296 THE AMERICAN BOOK OF THE DOG. 



and is saturated with an oily substance that almost thor- 

 oughly protects them from wet and cold. 



To fully appreciate the pleasure of duck and snipe shoot- 

 ing, the sportsman should have a well-broken Irish Water 

 Spaniel. I would take just as much pleasure in quail- 

 shooting without my Setter or Pointer as I would in duck 

 or snipe shooting without my Retriever. I predict for the 

 Irish Water Spaniel a bright future, as he has only to be 

 known to be appreciated, and he is becoming better known 

 every year. 



This is a noble dog, and should be developed to the 

 greatest possible perfection; and in order to stimulate effort 

 in this direction, I believe that a Retriever club should be 

 formed in America for the purpose of holding field trials 

 on some of our numerous lakes, rivers, or marshes, to which 

 all members of the Retriever family should be eligible. 

 It would be as easy to formulate rules for the government 

 of trials of this character as it was for the originators of 

 field trials for Pointers and Setters to evolve their rules. 

 While our first efforts in this direction would doubtless be 

 crude, experience would soon teach us; and by bringing all 

 the different breeds together, we could in a short time 

 determine which is best fitted to perform the various 

 kinds of work. One breed might be found far superior 

 to another in working in open, rough, and large bodies 

 of water, while another would excel in the weeds and 

 grasses of the marsh. 



These questions can only be settled by actual competi- 

 tion, and I am satisfied that great good would result from 

 frequent trials, as the breeders would take great pride in 

 possessing a field- trial winner, and in the future would 

 breed with the sole object of producing the best performers. 

 By this means the value of each breed would be greatly 

 enhanced. 



I can remember when five dollars was a big price for a 

 Pointer or Setter puppy, and twenty-five dollars an enor- 

 mous price for a broken dog. Perfection in breeding, 

 brought about largely by field trials, has enhanced the value 



