 Preface and Introduction to the American Book of the Dog. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Read by Michelle Fry in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The American Book of the Dog, the Origin, Development, Special Characteristics, Utility, Breeding, Training, Points of Judging, Diseases, and Kennel Management of All Breeds of Dogs by various authors edited by G.O. Shields, published in 1891. Chapter 1, Preface by the Editor and the Introduction by the Honorable John S. Wise Preface. To the ladies and gentlemen who have responded so generously to my requests for contributions to this book, I am profoundly grateful. To their efforts alone is due the production of this, the grandest work on the dog ever published in this or any other country. Without the cooperation of such able and enthusiastic dog fanciers, such a book would have been impossible. I am also indebted to these and to other kind friends for the use of drawings and photographs, many of which were made especially for this purpose and from which many of the illustrations have been produced. I am grateful to Dr. N. Rowe, editor of the American Field, for the use of several electro-types and to many others who have contributed to the success of the work in various ways. The Editor. Introduction. It gives me great pleasure at the request of the editor to write an introduction to the American Book of the Dog. Mr. Shields asked me some months ago to write an article on the pointer for this work and I deeply regretted that I was too much engaged at the time to comply with his request for I felt then, as I do now, a deep interest in the success of his enterprise. However, my inability to join his staff did not prevent him from having that noble breed ably treated for the gentleman whom he secured to write of it has prepared a most able, exhaustive and instructive paper as have nearly all the other contributors on the various breeds of dogs. Mr. Shields is too well known to the readers of sportsman's literature to require any introduction and in selecting contributors to this work he has displayed rare good judgment. His list of writers embraces the names of a great many gentlemen who are recognized as leading authorities on the subjects of which they write. While these articles may in some cases be more or less tinged by the peculiar views of the authors, the book thus drawn from many different minds is not only very eclectic in character, but in my judgment much more correct and valuable as a whole than it could be were at the production of an individual. I have been particularly glad to notice that many of the writers have framed their articles on these lines and have quoted largely from the writings of others, not contenting themselves with merely expressing their individual views. The book is exceedingly interesting. It is free too from the sameness of expression and treatment so often found in books of this character written by one man. It is moreover a very instructive book and of practical value in many features to the owners and breeders of dogs. This is an American book describing the American standard of dogs, the appearance of American dogs and the American diseases of dogs as well as the American remedies which will cure those diseases. By this I do not mean to belittle foreign animals or foreign literature on these subjects. On the contrary, the foreign literature up to the present time is far superior to ours and all our dogs are descended from foreign importations. The idea I intend to convey by the above remark is that certain conditions and peculiarities of our climate vary not only the appearance of our dogs and the standards applicable to them from the appearance and standards of other countries, but the diseases to which they are subject and the treatment which should be applied to them. All these things are considered and dealt with in Mr. Shield's book in a way not in the nature of the case to be found in foreign authorities, however excellent, and that is why I commend this as an American work. Another valuable feature of this book is the illustrations. Many of these are artistic and beautiful in a high degree. The portraits of several dogs of worldwide reputation are shown and those of many other typical specimens less widely known add to the interest and attractiveness of the work. Nearly every breed is illustrated and of some breeds several good specimens are pictured. A statement of the value of American dogs would startle a stranger to the subject. It is no exaggeration to say that the aggregate saleable value of sporting and pet dogs in this country amounts to several million dollars. Our bench shows and field trials are in every way equal, if not superior to those of Europe. Canine interests in this country have for years past engaged the careful attention of many of the most successful businessmen in this country. Excellent talent is employed in the larger American cities for the exclusive purpose of writing upon canine subjects and their journals are extensively and profitably circulated. Knowing all this I am sure that a great demand will be found for so excellent and comprehensive a book as this. The topics treated in the work, to it the origin of breeds, their early history, development up to the present standard, special characteristics, utility, excellences and deficiencies, directions for training for breeding and for kennel management, notes on diseases with directions and prescriptions for the treatment of same, preparation for bench show or field trial, the future of the breeds. All these are well selected and well treated. The special article on diseases and their treatment by one of the most eminent living authorities is of itself a valuable addition to the library of the sportsman. I sincerely hope the book will meet with the cordial reception it deserves. New York, June 26th, 1890. End of chapter one, Preface and Introduction. Section two of the American Book of the Dog. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Michelle Fry, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The American Book of the Dog by Geo Shields Editor. Section two, The English Sutter. This article by Bernard Waters, kennel editor of the American field and author of modern training, handling and kennel management. Regarding the origin of the English Sutter, nothing is known to a certainty. But in this particular, the absence of knowledge does not differ from that concerning all other old breeds of dogs. The English Sutter is a very old breed, is beyond question, as will be shown more fully here and after by reference to some ancient literature on the subject. But that the ipsay dixit of one or two ancient writers should be given so much credence is unaccountable. However, the obscurity which envelops the past quite as effectively prevents disproving any errors in the statements of the old writers as it does the proving of their statements to be correct. This is more particularly noticeable, as in the present day, capsious critics are ever ready to differ from those who are more or less recognized as authorities while accepting without question the sayings of writers of two or three hundred years ago. According to the popular belief, one which is supported by nearly every author of modern sporting literature, the English Sutter is supposed to have originated in the Spaniel ancestry. To show on what this belief is founded, a few excerpts from recognized authorities will be presented. Stonehenge in his work, The Dogs of the British Islands, edition of 1867, treats of the Sutter as follows, quote, As some difference of opinion appears to exist with regard to setters, we have determined thoroughly to satisfy ourselves as to their origin and best form, and we have called all the best authorities to our assistance. We propose to place the result of our labors before the public and to add our own conclusions. There is no doubt that the sport of hawking was known and practiced by the ancient Britons and that the Roman was totally ignorant of that science. But the invader at once came to the conclusion that the system might be improved and introduced the land spaniel, if not the water dog also, into this country. These dogs roused the game and this was all that the hawker required of them in those early days, but in after years, as we shall see, dogs were required to point, or in the language of the quaint old writer, so dainly stop and fall down upon their bellies, and having done so, when within two or three yards, then shall your setters stick, and by no persuasion go further till yourself come in and use your pleasure. At first then, without doubt, the spaniel was merely used as a springer for the hawk, which was subsequently neglected for the net, and the propensity of the dog to pause before making his dash at game was cultivated and cherished by breeding and selection. Until at last, gratified by observing the action of the net, he yielded his natural impulse of springing at all and set or lay down to permit the net to be drawn over him. After this, the hawker trained his spaniel to set, then he cast off his hawks, which ascended in circles and waited on until his master roused the quarry from its concealment when she pounced upon it like a pistol shot. When used either with hawks or for the net, especially in the latter case, the far heavier dog answered the purpose than what we call the high ranging setter. The net enveloped a whole cubby in its meshes, and a few manners would allow of many cubbies being taken in a day, whilst the disentangling the birds and securing them allowed time for the heavy dog to rest and regain his wind. Richard Sirflett, who wrote in 1600, gives us the following information, writing of the field or land spaniels, quote, of which Sith, before no author hath fully entreated, he describes him as gentle, loving, and courteous to man, more than any other sort of dog whatsoever, and as loving to hunt the wing of any bird, especially partridge, pheasant, quails, rails, poots, and such like. He tells us we are to choose him by his shape, beauty, metal, and cunning hunting, his shape being discerned in the good composition of his body, as when he hath a round thick head, a short nose, a long, well-compassed, and hairy ear, broad and side lips, a clear red eye, a thick neck, broad breast, short and well-knit joints, round feet, strong claws, highly due clawed, good round ribs, a gaunt belly, a short broad back, a thick, bushy, and long-haired tail, and all his body gently long and well-haired. His beauty is discerned in his color, of which the motley's are pied or the best, whether they be black and white, red and white, or liver, hued, and white, for to be all of one color as all white, or all black, or all red, or all liver, hued, without any other spot, is not so comely in the field, although the dog, notwithstanding, may be of excellent cunning. His metal is discerned in his free and untiring laborsome ranging, beating a field over and over, and not leaving a furrow untrodden, or one unsearched, where any haunt is likely to be hidden, and when he doth it most courageously and swiftly with a wanton playing tail, and a busy laboring nose, neither desisting nor showing less delight in his labor at night than he did in the morning. And his cunning hunting is discerned by his casting about heedfully, and running into the wind of the prey he seeketh, by his stillness and quietness in hunting, without babbling or barking, but when he is upon an assured and certain haunt by the manner of his ranging, and when he compasseth a whole field about at the first, and after lesseneth and lesseneth the circumference, till he hath tried every part, and brought the whole circuit to one point, point, and by his more temperate and leisurely hunting, when he comes to the first scent of the game, sticking upon it and pricking it out by degrees, not opening or questing by any means, but whimpering and whining to give his master a warning of what he senteth, and to prepare himself in his hawks for the pleasure he seeketh, and when he is assured of his game, then to quest out loudly and freely. Describing spaniels, which delight in planes, or the open fields, and others more adapted for cover, he goes on to say, There is another sort of land spaniels, which are called setters, and they differ nothing from the former, but in instruction and obedience. For these must neither hunt, range, nor retain, more or less than as the master appointed, taking the whole limit of whatsoever they do, from the eye or hand of their instructor. They must never quest at any time, what occasionsoever may happen, but as being dogs without voices, so they must hunt close and mute, and when they come upon the haunt of that they hunt, they shall sedanily stop and fall down upon their bellies, and so leisurely creep by degrees to the game, till they come within two or three yards thereof, or so near that they cannot press nearer without danger of retrieving. In the shell your setter stick, and by no persuasion go further till you yourself, come in and use your pleasure. Now the dogs which are to be made for this pleasure should be the most principal, best, and lustiest spaniel you can get, both of good scent and good courage, yet young, and as little as may be made acquainted with such hunting. There is no doubt that the setter is a spaniel, brought by a variety of crosses, or rather let us say of careful selections to the size and form in which we now find him. He is the most national of all our shooting dogs, and certainly has existed for four centuries. His form probably has improved. The net used in different countries required the same character of dog. He might be slow, heavy or slack, and soon fatigued, but he would answer the purpose. But when shooting flying superseded the use of the net, the moors, the grampions, the Norfolk turnips before they were sown in drills, the Irish potato fields, the low Scottish wolves, or the fens of Lincoln, all required dogs of different types, accommodated to their several hunting grounds." The description of the setter's manner of hunting is both quaint and spirited, yet there is nothing whatever in the writings quoted which implies that the setter had a spaniel origin. Palpably the setter was then an established breed, as shown by the assertion that there is another sort of land spaniels, which are called setters. That setter's and spaniel should be classed as being of the same family several centuries ago is not remarkable, nor is it remarkable that a sporting writer's dicta at that time should be unquestioned, since there were but few of them, and people at large were uneducated in such matters. With all the advantages of a sporting press, a multitude of writers, an extensive sporting literature, and numerous annual bench shows and field trials as educational institutions, there have grown up a wonderful diversity of opinion and misinformation in respect to the different breeds at the present day. It is not strange, therefore, that in the year 1600 Richard Surflitt classed the setter as a spaniel, although as mentioned herein before, he refers to this breed as another sort of land spaniel. In the chapter on the Sussex spaniel in the same work, Stonehenge says, quote, about the year 1555, a duke of Northumberland trained one to set birds for the net, and soon afterward the setter was produced, either by selection or by crossing the Talbot hound and spaniel, end quote. The utter absurdity and thoughtlessness of such an illogical statement is self-evident to anyone. A duke trained a Sussex spaniel to point, and soon afterward the breed of setters was produced. Why could not all breeds be thus taught to point? This is rendered still more absurd by the fact, well known to all students of natural history, that an educational act is not transmitted to the progeny. That Stonehenge was not quite positive in his inferences, as shown by his remarks in the revised edition of the same work, published in 1878, wherein he treats the subject as follows, quote. The setter is without doubt either descended from the spaniel, or both are offshoots of the same parent stock originally, that is, before the improvements in the gun introduced the practice of shooting flying. It is believed that he was merely a spaniel taught to stop or set as soon as he came upon the scent of the partridge, when a net was drawn over the cubby by two men, hence he was made to drop close to the ground an attitude which is now unnecessary, end quote. There is thus an absence of positiveness in his later opinions on the subject, in fact there is no proof adduced whatever to support the speculation. Gordon Stables briefly disposes of the subject in the practical kennel guide as follows, quote. The setter used to be called a setting spaniel, and was known in England long before the pointer, and was probably first introduced by the Romans, end quote. Lavorac in his work, the setter, says, quote. I am of the opinion that all setters have more or less originally sprung from our various strains of spaniels, and I believe most breeders of any note agree that the setter is nothing more than a setting spaniel. How the setter attained his sufficiency of point is difficult to account for, and I leave that question to wiser heads than mine to determine. The setter is said and acknowledged by authorities of longstanding to be of greater antiquity than the pointer. If this be true, and I believe it is, the setter cannot at first have been crossed with the pointer to render him what he is, end quote. A more modern writer, one who is generally very sound and always instructive, Mr. Hugh Dalzeal, treats the subject at some length. The following quotations give the main points of his position. Difficult as it admittedly is to trace the history of any of our modern breeds of dogs, although in so many instances their manufacture, if I may use the term, into their present form is of comparatively recent date. There is, in respect to the setter, a general agreement among writers and breeders that our present dog is largely derived from the spaniel, indeed the proofs of this are conclusive. The family likeness is in many respects yet strongly preserved, and in some kennels where they have kept pretty much to their own blood, following different lines from our show and field trial breeders, this is markedly so. The writer on setters in the sportsman's cabinet, 1802, tells us that in his day in the northern counties, the pointer was called the smooth spaniel, the setter the rough spaniel, and although he speaks of this localism with surprise, as a misnomer, it was really the preservation of an old distinction. The setters are setting spaniels, being so named, to divide them from their congeners used for different work, and named cockers and springers." Somewhat inconsistently with the conclusion that the proofs are conclusive, Mr. Dalseel continues, whether the modern setter has been produced from the spaniel by careful selection or by a cross with the pointer or some other breed, it is difficult to decide. In the American kennel and sporting field, the late Arnold Burgess voiced the common belief in the following, quote, the best of modern writers, among whom I may mention Stonehenge, Lavorick, Idstone, all say that the setter is a direct descendant of the land spaniel, and speak of a setting spaniel as the first setter. There is no doubt that this is the correct theory, and that our setter is a pure unadulterated but improved spaniel, end quote. Briefly, nearly all modern writers, owners, and breeders hold these opinions in the main. There being some variation here and there, but however much these beliefs may vary, one from another, they all have their inspiration in the facts, that the setter was in ancient times called a setting spaniel, and that he has some analogies in common with the spaniel. A few of the objections against the theory that the aboriginal ancestry of the setter was in the spaniel may be mentioned. First, the arguments and proofs adduced are founded on such imperfect data, with no contemporaneous support, that they could be applied with equal force in proving that the spaniel is a variation of the setter. Setting spaniel might be a localism, as was calling the pointer, a smooth spaniel. Second, those who assert that the setter is an improved spaniel are not positive or consistent in the assertion, and depend more upon the numerous repetitions of matters of hearsay, all of which center more to the inclusive facts, that some centuries ago the setter was called a setting spaniel than upon any absolute knowledge. Third, if the land spaniel had such an inherent tendency to variation, it would undoubtedly have multiplied the variations, thus forming numerous subvarieties or distinct breeds. It is well known, however, that the setter breeds true to race forms, as also does the spaniel. Fourth, if the spaniel did throw off a variety, for without some variation there could not have been any change of form, it would probably have lost by intercrossing with the parent type, by the natural tendency of animal organizations to revert to parental forms, or by the destruction of the variation as being mongrel. This conjecture is not improbable, since no breeder at the present day would consider his stock pure if the progeny were not true to type, nor would he allow such progeny to exist. Therefore, there is no probability that such variation would be cultivated and preserved, even if it existed. Fifth, there would in all probability be in existence numerous intermediate gradations of forms from the setter to the springer, showing more or less perfectly the different stages of transition, for it is hardly tenable to suppose their total destruction, leaving the two breeds distinctly established without any connecting link between them. Sixth, there is an absurdity in the statement that a spaniel was taught to point, and that soon thereafter the instinct became general, for if one educational matter became hereditary, why did not all others become hereditary at the same time, and in the same manner? Seventh, the pointing instinct, as exhibited by the pointer and setter, is applied for their own profit in hunting, and has no reference whatever to the purposes of the gun. In advancing on their prey, of which game birds are but a part, setters, and for that matter, pointers also, must approach cautiously on the birds which are lying close and concealed from view. The dog must rely solely on his powers of scent in his approach to the place of concealment, and must locate the birds with precision to make a success of his effort. As he approaches the birds, his muscles become tense, preparatory to the spring to kill, and he stops for a few moments to gauge the distance and location of the birds, then springs with astonishing quickness and precision, and not infrequently affects a capture. If he has the birds accurately located as he draws to them, the preparatory paws technically called the point will be very short, or perhaps there will be none. This phenomenon is such as is exhibited by dogs in training, and not such as is exhibited by broken dogs. It requires a long course of training to bring the dog to steadiness on his points to subserve the purposes of the sportsman. But this only shows that by training the sportsman has diverted to his own use a quality which is an aid to the dog in gaining a food supply in a state of nature, the dog being a carnivorous animal. That the act of pointing so far as its practical application is concerned is but partially instinctive is demonstrated by the various methods which the setter has in pursuing his prey. For instance, when drawing on the trail of birds, he is mute and shows the greatest caution in avoiding making any noise, knowing that noise would alarm the prey and destroy all chances as a chase after birds would be hopeless. In chasing rabbits, which are a part of his prey and which he hunts with greater zest than birds, he gives tongue merrily and makes no attempt at caution, that this trait of pointing may also be acquired is a well-attested fact. The writer had a bull terrier, which was an excellent squirrel dog. From seeing an occasional ruffled grouse shot, he learned that they were objects of pursuit. When he struck the trail, he would road cautiously and silently, making a point at the proper place with excellent judgment and in this manner by his intelligence giving many good shots. On squirrels, he was noisy and rapid in his work. There are a number of such instances mentioned by authors. Yet the popular belief in respect to the purposes of the pointing instinct is opposed to these views. The following from British dogs contains the gist of the popular teachings and belief on the subject, quote, I look upon the form exhibited by pointers and some setters when standing to game as an inherited habit, the result of education. The stop or point voluntarily made by our dogs now is the inherited result of training the breed, generation after generation, to forego the spring onto the game natural to a carnivorous animal in order to serve the gun, end quote. This is quoted as being an accurate expression of how the pointing instinct was developed. Therefore it will serve as an expression of the general belief and not as that of a single individual. It does not explain in the least how the instinct originated for at the beginning it could not be an inherited habit, the result of education. It is still more inexplicable when we remember that so few individuals were taught to point. Moreover, educational properties are not transmitted. If so, the constant training which dogs have received in domestic life for innumerable generations would be inherited. That they are not can readily be seen when comparing the behavior of a dog which has been reared in and about the house from puppyhood with that of one which has been reared exclusively in a kennel. Other educational acts which are constantly taught to all dogs are not inherited. Therefore why should an act taught to a few dogs become instinctive in a breed of dogs? It is against all experience that an educational act taught to one generation should be transmitted to succeeding generations. The horse, through many centuries, has been given a thorough education, one which included a much larger percentage of the breed than does the education of setters, yet the cults of today have to be educated precisely in the same manner as their parents were. Thus if one educational quality became instinctive by education, why did not all other educational qualities which were equally or more uniformly taught also become instinctive? This merely shows an inconsistency in the position, but even without this it is untenable, otherwise the teachings of naturalists must give way to the speculations of those who have given the matter superficial consideration. Darwin in The Origin of Species, when speaking of instinct says, domestic instincts are sometimes spoken of as actions which have become inherited solely from long continued and compulsory habit, but this is not true. Again, as in the case of corporeal structure and conformably to my theory, the instinct of each species is good for itself but has never as far as we can judge been produced for the exclusive good of others. In other words, an animal never has an instinct for the benefit of some other animal, instincts being directly to the benefit of the individual having them or the preservation of the species. This subject admits of much greater scope in treating it, but sufficient has been advanced already to give the reader a fair general knowledge of all that is known on the origin of the setter. He may have had a spaniel ancestry, but whatever his origin, it is now in the realms of speculation. At best there is no relation whatever between such a trifling cause and such a great and unrelated effect. However, the main proofs to sustain the belief that the setter had a spaniel ancestry are fully set forth so that the reader can form his own conclusions. When carefully analyzed, there is but one conclusion, i.e. that the origin of the setter is not known. The development of the English setter and his rise to his present high place in the appreciation of sportsmen are matters of a comparatively recent period. Numerous strains existed in England, each of which had its admirers and supporters, and for each special claims of excellence were made. In this country, the stages of transition in the development of the English setter have been somewhat irregular in respect to progress, but at the present time, it is generally conceded that the high class English setter as he exists in this country has no superiors. The first impetus given to the general improvement of the English setter in America was due to the importation of some of the best blood from England and the coincident growth of field trials. The Lavorax, a strain so called from having been bred and preserved by the late Mr. Lavorac through his lifetime, had a great deal of prominence in the sporting world, although the purity of his breeding and consequently the pedigrees which he presented to the public were questioned as to their correctness by prominent breeders and it would seem with a great deal of justness for there are many matters incidental to them which it is difficult to explain consistently with Mr. Lavorac's pretensions. The first field trials, the inception of general progress in field sports in America, were run near Memphis, Tennessee in 1874 under the auspices of the Tennessee Sportsmen's Association. For four or five years thereafter, general progress was slow, breeders having so many conflicting interests and theories in regard to breeding as to which were the best strains that it required a certain length of time to determine which were the best dogs and which the best methods of training, thus approximating to at least a general agreement on sporting matters. Although there are still many which are unsettled because of the whims, preferences, prejudices, beliefs, different needs and training of sportsmen, it is a matter for congratulation that they are educated to a point where differences of opinion are now confined to large classes of sportsmen, one class against the other, where a few years ago it was each individual's opinion arrayed against those of all others. The field trials furnished an available public test to determine the claims of the different breeds and strains to superiority. The importation of the blue bloods, so-called, led to the keenest of competitions in the field trials with the native stock, the results demonstrating the superiority of the imported stock to the native. The win of a dog at a field trial added largely to his monetary value as well as to the satisfaction of his owner in having the best, or one of the best dogs, thus establishing a standard for others to strive for. In this manner the spirit of rivalry or emulation, which the competition engendered, created a widespread and active demand for better dogs as to fieldwork and purer blood as to breeding. This in turn resulted in engaging breeders in efforts to supply the demand, and as the blue bloods added to their victories over the native's center, the latter dropped more and more out of the competition until at the present day they are seldom represented in the field trials, and but little in the pedigrees of all the favorite lines of breeding. In most instances not at all. En passant it may be said that the native's center had many admirable qualities, but was chiefly deficient in the speed and dash of the imported stock. The Llewellyn's center, a cross of the Duke-Rum blood on the laverick, a strain of English centers bred by Mr. Llewellyn, England, found greater favor with sportsmen in this country than any other strain, and the fine bread English center in this country at the present time has more of this blood than any other. Although it has largely lost its claim to the name of Llewellyn, that is a cross of the Duke-Rum blood on the laverick. With field trials there came a demand for a higher grade of skillful training, and as the occupation became fairly remunerative, as well as congenial to men who were passionately found of shooting, it rapidly was monopolized by them and soon reduced to a fine art, at least in so far as the complex composition of a dog's nature would permit. The special characteristics of the English center are his beauty of form, his rich silky glossy coat, his intelligence, his merry dashing manner of hunting in the field, his keen scent, and his remarkable judgment in the application of his efforts, the adaptability to the character of the grounds and the habits of the game birds, which he is hunting. Combined with these are great powers of physical endurance, which he usually retains until the encroachments of age impair them. In motion and on point, the English center is the embodiment of beauty, spirit, and grace. The high class English center finds and locates his birds with great rapidity when he once catches the scent of them. In fact, any habitual hesitancy or pottering are elements of certain defeat in a competition. As shown by the records of public competitors, the character and extent of ownership and the preference and opinions of the most expert sportsmen, the English center is superior of all the other breeds for work on game birds. In breeding centers, if superior field performances are the qualities to be attained, the rules for guidance are simple. Breed only to dogs of the highest individual merit. Breeding to a poor dog simply because his brother or other blood relation is a known good performer is the most fallacious theory in breeding. The poor dog is much more predisposed to transmit the poor qualities which he has than the good qualities of his related blood which he has not. By such course, the best strain can be in time rendered utterly worthless. Without this care in selection or material of the proper quality to select from, but little progress, if any, can be made in improving the stock. The setter, being a working dog, should be bred on as near a working type as possible, a type which admits of a combination of speed, strength and endurance. The elegant racing lines of the Greyhound admit of the exercise of great speed, but it cannot be sustained for any comparatively great length of time. The setter requires a symmetrical but stronger construction and demands of his work requiring that he should be able to work all day or several days in succession at a reasonably fast pace. Gradually, however, the breed of English setters has been diverging into two types. One encouraged by bench shows, the other by the demands of practical field sportsmen. The former is of the Kabir type, with a preference for a needless perfusion of feather, fashion having in a measure taken the setter from his domain as a working dog and transferred him to domestic life as a pet and companion, a position to which his docility, intelligence, symmetry of form, beautiful coat and affectionate disposition eminently qualify him. Bench shows and field trials have become established institutions and gain a stronger and wider support here by year. The preparation of a dog for either entails a great deal of skillful labor and diligent detention. For a bench show, a dog must be in the highest physical condition, therefore in the highest state of health. These can only be accomplished by regular feeding, exercise, grooming and cleanliness in his yard and sleeping quarters, particulars which by the way should be observed at all times whether preparing for a competition or not. A setter when mature should be fed but once a day. This is sufficient either at work or rest but it should be good wholesome food and all that the dog will consume. A liberal portion of meat may be used. In fact, when at work the dog may with advantage be fed on a meat diet exclusively. During the closed session the dog if confined should have as large a yard as possible for the purpose of exercising and there too the owner should give him a run night and morning. The dog is a nervous restless animal generally of unlimited energy and spirits and plenty of exercises an absolute requirement to keep him in good health. In connection with feeding a dog it may be mentioned that it is a mistake to give a dog a large hard bone. The dog will gnaw it by the hour but he gets no nourishment and wears out his teeth. Young dogs may be frequently seen with their front teeth worn to the gums from the effect of this kind of misdirected kindness. Soft bones which the dog can crush easily such as the ribs of sheep etc. Keep the teeth white and clean and gratify the dogs craving for bones. The dog's straw makes an excellent bedding. It should be changed as often as it gets broken or soiled. About twice a week will usually be often enough unless the weather should be very rainy and the ground muddy when it should be changed oftener. Where but one or two dogs are kept any dry clean out building will do for a kennel or a small kennel can be made at little expense. The field training of a dog is an art on which there is a voluminous literature. The modern trainer proved greatly on the methods of his predecessors and the American trainer of the present has no peer in his special calling. A calling which has its hardships however for it is shorn of all artificial advantages which are incidental to training on a preserve in England. The trainer when the training season begins locates in some favorable section of the south where he has an abundance of old fields open and cover and where birds are known to be plentiful thus training his dogs in actual hunting. In this manner they get their education in practical work. The trainer has to reconcile himself frequently to the discomforts of poor lodgings worse fare and isolation from congenial civilization. But fondness for the dog and gun overcomes all the hardships of the profession and the trainer often cannot be induced to engage in more remunerative and settled occupation. The prices for training a dog vary from 100 to 150 dollars according to the perfection in training which the owner desires or the reputation of the trainer winning at field trials adding to a trainer's reputation and to the demand for his services. An English setter of good breeding showing superior merit and winning in competition is worth from 500 to 2000 dollars taking the sales of the past few years as a standard by which to judge. The training of a dog requires from five to six months to complete under the tuition of a skillful trainer. When the dog is 10 months or a year old he is at the best age for training having then sufficient physical development to endure the work and mental capacity to understand it. The methods of training in vogue at the present time differ radically from those of a few years ago. Then it was assumed that a dog should be trained in every detail even in the manner in which he should perform his work. Now the dog is taught to direct his efforts in the interest of the gun but the manner being natural to him is developed to its greatest capacity simply by giving the dog ample experience to exercise it for without ample experience to learn methods of hunting after his own manner he cannot make progress in skillful hunting. The most essential qualities in hunting are pointing and ranging. To become a skillful performer and proficient in the first quality the dog must have delicate sending powers and great judgment in using them. To be a good ranger he must have good speed which is well and uniformly maintained and great stamina to sustain long continued periods of work. To these he must add great intelligence to the end that his efforts are directed with judgment the intelligence displayed in his methods of being commonly called bird sense. A dog possessing the latter quality will be incomparably superior to one without it even if the latter is equal or superior in other qualities. A dog having bird sense hunts out his ground in the most thorough yet intelligent manner. He takes his course from one likely place to another makes a circuit about likely fields to strike the trail of anything which may be feeding avoids bear unpromising ground in his casts and always takes advantage of the wind in beating about in thickets or open. The dog which beats about without any plan in his work hunting, promising and unpromising ground alike never becomes a skillful finder. The dog having bird sense always has a good memory and if hunted on any grounds once or twice will remember the location of every bevy found and hunt them out afterward with remarkable quickness. Therein lies the great superiority in this country of intelligent ranging over the artificial method of beating out the ground called quartering in which the dog is required to beat out the ground at right angles to the course of his handler thus going constantly in parallel lines except when turning at the ends the distance between the parallel lines being theoretically the range of the dog's nose. Thus a dog with keen sensitive functions of smell could take wider parallels than one whose nose was dull or poor. In this country no attention is paid to the teaching of quartering by the excellent handler and indeed it is not required. If a dog in hunting out large tracts of country cannot do so intelligently he is imperfect as a hunter and no artificial methods of ranging can supply the natural deficiency. In England quartering is useful for the reason that the grounds and manner of cultivation favor it but what in this respect is advantageous there is not so here. The education of a dog should begin when about 10 months or a year old. It should not be inferred that nothing whatever should be done before such age. On the contrary a great deal is taught but it is done by taking the puppy out for exercise runs and by associating him with his master thus enabling him to learn a great deal from his own observational powers. Hence the puppy should never be kept chained in a kennel if it is possible to avoid it. At 10 months or a year old the puppy has outgrown many of the frivolous habits of puppyhood besides having more physical and mental capabilities. The trainer first gives the pupil a thorough course of yard training teaching him to drop which means to lie down to order and signal. To hold up meaning to rise to order and signal to go on or high on to walk at heel to come in and to retrieve although the latter accomplishment is better left out till his second hunting season. To teach the dog to drop tie a cord about three or four feet long to his collar hold the cord in the left hand and whip in the right give the order drop and a moderate cut of the whip on the shoulder at the same instant. Repeat this till the dog lies down being particularly careful to avoid hurry and to use the ordinary tone of voice. After a few moments speak to him kindly and give the order hold up be careful to guard against such noise or violence as will frighten the dog. When done properly no fears are excited let the lesson last about 15 or 20 minutes then pet the dog a few times before giving him his liberty so that his fears if he have any will be dissipated. Give two lessons each day regularly and regular progress will soon be apparent. High on or go on is easily taught when exercising the dog the order which frees him from restraint being consonant with his inclinations always is soon learned. More time should be taken to teach obedience to the order heal during the yard breaking as if taught thoroughly the dog may become habituated to walking behind his master and may come in from hunting whenever uncomfortably fatigued or warm and thus acquire a very annoying trait which will be difficult to cure or may possibly be incurable. When actual field work begins it is the better way to let the dog have his own way for several days and if he be timid or indifferent several weeks if necessary to develop his courage or interest. Coincidentally he is learning methods of pursuit and a general knowledge of details pertaining to hunting. The dog is gradually brought into subjection by regular hunting and skillful use of the check cord and whip always avoiding such punishment as will destroy the dog's ardor or excite violent fear of his master. As to the manner of roding and pointing it should be left entirely to the dog the effort of the trainer being directed towards establishing steadiness on the point and ranging to the gun. If the trainer be constantly endeavoring to establish some ideal manner of working he will find himself engaged in the most profitless, wearisome and endless task. For instance if the dog roads his birds naturally it is a loss of time to endeavor to make him proficient in hunting for the body scent with a high nose. The aim should be to develop the capabilities which the dog has rather than the capabilities which some other dog has and which he has not. Retrieving is taught either by what is called the natural method or by force. In the former advantage is taken of the dog's fondness for play during puppyhood an object commonly a ball or a glove is thrown out and the puppy runs after it takes it in his mouth and is ready for a frolic. By degrees he is brought to fetch it to command. With age the playfulness disappears and with regular lessons the obedience from regular discipline becomes habitual. The majority of trainers and handlers order their dogs too much. The fewer orders that can be given the better and the most artistically trained dog is the one which will work steadily to the gun without orders. The following standards and points of judging for the English setter are taken from Stonehenge. Skull value 10. Nose 10. Ears, lips and eyes 4. Neck 6. Shoulder and chest 15. Back, quarters and stifles 15. Legs, elbows and hocks 12. Feet, 8. Flag, 5. Symmetry and quality, 5. Texture of coat and feather, 5. Color, 5. Total value 100. The points of the English setter may be described as follows. The skull value 10 has a character peculiar to itself somewhat between that of a pointer and cocker spaniel not so heavy as the formers and larger than the ladders. It is without the prominence of the occipital bone so remarkable in the pointer is also narrower between the ears and there is a decided brow over the eyes. The nose value 5 should be long and wide without any fullness under the eyes. There should be in the average dog setter at least 4 inches from the inner corner of the eye to the end of the nose. Between the points and the root of the nose there should be a slight depression at all events there should be no fullness and the eyebrows should rise sharply from it. The nostrils must be wide apart and large in the openings and the ends should be moist and cool though many a dog with exceptionally good sensing powers has had a remarkably dry nose amounting in some cases to roughness like that of chagrin. In all setters the end of the nose should be black or dark liver colored but in the very best bread whites or lemon whites pink is often met with and may in them be pardoned. The jaws should be exactly equal in length a snipped nose or pig jaw as the receding lower one is called being greatly against its possessor. Ears, lips and eyes value 4 with regard to ears they should be shorter than the pointers and rounded but not so much as those of the spaniel. The leather should be thin and soft carried closely to the cheeks so as not to show the inside without the slightest tendency to prick the ear which should be clothed with silky hair little more than 2 inches in length. The lips also are not so full and penniless as those of the pointer but at their angles there should be a slight fullness not reaching quite to the extent of hanging. The eyes must be full of animation and of medium size the best color being a rich brown and they should be set with their angles straight across. The neck value 6 has not the full rounded muscularity of the pointer being considerably thinner but still slightly arched and set in the head without the prominence of the occipital bone which is so remarkable in that dog. It must not be throaty though the skin is loose. The shoulders and chest value 15 should display great liberty in all directions with sloping deep shoulder blades and elbows well let down. The chest should be deep rather than wide though Mr. Laverick insists on the contrary formation italicizing the word wide in his remarks on page 22 of his book. Possibly it may be owing to this formation that his dogs have not succeeded at any field trial as above remarked for the bitches of his breed notably Countess and Daisy which I have seen were as narrow as any setter breeder could desire. I am quite satisfied that on this point Mr. Laverick is altogether wrong. I fully agree with him however that the ribs should be well sprung behind the shoulder and great depth of the back ribs should be especially demanded. Back, quarters and stifles value 15. An arched loin is desirable but not to the extent of being roached or wheelbacked a defect which generally tends to a slow up and down gallop. Stifles well bent and set wide apart to allow the hind legs to be brought forward with liberty in the gallop. Legs, elbows and hocks value 12. The elbows and toes which generally go together should be straight and if not the pigeon toe or interned leg is less objectionable than the outturn in which the elbow is confined by its close attachment to the ribs. The arm should be muscular and the bone fully developed with strong and broad knees short pasterns of which the size and point of bone should be as great as possible a very important point and their slope not exceeding a very slight deviation from the straight line. Many good judges insist upon a perfectly upright pastern like that of the foxhound but it must not be forgotten that the setter has to stop himself suddenly when at full stretch he catches scent and to do this with an upright and rigid pastern causes a considerable strain on the ligaments soon ending in the knuckling over hence a very slight bend is to be preferred. The hind legs should be muscular with plenty of bone clean strong hocks and hairy feet. The feet value eight should be carefully examined as upon their capability of standing where and tear depends the utility of the dog a great difference of opinion exists as to the comparative merits of the cat and hair foot for standing work. Foxhound masters invariably select that of the cat and as they have better opportunities than any other class of instituting the necessary comparison their selection may be accepted as final but as setters are especially required to stand wet and heather it is imperatively necessary that there should be a good growth of hair between the toes and on this account a hair foot well clothed with hair as it generally is must be preferred to a cat foot naked as is often the case except on the upper surface. The flag value five is in appearance very characteristic of the breed although it sometimes happens that one or two puppies in a well bred litter exhibit a curl or other malformation usually considered to be indicative of a stain. It is often compared to a cimeter but it resembles it only in respect of its narrowness the amount of curl in the blade of this Turkish weapon being far too great to make it the model of the setters flag. Again it has been compared to a comb but as combs are usually straight here again the simile fails as the setters flag should have a gentle sweep and the nearest resemblance to any familiar form is to the scythe with its curve reversed. The feather must be composed of straight silky hairs and beyond the root the less short hair on a flag the better especially toward the point of which the bone should be fine and the feather tapering with it. Symmetry and quality value five In character the setters should display a great amount of quality a term which is difficult of explanation though fully appreciated by all experienced sportsmen. It means a combination of symmetry as understood by the artist with the peculiar attributes of the breed under examination as interpreted by the sportsman. Thus a setter possessed of such a frame and outline as to charm an artist would be considered by the sportsman defective in quality if he possessed a curly or harsh coat or if he had a heavy head with pendant bloodhound like jowl and throaty neck. The general outline is very elegant the more taking to the eye of the artist than that of the pointer. The texture and feather of coat value five are much regarded among the setter breeds a soft silky hair without curl being considered a synchronon. The feather should be considerable and should fringe the hind as well as the forelegs. The color of coat value five is not much insisted on among English setters a great variety being admitted. These are now generally classed as follows in the order given one black and white ticked with large splashes and more or less marked with black known as blue belton two orange and white freckled known as orange belton three plain orange or lemon and white four liver and white five black and white with slight tan markings six black and white seven liver and white eight pure white nine black 10 liver 11 red or yellow To show the present high type of the modern English setter several portraits of well-known prize winners are presented in this chapter including Daisy Foreman famous as a bench show winner Welped June 14th, 1885 Cincinnati sent Toledo Blade both owned by Mr. J. E. Dagger Toledo, Ohio renowned as combining both bench and field trial qualities Roderigo owned by the Memphis and Advent Kennels Plantagenet by Dashie Monarch out of Petrel Rowdy Rod owned by Mr. George W. Ewing Fort Wayne, Indiana and Gloucester owned by Mr. James L. Breeze Tuxedo, New York by means of these portraits and incidentally the cover for this audio book the exquisite symmetry combined with strength in the English setter are thus made apparent to the eye End of section two The English Setter Section three of the American Book of the Dog This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Jill Ingle The American Book of the Dog G. O. Shields Editor Section three The Irish Setter by Max Wenzel Secretary of the Irish Setter Club of America and B. F. Seitner Vice President of the Pointer Club of America Old writers have advanced the theory that our setter, as a species, is the product of the mating of a spaniel with the hound and this seems to be as plausible as any other that has been offered The bird-chasing instinct of the spaniel mixed in the offspring with the love for fur which is inherent in the hound may have had the effect at the earliest age of an undecidedness in the presence of game Being at first unable to decide whether, according to spaniel instinct, to bark and jump the game or whether to be ruled by his hound ancestor and follow the foot scent he may have stopped suddenly thus establishing the first point on game A genius of a sportsman seeing the usefulness of such equality probably encouraged and perfected it by further training giving us the long and the short-haired pointing bird-dog This theory may appear to some readers as lacking in the matter of authenticity and yet to me it appears reasonable All breeds of hounds and spaniels have no doubt been used in these numerous crosses accounting for the great variety of our pointing dogs But as regards to Irish setter I am inclined to believe that the red spaniel crossed on the old English bloodhound has formed the parental stock I have seen many red spaniels have examined them closely as to color and coat I have compared the characteristics of the bloodhound with the Irish setter also in many individuals and have plainly met the points of either one or the other in nearly every specimen so examined Not to appearance alone did we confine ourselves in this investigation for the bloodhound type is displayed not only in the over-prominent oxyput the pendulous ears the deep flues but also in the voice and the carriage of the tail and above all in the abominable style of so many Irish reds in the field who follow sent with nose close to the ground carrying their tails curved over their backs without any action at all Many sportsmen of modern ideas condemn the red setter on account of these defects found in individuals and there is a widespread prejudice that he is very headstrong requiring breaking every season and is unreliable on game Yet few that have owned really good ones are willing to concede all this Such assertions have their origin not in practical trial of good specimens of the breed but largely in the rehearsal of super attenuated writings If you will compare the oldest works on the dog with our modern writings especially of English origin you will find the same old story copied by one from another credits seldom being given and the whole breed suffers today from the criticisms probably well deserved of some rank specimen that may have lived before the flood This is not an uncommon occurrence in books on various subjects more especially those treating of natural history and we may often excuse the author for he errs through ignorance No breeder of any of our best drains of Irish setters will acknowledge that they are less tractable or more forgetful than other sporting dogs Indeed I know many that are perfect in disposition at home or a field and while they are full of fire and are high strong as a rule if given the proper training they will prove all right and even more enduring than most other breeds of pointers or setters The fact that many professional hunters use and prefer the red setter speaks volumes in favor of his high qualities and endurance For the hardest kind of everyday work during the whole season we see many market shooters use the red dog as the most reliable to work on partridge and woodcock in cold or hot weather alike Are not these men competent to select the dog that suits their purpose best? They certainly are and many of them select to the red Irish setter for the reason that it takes the very best dog extant to bag the grouse and the woodcock in such numbers as to earn living wages for his master For the English snipe the red setter as a rule proves the toughest, fastest and keenest nose setter and he is reliable in all weather and under all conditions on this as on other game Can any modern pointer or silken velvet English setter do this work as well as the Irish red? Let them try the snipe on a raw windy March day up to their hawks and slush and icy water Will they especially a pointer not rather go around the ditches than through them? Have you ever seen the English setter or pointer shiver from head to foot while at such work? These breeds are good in their places but the red Irish is good under all conditions In connection with the claims made here for this breed I regret to say that working a red Irish on game and keeping the same dog for bench show purposes is generally out of the question as work in the field unfits this breed almost absolutely to compete with those specimens that are kept and pampered for the bench alone where a rich dark glossy coat seems to be valued above any and every other quality So we must either keep one kind or the other the dude or the workman Having exhibited Irish setters every year since 1876 at most of our shows and having been fairly successful as a breeder I should be content with my lot yet the more I see the more convinced am I that the improvements we look for in our favorite breed will not be realized through bench shows because the average fancier will be guided by the awards of the bench show judge and that which should be his object namely the raising of good field dogs will be lost sight of unless he can prove by indisputable evidence that the prized dog is also backed by a field record for speed, style and above all knows Through the bench shows it has also become fashionable to suppress the white in this breed and nowadays many sportsmen know little or nothing of this noble breed other than the fact that there must be no white on him and it has gone so far that a dog be he ever so good that has a white spot would neither be saleable nor would he be ever noticed at a show You may rest assured that those who judge a red setter in that manner have not gone any further than the ABC of the matter I refer all such to the English thud book wherein it is shown that the white is perfectly legitimate and that it may be found in every good strain for many generations It is so has been so always and will be so forever Indeed it is in my judgment a proof of purity of blood rather than anything else for less white is found in strains known to have the Gordon blood than in the absolutely pure besides the English and our American standards admit the presence of white on chest or toes and ablaze our strip in forehead the fashion however over rules in this as in many other things good common sense and I see that some of our enterprising breeders are regulating their prices on this basis are we progressing not unless we make it our first aim in breeding to reach that degree of perfection which we find in the modern English setter and the high class pointer of today in their fieldwork in order to attain these ends I see no better way than the rule followed by old time sportsmen to always select the best working specimens those possessed of high speed grand style and perfect nose and mate them with others as good or if possible still better pay less attention to breeding on paper and to the pedigree theory never mind the show condition and the dark color unless we find these all in the one specimen but remember what has been said before on this subject that one mating of two good specimens will do all you desire cannot be expected I have frequently noticed that the sire will transmit his good qualities to the bitch puppies and they again will reproduce them in their male offspring often are then directly to their own sons whatever quality is bred for must be constantly looked to for several generations this is the only sure way to get uniform results in breeding to some extent is not harmful indeed it is the only reliable course if practiced within proper limits with well selected individuals as the breeding of all domestic animals has abundantly proven it will take but a few years of such breeding to produce puppies that will go afield at almost any age and instinctively hunt and chase birds they will be full of point and style and will require less than half the breaking our dogs now require I have always made my youngsters mind me and am assisted by the example of the older dogs I have them come to me when called teach them to charge anywhere and soon have them under full control all this can be done by kindness and while some professional handlers use and advocate force I believe the less of it that is used the better the dog will be an expert handler once told me that the first thing he does with an Irish setter puppy when he takes it in hand is to give it a sound thrashing it is needless to say that he will never be entrusted with a puppy of mine most Irish reds are of a kind affectionate disposition and are easily trained despite their reputation I have found this so year in and year out in my own kennel and I have had many that have taken to game as naturally as to walking a long time ago I owned a fine young bitch and wanted her trained she was sent to a market hunter in Sullivan County, New York three months later I went there to see my dog on game she was taken out reluctantly by the trainer who must have been the more surprised of the two of us for she pointed both partridges and quails in good style and without command made use of the retrieving she had been taught by me in spite of, as I subsequently learned the fact that she had never been off her chain since I sent her to him I was satisfied, of course and to this day I have not had a better nose nor a stauncher dog I have hunted her for years to my entire satisfaction she is living now and is nearly 14 years old another illustration is my old champion chief he has always been the same steady reliable everyday dog first or last in the season he would point his bird staunchly and needed no repeated breakings the first one has lasted him so far very well and while olden years he still looks fine and is in perfect health confirming my experience that setters of this breed while maturing later outlast most of the dogs of other breeds a letter received recently from South Carolina confirms this still further as Dr. Jarvis writes me that his champion Elko, junior though nine years old hunts day in and day out and does most excellent work for him my experience with this breed dates back nearly 20 years and I feel able to guarantee this disposition of our strain of dogs and to state that in all this time I have never owned a vicious one I have seldom seen one that would not make an excellent playmate for a child yet I have had many that were most perfect watchdogs and that showed more than human intelligence in discriminating between proper and improper sounds and doings at night without special training to it the management of my kennel is the most simple I have no kennel buildings except a rough board box for each dog with a wire runner in summer and stall and barn for winter where I place these kennels if one becomes infested with vermin it is burned the dogs are exercised twice a day for half an hour where they have access to the spring brooks are fed once a day in summer and twice in winter we boil beef and bones and soak half a loaf of toasted stale bread for each dog varying this now and then with corn and oatmeal mush cooked in beef broth and they relish it all when I have a sick dog I try to find out what his trouble is and then treat him accordingly and in very particular with young dogs showing symptoms of distemper which must be most carefully diagnosed there is no such thing as a distemper cure that will fit all cases each case requires special treatment and hundreds of young dogs I am sure are killed by distemper cures alone as well as by the man who never lost a dog with distemper the man who prescribes a lump of sulfur to be put into the patient's drinking water is as innocent as his remedy the man who physics your dog when he has the typhoid form of the complaint as well as he who insists on putting a seat into your puppy's neck after he is already too weak to stand on his legs should never be employed in any case these heroic remedies are freely recommended by many members of the fraternity of vets especially of the old school to use the proper medicines in the very beginning is the most important no doubt and when I notice a puppy's stools come of a gray clay color Calamel in five to six grain doses has always the desired effect of regulating the bowels the patient should have special care warm quarters should be kept quiet should be fed better than usual but a less quantity and in case of failing appetite you should use first some quinine especially if the patient be feverish and sometimes in very high fever tincture of aconite in one or two drop doses as well as five to ten drops of fouler solution of arsenic for a short time as an alternative yet with all due care and attempts at halfway scientific treatment I must admit that there is a good deal of Dutch luck in pulling a puppy through a bad case of distemper and having improved sound afterward in cases where the puppy is not permanently cured he would be better dead than to suffer for years or for life with chorea it is an act of mercy to chloroform him I'm not so sanguine in regard to curing distemper as I was ten years ago for breaking young dogs for the field I usually engage the services of a specialist in that line my youngsters are rarely handled before they are a year old and over distemper when they are sent south with a professional trainer below the standard of the Irish Sutter Club of America is given it does not suit us all but when it was adopted all questions were fully discussed and the points varying from the English standard are those in which our American dogs required improvement standard and points of judging the red Irish Sutter adopted by the Irish Sutter Club of the United States July 1886 head ten eyes five ears five neck five body fifteen shoulders four legs and feet twelve hind legs ten tail eight coat and feather eight color eight size style and general appearance fourteen total one hundred head should be long and lean the skull oval from ear to ear having plenty of brain room and with well-defined occipital pertuberance brows raised showing stop the muzzle moderately deep and fairly square at end from the stop to the point of the nose should be long the nostrils wide and the jaws of nearly equal length flues not to be pendulous the color of the nose dark mahogany or dark chocolate and that of the eyes which ought not to be too large rich hazel or brown the ears to be of moderate size fine and texture set on low well back and hanging in a neat fold close to the head neck should be moderately long very muscular but not too thick slightly arched free from all tendency to throatiness body should be proportionately long shoulders fine at the points deep and sloping well back the chest deep rather narrow in front the ribs well sprung leaving plenty of lung room the loins muscular and slightly arched the hind quarters wide and powerful legs and feet the hind legs from hip to hawk should be long and muscular from hawk to heel short and strong the stifle and hawk joints well bent and not inclined either in or out the four legs should be strong and sinewy having plenty of bone with elbows free well let down and like the hawk not inclined either out or in the feet rather small very firm toes strong close together and arched tail should be of moderate length set on rather low strong at root and tapering to a fine point to be carried in a slight similar like curve or straight nearly level with the back coat on the head front of legs and tips of ears should be short and fine but on all other parts of the body it should be of moderate length flat and as free as possible from curl or wave feathering the feather on the upper portion of the ears should be long and silky on the back of four and hind legs long and fine a fair amount of hair on the belly forming a nice fringe which may extend on chest and throat feet to be well feathered between the toes tail to have a nice fringe of moderately long hair decreasing in length as it approaches the point all feathering to be as straight and as flat as possible color and markings the color should be rich golden chestnut or mahogany red with no trace whatever of black white on chest throat or toes or a small star on the forehead or a narrow streak or blaze on the nose or face not to disqualify notes on our dogs in head we have not enough uniformity some dogs showing the long narrow head without the proper stop at the eyebrow giving the face an indescribably brainless expression while others have the wide and round skull entirely at variance with the standard the color of eye seems to be a matter of strain some specimens having the beautiful dark brown eye while others are of a hazel or even a dark oak shade these are minor points and I consider none but the gooseberry eye seriously objectionable the ears are often badly set folding back and outward and in this case generally too short again many are hound like thick and too long relative of the bloodhound rarely do we find a perfect neck in our present red setter and in most specimens it is too short and thick the head resting almost on the shoulder blades we must improve in this point in body legs and feet our setters are as a class I believe more perfect than most other breeds of dogs having a deep chest strong loin more arched than the English setter and a good development of muscle in the limbs demerits in these parts we must carefully weed out in breeding and we have a long way yet to go to reach perfection the red setter is supposed to be higher on the leg than either the English or black and tan and I think it rather an advantage to leave him so for the best development of speed yet I am not favoring a big dog for we want no lumber but a good upstanding setter with perfect slope shoulder well bent stifle and the longer the bone between stifle and hawk the better for speed in raising the scale of points for a good tail we seem to have laid the stumbling block of our present standard where it does not suit the bad ones this change has been made deliberately and the committee in charge is willing to stand or fall thereby we point to some of our best specimens of the breed to illustrate the necessity of it at most of our bench shows we find specimens with tails carried either hound-like over the back or were still hanging newfoundland fashion with a great big hook carried between the legs is not the stern of any bird dog the very soul of his style and it is this very style we need so much more of in our red dogs is it possible to call the carriage of a calf a point I've seen Irish setters that none but their owner could tell when they were pointing we must make sweeping reforms in this respect through careful breeding for it is this very lack of style that condemns the red dog at our field trials and with perfect justice a lack of style may do for the pot hunter and novice but to the true sportsman and breeder it is an abomination we can only improve by knowing where to do it and by acknowledging our defects in color we are ahead of any breed of dog on this globe for the rich dark mahogany and golden chestnut coat of our favorites is beauty itself and it shows the superiority and purity of breeding over that of any other sporting dog known because the Irish red is red plenty of it and every time no matter how you breed them you may get some very green ones but they will look red nevertheless I've had no little fun with a friend a lover of the English setter who's a great admirer of the blue ticked color and the owner of his grand a field dog has ever lived of this color he wishes to raise some blue ticked stock and to do so has bred his bitch to about all the celebrities of the breed yet his ardent hopes are not yet gratified and his bitch throws any color of pups from green white all black lemon and white orange red and white and what he calls blue but not the blue he's after I advised him to try the red cross but he is down on any other color than the one he can't get I am digressing from the subject yet this incident serves to show the difference and the reliability of the two breeds to the advantage of the Irishman we find two shades of red in this breed the darker and the light the modern fashion favoring the former the presence of white has already been spoken of it is no fault or blemish in coat texture we also find a variety both no doubt being all right and a peculiarity of the strain the one short on body rather harsh is frequently the darker while the light shade is longer spaniel like having a sort of undercoat and this seems to me the more useful one for the purpose giving the better protection from wet and cold it is this kind that is so apt to become wavy when exposed to the hardships of the field the very thing that handicaps them at the shows which in this breed more than in any other of the sporting breeds have actually been detrimental to the breed in placing before any other quality that beauty of color and gloss of coat of the mahogany red in speaking in this manner of bench shows I do not mean to condemn these institutions but they are useful and to the owners and trainers very entertaining if to the dogs a torture they are a sort of necessary evil no event of the year equals an interest one of our larger shows where all the men interested in dogs seem to gather for a sort of love fest an extreme good fellowship usually prevails especially among those who are favored by the blue while the disappointed ones each find some grand good quality in his dog somewhere which the judge had overlooked but which they are bound all shall recognize with them animosity is wiped out new friendships are sealed around the corner if it takes all day in a few hours of the next day east and west north and south all are happy alike the saint bernard man was never known to leave his row while the bulldog man looks with utter contempt at any breed that can't fight the pointer man blows a bit more than the rest and the english setter man feels above them all the irish lad is found at the front sometimes and tries to hold his own while the rest all talk together at once for my part I would not miss the new york show if I had to walk a hundred miles to see it but am as much of a mystery to myself when it is over as if I had never seen it for I too never see anything there but the red setter and the boys old and young and find myself more fascinated there than when I took my first premium at the philadelphia centennial show with an irish red what changes an irish setter and their owners since then I really think I am the oldest exhibitioner of these dogs and almost the only one still interested in the breed of all those who used to show them at that time I've seen all the celebrities of the bench rufus elko rory omore rose flora noreen plunkett berkeley glenco lady claire tricks hazel etc besides all the many fine ones that never got there up to the present day speaking of the champions then and now I failed to see a very great improvement in the dogs in the bitches we are going backward while in our present open show classes the average is very much improved over those of 10 years ago with prospects for improvement still further a few years ago the irish setter club was formed a good start made for a field trial at salisbury north carolina with 22 entries it snowed on the night before the start approved a hard blow to the irish setter for nearly all of us got discouraged at the last new york 1890 show some of the old hands rallied young blood was stirred in and we now hope for a brighter future and ask all lovers of the breed to join that club whose aim will be to make us good a field dog of the irish red as he is handsome and now that you have finished reading this you may as well send your application for membership to the secretary of the irish setter club max wenzel hoboken new jersey the origin of the irish setter like that of his cousins the english and the gordon setter is buried in obscurity and no additional light is likely to illuminate the past for the inquiring mind careful research and extensive inquiry among the breeders and fanciers of the irish setter in england and ireland have failed to elicit any new facts concerning the origins and development of this breed it has been suggested that he is a descendant of the liver colored setting dog as a matter of fact says vero shaw the earliest mention that we have been able to discover of any setter peculiar to ireland is in the sportsman's cabinet where in the chapter on english setters direct allusion is made to this breed of dogs and the following words the sporting gentlemen of ireland are more partial to setters than to pointers and they are probably better adapted to that country this seems to indicate that setters of some kind were used on the emerald isle at the beginning of this century it must always be a matter of regret that nothing was said by the writer in question or by other chroniclers of his time of the appearance of these dogs however coming down to the time when the red dog first began to attract attention in england his admirers were divided on the color line some breeders claiming that red without any admixture of white was the proper color while others with equal fervor insisted that the red dog with white points was just as proper and pure in irish setter as the all-red dog there could be no doubt that both are descended from the same parent stock and have in later years been interbred so that it is no uncommon occurrence to see in a litter of irish setter puppies several with white markings on face breast and feet in this abjoined letter just received from reverend robert o callahan the most successful breeder of irish setters in england and probably the best living authority on this breed in the world conclusions similar to my own are accurately and fully set forth as to the origin of the breed and the development of the color quote bostelhouse rochester england to be f sightner dating ohio usa dear sir in reply to your request for some notes as to the origin and development of the irish setter i do not find anything like reliable information on this subject earlier than the present century i have no hesitation in stating my belief that the irish setter is the oldest breed we possess as well as the purist but if as is generally allowed the history of all setters be obscure and difficult to trace how much more so the history of the irish the reasons are obvious but i will not enter into this question and we'll only say that after careful and diligent study of the subject i feel compelled to give my adhesion to the now generally received opinion that all setters are descended from the spaniel we have it recorded in the sportsman's repository 1820 that setters in ireland used to be called setting spaniels now it is difficult to explain how our modern setters were produced i believe with darwin in nature giving us successive variations and man adding up these variations in a certain direction useful to himself and thus making for himself useful breeds if then we want a special quality in any animal we have only to watch carefully and breed sufficiently and the required variety is sure to be produced and can be increased to any extent wallace says instinct speed form and color have always varied so as to produce the very races which the world or fancies of men led them to desire in a word he looks upon natural or artificial selection as the simple basis for indefinite modification of the forms of life with the opinion of two such authorities before us as well as our own experience of what can and what has been done in the way of breeding i do not think there need be much doubt as to the origin of the center the irish have always been a sporting race and no doubt they paid great attention to their settings spaniels being required for hard work they would select the animal best suited for that purpose and the breeding of successive generations of animals capable of hunting the wet bogs and mountains of ireland has resulted in building up a race which may be equaled but certainly cannot be excelled by any sporting dog in the world and so carefully and jealously where they preserved and so highly where they prized that we were told by a writer i scott in the sportsman's cabinet of 1823 of the renewal of a lease given for a dog and bitch which lease if allowed to expire would have cleared for the landlord 250 pounds per annum as to their color the same writer tells us that it was all red or deep chestnut and white no doubt this all red was obtained by careful selection with an evident purpose to subserve a useful end by irish sportsmen and that long before the days of firearms this exquisitely deep chestnut so characteristic of the breed may have been and no doubt was suggested to our rude forefathers by the color of the red deer of their native hills and forests a color which harmonized so well with the hues of the decaying bracken and the purple heather as to aid in concealing him from his enemies however this may be the very dark red of the irish setter would have the advantage of enabling him to approach closer to his game in fact would make him almost invisible and so all the more capable of serving his master's ends and if this be an advantage in the present day as it undoubtedly is how much greater must have been the advantage in the days of our sturdy sires whose rude weapons necessitated a closer approach to their game a well-known writer of our day recognizes the advantage of protective colors in the sportsmen's dress and advises him when he expects the birds to be wild to adopt garments of a somber hue avoiding conspicuous colors stonehenge says because of the weariness of the grouse the color of the clothes should be attended to he recommends the heather pattern from its resemblance to the general cover of the birds under all these circumstances i think we can have no difficulty in tracing the origin and distinctive color of the irish red setter many irish families were celebrated for rare strains of the breed among them the o'connor or latush the defrain or french park the lord dylan's waterford and lismore the latter the head of the old callahan family but where are all these kennels now echo answers where owing to the ruinous prodigality and thriftless extravagance of the irish squires of the past century as well as the success of convulsions which have rent unhappy ireland its noble race of setters has been scattered to the winds neglected and uncared for and at this moment i know of no kennel of the pure race in the country shows have done little if anything to improve the breed the quantity has increased but not the quality the true type is lost sight of because the breed is not kept up by the practical sportsmen or even by men who can lay the slightest claim to a correct knowledge of the breed but by those whose only aim is to make money the consequence of this is that our shows are full of snippy weedy mongrels which save in color and that only sometimes are as unlike the wiry racy bloodbred irishman as they well can be it is to this fact too that we must attribute the bad name given to irish setters as being headstrong and difficult to train how could it be otherwise show animals bread anyhow and from untrained parents are foisted on the public if the setting instinct the undeveloped from generation to generation reversion to type will be the consequence and in each successive generation it will become beautifully less i notice in america the same state of things goes on while large sums of money are expended in purchasing the best types of english setters from the best breeders irish setters so-called are purchased haphazard from what i call mushroom breeders because they are cheap and thus a race of setters is perpetuated which are a libel on the breed and so widely different from the true type as the north is from the south what else can one expect from promiscuous and injudicious crossing how is this state of things to be remedied only by careful and scientific breeding any remnants of old families carefully and judiciously bred to would beyond a doubt bring back the family type and characteristics i claim to speak with authority on this subject as i have bred broken and shot over them for a space of 40 years in fact i was born and brought up with them they have been the playmates and companions of my children and are part and parcel of my family the first of my dogs was exhibited in 1868 when grouse brother to plunkett was successful on the bench plunkett success as a field trial winner is well known his brother rover was chosen by stonehenge to represent the true type of an irish setter and my grouse too winner of the 15 guinea challenge cup doubling 1879 was chosen to represent the breed in the book of the dog by vero shaw absence from england in the service of my country prevented me from doing more than carefully preserving my stock but since my return home my success on the show bench has been unbroken as to success in the field i am too large extent handicapped as i have no trainer of my own and have to depend entirely upon trainers will either have their own interests to serve to which mine are secondary or else they are quite incompetent even under circumstances such as these however i undoubtedly put the best setter i may say indeed the best as well as the handsomest sporting dog in the field in 1885 avalene and i say it advisedly she was not allowed to win first in that contest avalene met and defeated three of the well and setters and her final heat was decided in three and a half minutes avalene now a champion is a daughter of frisco and grouse too and as you have asked me as to the most successful crosses i have no hesitation in saying that i have found the elco blood crossed on the palmerston to be the most successful both in field and on bench i say pure palmerston because it has come to my knowledge that palmerston is credited with having served more bitches than he ever did or in fact could have served this is why frisco grandson to elco has not been successful as a sire with mongrel bitches while matched with a pure palmerston the produce is all that can be desired i possess at this moment two sons of frisco and grouse too shandon too and finville too and the daughter avalene all are bench winners at the largest shows as well as grand in the field and one has but to see them to feel at once that he looks on thoroughbreds of their species desmond too belonging to mr ct thompson of philadelphia bred by me and winner of field trials at philadelphia is of precisely the same blood this same cross it is that has produced so many bench and field trial winners for claremont dr jarvis of new hampshire i have still living and quite good for stead purposes my champion ganymede he is a sire of champion tyrone kill dare and geraldine besides many others and the best type of irish setter now living to my mind geraldine too is granddaughter to ganymede and frisco i fear i have already written too much and then to my favorites but i'm sure under the circumstances you will excuse me robert o'callion end quote both stonehenge and vero schaw record the following as the most noteworthy of the old strains from which the present race of irish setters is descended among valuable strains of the irish setter are the o'connor better known as lettuce made famous through champion palmerston lord dylan's lord lefrenes also called the french park breed lord lismore's lord clincardies the mount hedges lord rossmores and the marquis of waterfords in modern days dr stone major hutchinson captain cooper captain french hb nox the honorable d plunkett captain alaway mr hilliard mr lipscomb mr o brian and miss warburton and i must include last although by no means least reverend robert o'callion all have won bench show honors with their dogs but only mr plunkett and later reverend o'callion have won field trial honors with their strains mr plunkett by the way won with a dog plunkett bred by the reverend o'callion the high quality of the latter gentleman's dogs was recognized in the most emphatic manner by the highest authorities in the canine world stonehenge chose as a subject for illustrating his article in the irish setter in his book dogs of the british isles fourth edition rover a prize winner and brother to the well-known field trial winner plunkett and vero schaw chose from the same kennel has an illustration for his book of the dog grouse two these being the most typical specimens of the breed in their day when the irish setter first became popular in england and america rapid progress was made in the improvement of the breed and such grand dogs as reverend o'callion's grouse his great brother the field champion winner plunkett champion palmerston rufus the celebrated elko and thornstein delighted the public and became pillars of the stud book in the history of the introduction and development of the irish setter in america an interesting study is presented to the breeder and sportsmen and to such gentlemen as the late arnold burges mr e f stoddard of date no hayo dr william jarvis of clearmont new hampshire charles turner of st louis and others whose liberality and wisdom placed the best irish setter blood in the world within their reach the american sportsmen are under lasting obligations the place of honor as the foremost american breeder of this grand strain of dog justly belongs to dr jarvis he it was who by breeding rose to elko discovered the wonderful affinity of the elko for the palmerston blood his career however as a breeder began before elko had been heard of for in 1873 he brought out a dog popularly known as jarvis's dick whose portrait was published in the old american sportsmen and forest and stream he was of unknown parentage his siren damn it is said were imported but beyond that nothing was known of them he won the silver cup for best irish setter at the rod and gun club show at springfield massachusetts dr jarvis then imported from the kennels of mr louis allen a bitch called kitty a daughter of the famous field trial winner plunkett in the fall of 1875 he imported from ireland the bitch kathleen a granddaughter of hutchinson's well-known bob about this time also dr amgold smith of rutherland vermont imported the famous dog champion plunkett arnold burges his rufus and mr e f's daughter friend in august of this year friend well delivered to rufus several of which the following year made their mark at the centennial show they were rufus too and firefly the st louis kennel club or mr charles turner of that organization imported and brought out champion lou too erin elko berkeley and others mr stoddard in 1876 imported champion duck and bob in the spring of 1877 dr jarvis purchased from mr turner of the st louis kennel club elko and thereby secured for his kennel the best irish setter dog in the country in the fall of the same year he imported from the kennels of mr ceasel more the now famous bitch rose the beautiful daughter of the great palmerston out of florals rose was the first of the palmerston blood brought to america and her record stands today unrivaled by that of any other setter bitch rose bred to elko produced in her first litter the well-known lady claire the field trial and show winners rally and laurel lee don little now yube champion norwood and elko three are also among the descendants of this famous pair dr jarvis next imported from the kennels of mr j j kiltrup norine a daughter of gary oan a noted prize winner she too was bred to elko greatest had been the doctor's success with rose and her progeny he not only equalled but fairly eclipsed it with norine where she produced four champions in one litter one of the four bruce a field trial winner glenco norin two and elko jr here are four dogs that have individually and collectively won more prizes and have produced and got a larger number of winners than any other equal number of setters in america elko jr is unquestionably the best representative of his race ever seen in this country next to these justly ranks stoddard's friend mr stoddard's memory will always be cherished by the lovers of the irish setter for his intelligent and successful efforts in developing the breed the compelling public admiration and recognition of his merits friend herself as a grand bitch in the field while not as fast as some others i've seen she yet proved good enough to win first prize at the minnesota field trials of 1878 in a field of 13 starters the chicago fields report of that event states that friend ran out her score without making a single error bred to rufus she produced a centennial winner rufus two firefly champion rory omore and others mr stoddard also bred some good ones from champion duck by his bob he was also the breeder of that grand young and now well-known dog mac n owned by mr w n coons of date in ohio there are other breeders that deserve mention foremost among these are mr max wenzel of hoboken new jersey owner of the noted field trial and bench show winner champion chief by berkeley out of duck and tim also a prize winner by the field trial winner biz out of hazel a daughter of elko out of rose mr w n calendar of albany new york who exhibited rory omore at the new york show 1877 has bred a number of good ones and mr charles t thompson of philadelphia pennsylvania the present owner of desmond too led brother two reverend ocala hands shandon two and fingled two and the field trial winner avaline by frisco out of gross two has kept well to the front with his dogs elko jr is one of the most noted docs of his race in him almost the extreme limit of refinement has been reached and breeders can scarcely hope to excel him and finish his almost perfect harmony of proportions may hardly be surpassed his service should be sought by those having irish setter bitches of the large heavy boned or short copies sort his winnings are as follows first puppy class boston 1882 first open class ottawa 1883 first open class new haven 1885 first champion class new york 1884 first champion class montreal 1884 first champion class new york 1885 first champion class simson adi 1885 first champion class spring philadelphia 1885 first champion class south adalboro 1885 first champion class boston 1886 first champion class hartford 1886 first champion class cleveland 1886 first champion class new york 1886 first champion class st louis 1886 first champion class boston 1887 first champion class pittsburgh 1887 first champion class new york 1887 first champion class detroit 1887 first champion class syracuse 1888 first challenge class new york 1889 first challenge class troy 1889 champion irish setter sweepstakes of america and cup and special for best irish setter new york 1884 special for best setter dog any breed montreal 1884 special for best irish setter new york 1885 special for best irish setter spring philadelphia 1885 special for best setter dog any breed south adalboro 1885 special for best irish setter dog boston 1886 special for best irish setter dog and special for best irish setter dog or bitch hartford 1886 special for best irish setter cleveland 1886 special for best irish setter special for best irish setter dog and special for best setter dog or bitch any breed new york 1886 special for best irish setter dog and special for best irish setter dog or bitch st louis 1886 special for best irish setter and special for best irish setter dog or bitch Boston 1887. Special for Best Irish Xater and Special for Best Irish Xater dog Pittsburgh 1887. Special for Best Champion Irish Xater dog, Special for Best Irish Xater dog and Special for Best Irish Xater dog, or b**ch, Detroit 1887. Special for Best Irish Xeter dog Syracuse 1888. Special for Best Irish Setter Dog, Troy, 1889. Special with Lorna for Best Pair of Irish Setters, New Haven, 1885. Special with Lorna for Best Pair of Irish Setters, Cleveland, 1886. Special with Lorna for Best Brace of Irish Setters, St. Louis, 1886. Special for One of Best Kennel, Boston, 1886. Special for One of Best Kennel, Hartford, 1886. The most successful sires of the past and present are, about in the order named, Champion Elko, Plunkett, Rufus, The Great Glen Coe, Berkeley, Aaron, Elko, Junior, Bizz, Champion Norwood, Max Wenzel's Chief, Rory O'More, and Stoddard's Bob. The list of winnings these dogs and their descendants after their credit would fill a book. It might be profitable to some of the breeders, and would-be breeders of the present day, to carefully study and consider the breeding of some of these dogs. For in this breed, as in all others, there is wisdom in choosing from good families, and in the light of the past it should not be difficult to pick out the successful dogs. We come now to consider the Irish Setter as a field dog. The ordinal points on which depend the value of every pointing dog are the same in all breeds, and I cannot do better than to quote from one of England's highest authorities, It Stone, who speaks of the Irish Setter as follows. Quote, they have been jealously protected from mongrel outcrosses for many years by their native breeders, and they owe their popularity, in Ireland and elsewhere, to their quality quite as much as their color. Exceedingly fast and very resolute, hearty, and thoroughly blood-like, genuine setters. A finer, more open-hearted, frank, good-tempered race no man could find. The thorough Irish dog is a very fast and persevering worker and a rapid galloper. An admirable water-dog, and invaluable in fends and swamps for snipe. In heather, his power and muscle enable him to do a long day's work without fatigue, and he has a comparatively noiseless and stealthy gallop. He is inclined to be headstrong, and is accused of being hard to break. He demands patience, severity, and judgment. When, however, he settles down to his work and discovers the tactics of his owner, he is exceedingly valuable, and is regarded with envy by all who witness his mathematical precision, his firm style, his staunchness and patience, coupled with his docility, which is not excelled by any pointer or setter of any breed." My own experience and observation justifies me in asserting that, in natural adaptability, speed, range, endurance, pointing instinct, and bird sense, the red dog is not excelled by any race of setters in the world. Those I have seen were not more erratic, headstrong, or difficult to control than other dogs of high courage. And when properly trained and handled, they are as staunch and true on point and back as any pointer. Stoddard's friend was equally good on quail and snipe, and was fond of hunting prairie chickens. And when retrieving one of those big birds, she was as proud of the capture as is the novice when he brings down his first bird. The assertion that the Irish setter is harder to break or train and keep in field form than other breeds of setters is not true of the Irish setter of today. I know from personal experience that a well-bred dog of this breed, properly brought up and trained, is the peer of any setter in the world. As companions, they are affectionate, gentle, and safe with children. I never saw a sour or ill-tempered dog of this breed in my life, and true to their masters. In the field, they are enthusiastic, fast, and tireless workers. One of the best setters of any breed I ever saw in the field is Mack N. This dog is as level-headed as any pointer, a keen hunter, a fast and wide ranger, quick and positive when among birds, hunting with great judgment and discrimination, and heeding the slightest whistle or command. I have not seen Alco Junior in the field, but am told by those who have that he is an out-and-out good one. Indeed, Dr. Jarvis has, for years, done his shooting over this dog. And to judge from his work at the Eastern Field Trials where he ran in 1885, although not placed, he is able to hold his own with honor in any company. I know that no better snipe dog than Stoddard's Bob ever lived. But the red dog is lacking in no characteristic or faculty that is necessary in the makeup of the perfect field dog. The public trials have abundantly demonstrated. As before stated, friend won first in 1878, defeating, among others, the well-known field trial winner, Sanborn's Nelly. Joe Junior, a half-blooded son of champion Elko, defeated the great and almost invincible English setter, champion Gladstone, every time they met, both in public trials and in a two-days private match. Then champion Biz defeated Count Noble. In 1879, Raleigh won second in the Eastern Field Trials Club, all aged stake. And Irish setter won the members' cup of the Eastern Field Trials in 1881 and 1884. That more Irish setters are not run in the field trials is not because of any inherent fault in the breed, nor has the breed deteriorated, as the field trials have demonstrated, for wherever an Irish setter competed in a public trial, he made it exceedingly interesting for all competitors. Reverend O'Callaghan's Aveline is a good illustration of the capabilities of the red dog of today, as is also Drojeda, winner of second in the national trials at Shrewsbury. B.F. Seitner, Dayton, Ohio. End of section three.