Another colour which has attained of late years increasing popularity in England is orange.  These should be self-coloured throughout, and light shadings, though not disqualifying, should be discouraged.  The principal breeder of the orange Pomeranian to-day is Mr. W. Brown, of Raleigh, Essex, who has probably more specimens in his kennels than any other breeder of this colour.  Tiny Boy, The Boy, and Orange Boy are his best, and all three are approved sires.  Mrs. Hall-Walker is an admirer of this colour, and her Gateacre Philander, Lupino, and Orange Girl are great prize-winners.  Miss Hamilton of Rozelle has for many years bred “oranges,” and has given to the Pomeranian Club, of which she is President, two challenge cups for Pomeranians of this colour.  Mrs. Birch also is a lover of this hue, and possesses such good dogs as Rufus Rusticus and Cheriwinkle.

There is still another variety which bears the name of parti-coloured.  As the name implies, these dogs must be of more than one colour, and the colours should be evenly distributed on the body in patches; for example, a black dog with a white foot or leg or chest would not be a parti-colour.  As a matter of fact, there have been bred in England very few parti-coloured Pomeranians; they seem to be freaks which are rarely produced.  It does not follow that by mating a black dog to a white bitch, or vice versa, a parti-coloured will be necessarily obtained; on the contrary, it is more likely that the litter will consist of some whole-coloured blacks, and some whole-coloured whites.  Miss Hamilton’s Mafeking of Rozelle, and Mrs. Vale Nicolas’s Shelton Novelty, are the two most prominent specimens at the present time, although Mrs. Harcourt-Clare’s Magpie and Mr. Temple’s Leyswood Tom Tit were perhaps better known some time ago.

Among toy dogs this particular breed has enjoyed an unprecedented popularity; the growth in the public favour among all classes has been gradual and permanent during the last fifteen years, and there are no signs that it is losing its hold on the love and affection of a large section of the English people.  His handsome appearance, his activity, and hardihood, his devotedness to his owner, his usefulness as a housedog, and his many other admirable qualities will always make the Pomeranian a favourite both in the cottage and in the palace.

CHAPTER XLIV

THE KING CHARLES SPANIELS

In the fourth chapter of Macaulay’s History of England we read of King Charles II. that “he might be seen before the dew was off the grass in St. James’s Park, striding among the trees playing with his Spaniels and flinging corn to his ducks, and these exhibitions endeared him to the common people, who always like to see the great unbend.”