34 The Partridge Family 



three prominent breeds, Llewellin, Irish, and Gor- 

 don, a Httle may here be said appropriately — 

 possibly their proper rank should be in order as 

 named. 



Breeders of the modern Llewellin setter, encour- 

 aged by the racing methods of field trials, have 

 bred for a combination of speed and style likely 

 to catch a judge's eye. They have lost a deal of 

 the beauty of the original type, as exemplified by 

 famous old Llewellins and Laveracks, but they 

 have produced a racing machine, and what fre- 

 quently is certainly a rare good dog for an athletic 

 and keen man. The typical Llewellin now is a 

 compact bundle of running gear, not so desirable 

 a companion maybe, but certainly a bird finder. 

 The actual value of the type depends upon the 

 individual called upon to give the decision. Many 

 sportsmen would prefer the handsomer and per- 

 haps staider animals of a few years ago. The 

 development of a breed to a point where we find 

 two types, — one to look at, the other to race, — i.e. 

 " bench type " and " field type," may or may not 

 be good for the best interests of that breed. 



The Irish setter, as he should be, is a strong, 

 intelligent, wiry dog, somewhat hard to break and 

 control, but a rare good one when firmly and 

 wisely handled. The chief objection to him as a 

 field worker is based upon his color. However 

 beautiful the true mahogany red may be, it is 



