THE ENGLISH SETTEK. 99 



were gained at their last field trials, in the champion stakes, by 

 dogs of the Rhoebe blood, all descended from Mr Llewellyn's ken- 

 nel." I confess that, in my opinion, this does not indicate any 

 superiority in the one over the other, as far as regards field trials, 

 since they were not tested together; and in reference to the supe- 

 riority of the Dan-Laveracks on the show bench, it is of little in- 

 terest to my present inquiry, but I unhesitatingly state, that, as far 

 as my judgment and opportunities for forming it go, " Setter" is 

 quit3 correct. Dan himself was a very fine upstanding and hand- 

 some dog, and his stock might therefore be expected to resemble 

 him, while the Laverack dogs are nearly all heavy and lumbering, 

 and the bitches, though very elegant, too small and delicate for 

 perfection. 

 The points of the English setter may be described as follows : 



1. The skull has a character peculiar to itself, somewhat between 

 that of the pointer and cocker spaniel, not so heavy as the former's, 

 and larger than the latter's. It is without the prominence of the 

 occipital bone so remarkable in the pointer, is also narrower be- 

 tween the ears, and there is a decided brow over the eyes. 



2. The nose should be long and wide, without any fullness un-^ 

 dor the eyes. There should be in the average dog setter at least 

 four inches from the inner corner of the eye to the end of the nose. 

 Between the point and the root of the nose there should be a slight 

 depression — at all events, there should be no fullness — and the 

 eyebrows should lise sharply from it. The nostrils must be wide 

 apart and large in the openings, and the end should be moist and 

 cool, though many a dog with exceptionally good scenting powers 

 has had a remarkably dry nose, amounting insome cases to rough- 

 ness like that of shagreen. In all setters the end of the nose should 

 be black, or dark liver-colored, but in the very best bred whites or 

 lemon and whites pink is often met with, and may in them be par- 

 doned. The jaws should be exactly equal in length, a "snipe 

 nose," or " pig jaw," as the receding lower one is called, being 

 greatly against its possessor. 



3. Ears, lips, and eyes. With regard to ears, they should be 

 shorter than the pointer's and rounded, but not so much so as 



