A very prominent admirer and breeder was the late Mr. S. E. Shirley, the President of the Kennel Club, who owned many Retrievers superlative both as workers and as show dogs, and who probably did more for the breed than any other man of his generation.

[Illustration:  MR. H. REGINALD COOKE’S RETRIEVER CH.  WORSLEY BESS From the Painting by Maud Earl]

Mr. Shirley’s work was carried on by Mr. Harding Cox, who devoted much time and energy to the production of good Retrievers, many of which were of Mr. Shirley’s strain.  Mr. Cox’s dogs deservedly achieved considerable fame for their levelness of type, and the improvement in heads so noticeable at the present time is to be ascribed to his breeding for this point.  Mr. L. Allen Shuter, the owner of Ch.  Darenth and other excellent Retrievers of his own breeding, claims also a large share of credit for the part he has played in the general improvement of the breed.  Mr. C. A. Phillips, too, owned admirable specimens, and the name of the late Lieut.-Colonel Cornwall Legh must be included.  Many of Colonel Legh’s bitches were of Shirley blood, but it is believed that a breed of Retrievers had existed at High Legh for several generations, with which a judicious cross was made, the result being not only the formation of a remarkable kennel, but also a decided influence for good upon the breed in general.

But since the Shirley days, when competition was more limited than it is at present, no kennel of Retrievers has ever attained anything like the distinction of that owned by Mr. H. Reginald Cooke, at Riverside, Nantwich.  By acquiring the best specimens of the breed from all available sources, Mr. Cooke has gathered together a stock which has never been equalled.  His ideas of type and conformation are the outcome of close and attentive study and consistent practice, and one needs to go to Riverside if one desires to see the highest examples of what a modern flat-coated Retriever can be.

Since Dr. Bond Moore imparted to the Retriever a fixity of character, the coats have become longer and less wavy, and in conformation of skull, colour of eye, straightness of legs, and quality of bone, there has been a perceptible improvement.

As there is no club devoted to the breed, and consequently no official standard of points, the following description of the perfect Retriever is offered:—­

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GENERAL APPEARANCE—­That of a well-proportioned bright and active sporting dog, showing power without lumber and raciness without weediness.  HEAD—­Long, fine, without being weak, the muzzle square, the underjaw strong with an absence of lippiness or throatiness.  EYES—­Dark as possible, with a very intelligent, mild expression.  NECK—­Long and clean.  EARS—­Small, well set on, and carried close to the head.  SHOULDERS—­Oblique, running well into the back, with plenty of depth of chest.  BODY—­Short and square, and well ribbed up.  STERN—­Short and straight, and carried gaily, but not curled over the back.  FORE-LEGS—­Straight, pasterns strong, feet small and round.  QUARTERS—­Strong; stifles well bent.  COAT—­Dense black or liver, of fine quality and texture.  Flat, not wavy.  WEIGHT—­From 65 lb. to 80 lb. for dogs; bitches rather less.