white ground with glossy black markings evenly distributed over the body in patches. The ears should be lined with tan; tan must also be seen over the eyes, and some on the cheeks. Under the tail also tan must appear.
The Blenheim must also have a pearly-white ground with bright rich chestnut or ruby red markings evenly distributed in patches over the body. The ears and cheeks must be red, and a white blaze should stretch from the nose to the forehead and thence in a curve between the ears. In the middle of the forehead there should be, on the white blaze, a clear red spot about the size of a sixpence. This is called the "Blenheim spot," which, as well as the profuse mane, adds greatly to the beauty of this particular Toy Spaniel. Unfortunately, in a litter of Blenheims the spot is often wanting.
The Ruby Spaniel is of one colour, a rich, unbroken red. The nose is black. There are now some very beautiful specimens of Ruby Spaniels, but it is only within the last quarter of a century that this variety has existed. It seems to have originally appeared in a litter of King Charles puppies, when it was looked upon as a freak of nature, taking for its entire colour only the tan markings and losing the black ground.