THE IRISH SETTER. 47 



are; and many of them select 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-nosed Setter; and he is reliable, in all weather and 

 under all conditions, on this as on other game. 



Can any modern Pointer or silk-and- 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 hocks in slush 

 and icy water; will they, especially the 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 keep- 

 ing 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 prize dog is also backed by a field record for speed, 

 style, and above all, nose. 



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 



