CHAPTER XXVII 

 THE IRISH SETTER 



" A VETERAN Sportsman," author of " A Correct Delineation of 

 the Canine Race," writing in 1803, says: " The sporting gentle- 

 men of Ireland are more partial to Setters than Pointers, and 

 probably they are better adapted to that country. Setters, it is 

 presumed, cover more ground than Pointers, are not so liable to 

 be footsore, and can bear the changes of weather much better than 

 the latter, which they term the Smooth Spaniel, The fields in 

 many parts of Ireland are large, very rugged, and stony ; the rains 

 sudden, sharp, severe, and driving. Setters, therefore, particularly 

 suit the country they go over; to this may be added the grouse- 

 shooting, which is excellent, and it is a universally received 

 opinion that this variety of dog only is equal to the fatigues of it." 



The writer above quoted does not -attempt any description of the 

 Setter in use in Ireland in his sporting days, nor does he dwell on 

 the dog's points, after the manner of our modern dog-show critics; 

 but, instead, he gives briefly the fact that the dog selected by Irish 

 sportsmen was one especially adapted to the circumstances of the 

 country and climate in which he had to work a most important 

 fact which dog-show promoters, judges, and others cannot have 

 too often brought under their notice, for there is undoubtedly an 

 evil tendency in our dog-show system to forget the fitness of the 

 dog for his work which should exist, and indeed should be made 

 a sine qua non, and to exalt far above their legitimate value points 

 of beauty and arbitrary standards of perfection, giving undue weight 

 to matters of comparatively little moment, such as the existence of 

 a few dozen white hairs more or less, the colour of the eye, and 

 the precise carriage of the tail to a line minutely described and 

 insisted upon. Most unquestionably, beauty and utility may be 

 combined, and it is this combination all true sportsmen and lovers 

 of the breed should strive for, as, unfortunately, the tendency of 

 the day is to attach more importance to bench winnings than to 

 field performances. Great care should therefore be exercised that 

 desirable characteristics are not sacrificed to fancy standards and 

 fads of show judges. 



Although, under the management of the Kennel Club, dog shows 



