CHAPTER XXV 

 THE ENGLISH SETTER 



THE origin of the Setter is involved in hopeless mystery, and it 

 would not be particularly interesting or of any great importance to 

 endeavour to penetrate it by giving the various and irreconcilable 

 opinions of many writers, both ancient and modern, who have given 

 us their views on the subject. Suffice it to say that the general 

 opinion that the Setter was the improved and selected offspring of 

 the Springer Spaniel does not seem as probable as its converse. 



There is no doubt but that the Setter was first used for hawking, 

 and it seems far more probable that a pointing dog; rather than a 

 flushing one, should have been acceptable for this purpose. Besides, 

 the word Spaniel, or Spaynel, indicates Spain, as in an old book, 

 said to be written by a son of Edward III. in 1402, it is stated : 

 " The nature of him comes from Spain." 



What appears most probable is that the Setter is the oldest of 

 British dogs, that it was probably introduced by the Romans, and 

 that, when in later times the Spaniel and Pointer were imported 

 from Spain, crosses between these and the original English dog 

 produced respectively the more modern Setter and the many 

 different strains of Spaniels now so well known among us. 



Between the old Springer and the modern Setter there is a 

 strong family likeness, as may be seen by many plates of this dog 

 published in old books. Setters and Pointers too were of course 

 broken to the net long before guns were invented. Wood says : 

 " The first person who broke a setting dog to the net was Dudley, 

 Duke of Northumberland, in 1535"; and as late as 1818 we hear 

 of pointing dogs being used for this purpose, and to the writer's 

 certain knowledge they have been employed by poachers very much 

 later than that. For this purpose .the Setter appears to have been 

 preferred to the Pointer on account of his natural crouching attitude. 



Perhaps there are very few sportsmen or dog lovers of the 

 present day who would not agree with the opinion that the Setter 

 is the most beautiful in appearance, as well as the most affectionate 

 in disposition, of any sporting dog. Whether the beauty of the 

 breed, as well as its sterling sporting qualities, has been improved 



