292 BRITISH DOGS 



most ordinary rules, but with the gun settling down to his work 

 at once, as if he had never known what it was to go wrong. 



Although there are unquestionably many first-rate dogs in 

 Ireland who have never appeared at field trials, still, on their 

 public form they are judged, and among those who have been 

 most successful may be mentioned Mr. J. G. Hawkes (though his 

 dogs of recent years do not come up to the form of his famous 

 Signal and Miss Signal), Major Milner (with such dogs as Spalpeen, 

 Airnie, etc.), Mr. \V. Hill Cooper (with Wrestler, Isinglass, and 

 others) ; while Mr. G. H. Cheetham's wonderful little bitch Honey- 

 suckle, and Mr. Mclvor's Ballycolman with his two sons Strabane 

 Pam and Ranger, as being the most recent field winners, must 

 not be forgotten. The blood of that celebrated dog Major 

 Hutchinson's Bob told on Mr. Hawkes's kennels when at their 

 best. Mr. Hill Cooper's dogs run up through such well-known 

 ones as Muskerry, Champions Hector and Kate to Palmerston 

 on both sides ; and Major Milner on the one side traces from the 

 same ancestor, with another good one in Cocksure on the other ; 

 while Ballycolman, through his sire Champion Donal MacSwine, 

 traces from Champions Garryowen and Palmerston, and that truly 

 remarkable bitch of her day Mac's Little Nell. 



This is but another example of the potency of blood, as every one 

 of these dogs, on one side at least, and some of them, such as 

 Isinglass and Ballycolman, with several crosses, trace to Palmerston. 

 He was indeed a king among kings, and living, as he did, to 

 almost twice the usual span of a Setter's existence, it is perhaps 

 hardly to be wondered at that his blood is rarely wanting in any 

 of the best bench or field dogs of the day. 



Champion Donal MacSwine (36,240), the dog illustrated at 

 Fig. 63, is a good representative of the Irish Red Setter. Although 

 he was never sent to compete at field trials, yet he is an excellent 

 worker, despite his weight of years. Every August he accompanies 

 the writer to his shoot on the mountains, and he can do a day's work 

 that will compare favourably with that put in by the younger ones. 

 He first came out on the show- bench in 1893, when he competed 

 successfully as a puppy at the Dublin Show. From that time 

 onward to 1899 he continued his winning career, placing to his 

 owner's credit firsts at all the more important shows, including 

 Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Armagh, Dublin, Strabane, 

 and Belfast, amongst others; while he also secured winning brackets 

 in Scotland. Donal MacSwine is by Garryowen Junior (24,599) ^Y 

 the famous Garryowen (8,262) out of Mac's Little Nell (19,714); 

 and his dam is Jiel MacSwine (31,320) by Major-General out of 

 Norah. He thus combines some of the best blood extant. 



The best time for breeding is in the spring. If the pups are 

 born in May, the mother will be quite ready for the moor in August, 



