won

the sacrifice of field qualities, by the early breeders, was likely to prove the ruin of the red dog for practical purposes. To be sure, some derfully beautiful animals were produced, but it is generally admitted that while the physical standard was wonderfully improved, the lack of field use, and consideration of field qualities in breeding, very nearly sounded the doom of the Irish setter as a hunting dog. During later years, however, this tendency has been vigorously combated, and as the hunting instinct had only lain dormant, more recent breeders have taken means to develop it, and have the earliest breeders to thank for having raised the present physical standard to such a high degree, which, though generally condemned, can only recommend itself as a blessing in disguise to the intelligent and thinking breeder and sportsman.

as

The infusion of new blood and an abundance of practical field work has awakened the instinct so long neglected, and has improved the formerly headstrong tendency of the breed, so that now he is trained and kept in condition for the field easily as his much lauded brother, the English setter, whose performances in field trials, while giving to the English dog a reputation for speed and a general advertisement, appeal to the practical hunter as absurd. Indeed, those who have witnessed the performances of not a few high class English setter field trial winners, are only impressed with their utter unfitness for general shooting purposes, though wonders at ranging for a short time with unnatural speed and generally without regard to the handler.

The Irish setter of to-day is by no means a slow dog afield. He is a wide ranger, but he adopts a pace and style of hunting that makes him. generally useful, and as a rule is able to do as much work and find as many birds in a week, being hunted continuously, as half a dozen Eng

lish setters or pointers taken out, one at a time, quite fresh. This is mainly due to his wonderful endurance. It is true also that the longevity of the Irish setter is greater than that of any breed of hunting dog, and his hunting instinct, faculties and endurance are retained to a greater age than almost any species of the canine family. Several famous dogs of this breed have lived from sixteen to seventeen years: notably the great champions, Berkley and Rory O'More, and the writer has hunted continuously for several days behind a brace of Irish setters, one of which was ten and the other nearly twelve years of age, both going at a reasonably fast gait, finding with few faults, and pointing and backing each other with precision and style.

The origin of the Irish setter is enveloped somewhat in mystery. Many theories have been advanced which can at the best be classed as a mere surmise. The most reasonable of these is that the original Irish setter was the result of the judicious crossing of the red spaniel (now extinct) with the bloodhound. It is true that certain skull formations of the Irish setter resemble that of the bloodhound more closely than any other variety of dog. That all varieties of setters are originated from the earlier types of spaniels (so called from the fact that they were first known in Spain) is an accepted fact, as the two breeds, even to this day, are somewhat allied in characteristic formation. The development of the Irish setter, of which more is known, is very interesting, as it was done. almost exclusively by the nobility of Ireland, and in several generations of such families we find a record to the effect that the breed was jealously guarded against innovation or contamination. Youatt, in his book of the dog, one of the first scientific works upon the subject, though now recognized as an authority only in its bearing on the earlier history of the dog, says of the setter:

that first attracted attention as noted prize winners, were much inferior in conformation, style and field performances to the "cracks" of today and the champion bench dogs of America of to-day are without doubt superior to the present champions on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. The main reason to which this condition is attributed, is that for many years the best Irish setters obtainable found ready purchasers in America as soon as they had distinguished themselves at home, and as only the best types of the Irish setter have been imported, and have been used as the foundation stock of American breeders, the natural