17 SEPTEMBER 1948, Page 15

Dogs and Flowers Are King Charles Spaniels different from all

other dogs in at least one sense ? The question is suggested by two letters, one from Oxford, one from Chesterfield, which are almost identical in their general sense. Both write of this same old and most intelligent breed, and both have noticed the same behaviour in their dogs, a behaviour reported of no other breed. I will quote one passage: "We have a six-months-old King Charles Spaniel bitch, who goes along the borders picking out the flowers and flowering shrubs that have the most perfume. We first noticed this in the evening and thought she was after moths but she does it in full sun- light and seems to enjoy it almost as much as Ferdinand the Bull." The same dog picks and eats plums and apples, and eagerly watches aeroplanes ! The other dog with similar tastes would pick flowers and carry them about, in spite of being scolded and in addition to sniffing it them with obvious relish. The evidence is curious and surprising.