28 THE AMERICAN BOOK OF THE DOG'. 



the benefit of the individual having them, or the preserva- 

 tion 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 of 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 what- 

 ever between such a trifiing 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 develop- 

 ment of the English Setter have been somewhat irregular 

 in respect to progress; but, at the present time, it is gener- 

 ally 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 Laveracks, a strain so called from having been 

 bred and preserved by the late Mr. Laverack, through his 

 life-time, had a great deal of prominence in the sporting 

 world, although the purity of his breeding, and, conse- 

 quently, 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. Laverack' s pre- 

 tensions. 



The first field trials the inception of general progress 



