The Gordon or Black and Tan Setter. 113 



tail, 14in. ; girth of chest, 28in. ; girth of loin, 21in. ; girth of head, 16in. ; 

 girth of forearm, 7Jin. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 

 lOin. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, lOin. 



CHAPTER XIX. THE GORDON OR BLACK AND 

 TAN SETTER. 



BY CORSINCON. 



WHETHER the dog under consideration should be called the black and 

 tan setter or the Gordon setter is a subject open to controversy, but of 

 one thing there is no doubt, as the authentic records of breeders prove, 

 that many of the best modern black and tan setters have a large commix- 

 ture of that Gordon Castle blood which became half a century ago so 

 famous as to stamp the generic name of Gordon Setters on its possessors. 

 What the original colour of the Gordon setter was is still a disputed point, 

 which was ably argued in the Field some years back, the weight of 

 evidence produced being decidedly against the black and tan and in 

 favour of the black, white, and tan, as the prevailing colours in this 

 celebrated kennel, but if it was difficult to get an unanimous consent as 

 to the colour of dogs distributed thence at comparatively so recent a date, 

 it becomes a still more difficult problem to solve how the breed was first 

 established. Many hold that it was originally a cross of our English 

 setter with the red Irish setter, and, in support of this view, advance the 

 fact that in many litters pure red puppies are met with. This does not 

 occur so often now as we get further from the source of the red blood, 

 but it is fair presumptive evidence of the cross having taken place. On 

 the other hand, it has been asserted that many of the good qualities of 

 the Gordon Castle setter were inherited from a celebrated colley of poach- 

 ing proclivities ; and there are more unlikely things than that such a cross 

 might be tried, for no one, seeing the sagacity of the sheepdog as dis- 

 played in his management of his charge, can fail to be impressed by it, and if 



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