58 THE AMERICAN BOOK OF THE DOG. 



above them' all. The Irish lad is found at the front some- 

 times, 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 in the Irish Setter and their owners since 

 then ! I really think I am the oldest exhibitor of these 

 dogs, and almost the only one still interested in the breed 

 of those who used to show them at that time. I have seen 

 all the celebrities of the bench Rufus, Elcho, Rory O'More, 

 Rose, Flora, Noreen, Plunket, Berkley, Glencho, Lady 

 Clare, Trix, 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 fail to see a very great improve- 

 ment 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 ten 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, N. C., 

 with twenty-two entries; it snowed on the night before the 

 start. It proved 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 as good a field dog of the Irish Red as he is hand- 

 some. 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, N. J. 



