1 1 4 British Dogs. 



that wonderful sense could be infused into a setting dog and undesirable 

 points bred out whilst retaining it, it might be a consummation devoutly 

 to be wished. And such an attempt is far from unlikely to have been 

 tried, so that it is not at all improbable that the Gordon and our modern 

 black and tan have both Irish setter and colley blood in them. This 

 pre-suppose3 that the Irish setter has been longer in existence as a distinct 

 breed than the Gordon, and this, I think, can be established, although 

 that breed, like all others, has probably been considerably modified. 



As it is generally I may say universally acceded that the spaniel is 

 the foundation on which all our varieties of setters has been built, and 

 there is no means of proving positively the modus operandi adopted, it is 

 a fair field for conjecture to those so disposed ; but one thing is clear, the 

 lines followed in breeding, whether as regards crossing or selection, must 

 have differed to create three varieties with such distinctive features as 

 the English, Irish, and black and tan, and it is with the latter I have at 

 present to do, for, although I take black, white, and tan to have been the 

 prevailing colour of the Gordon, these have been elbowed off the show- 

 bench by their darker brethren for good or ill, for by all recent judging a 

 dog with a white frill even would stand no chance at shows where the 

 class is still described as black and tan, or Gordon setters, and under 

 these circumstances I think it a great pity that a class is not provided for 

 the handsome tri-coloured dog. 



It is a fact worth noting that black and tan setters took the prizes against 

 all comers at the first two shows for setters ever held, these being Mr. J. 

 Jobling' s Dandy, first at Newcastle, 1859, and Mr. F. Burdett' s Brougham, 

 first at Birmingham in the November following. Dandy's grandsire was 

 the Duke of Gordon's Grouse, and both his stock and that of Brougham 

 have since frequently appeared in the prize lists. 



As a working dog the black and tan is excellent ; he is possessed of a fine 

 nose, with staunchness; he is not so fast as the Laverack, and in the 

 opinion of many, not so enduring, but on this latter point I have a different 

 opinion, having known dogs of this breed work constantly in rough hill 

 shooting without being knocked up, and for this kind of work his superior 

 bone and muscle seem to adapt him better than the lighter and more 

 elegant Laverack. 



The black and tan differs from the English, and especially the Laveracks, 

 in presenting a rather heavier appearance ; the head is decidedly heavier, 



