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The little book of British quadrupeds

Chapter 34: THE SPANIEL.
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About This Book

A compact collection of short, plainspoken entries on a wide range of four-footed animals found in Britain, from large livestock and working horses to wild carnivores and small rodents. Each entry summarizes physical traits, typical habits, habitat, and interactions with people, and often notes practical uses of animal parts alongside brief illustrative anecdotes about temperament or performance. The work compares breeds and working capacities, offers concise natural-history observations about diet and behaviour, and presents information in an accessible, utilitarian style for general readers interested in familiar quadrupeds.

THE SPANIEL.

THE SPANIEL.

This kind of dog is of great value, from the readiness with which it receives instruction, the quickness with which it obeys commands, and its great docility and strong attachment to its master. Of this one striking proof may be given. Old Daniel, the gamekeeper to the Rev. Mr. Corsellis, had reared a Spaniel named Dash, which became his constant attendant both by night and day. Wherever the gamekeeper appeared, Dash was never far distant. When the gamekeeper died, little Dash would not quit the body, but laid upon the bed by its side. After his master was buried, this faithful dog would frequently visit the room where he breathed his last, and would remain there for hours. From thence, for fourteen days he constantly visited the grave, at the end of which time he died.

Perhaps the most remarkable instance of attachment is that of the little dog who crept within the clothes of Mary Queen of Scots just previous to her execution, and could not afterward be separated from the corpse but by force.