30 SHOOTING. 



tint ; and fashion, as well as caprice, lias exercised no inconsider- 

 able influence over the market price of setters, solely from the 

 colours they possessed. 



The Irish setter is distinguished by his reddish colour. He is ■, 

 fine-looking animal, of vigorous powers, and excellent sporting 

 capabilities. By those who have experienced his aid in sporting, 

 he is said to require more breaking in than the Enghsh setter, and 

 to be liable to little irregularities in his movements in the field or 

 moor. 



The nature of the setter generally was well understood two cen- 

 turies and a half ago. Gervase Markham, in his work, "The Art of 

 IFowling," says, " I know that in divers places in this kingdom the 

 setting ^ clogs are to be taught (so that men of ability may have them 

 at their pleasure) • yet likewise I know they are sold at such great 

 rates and prices, that no industrious man whatsoever (which either 

 loves the sport or would be partaker of the benefit) butvdll be glad 

 to learn how to make a dog himself, and so both save his purse and 

 make his pleasure and profit both more sure and more dehcate ; for 

 this I must assure all men that buy theii- dogs from mercenary 

 teachers, that evermore those salesmen do reserve in their own 

 bosoms some one secret or another, for the want of knowledge 

 whereof the purchaser quickly finds his dog imperfect, and so is 

 forced upon every disorder or alteration of keeping to send the dog 

 back to his fii-st master anew to be reformed, wliich, drawing on : 

 you a new price, makes the dog's certain price without end, and 

 mthout valuation. This fault to redress, and to make every man 

 the true master of his own work, I will show you here, in a brief 

 and compendious manner, all the mysteries and secrets which lie 

 hid in this laborious business. The first thing, therefore, you must 

 learn in this art, is to make a true selection of your dog which you 

 intend to apply to this purpose of setting ; ^ and in this selection ■' 

 you shall observe, that although any dog which is perfect, and of i 

 good scent, and natui-ally addicted to the hunting of feathers, as I 

 whether it be the land-spaniel, water-spaniel, or else the mongrels 

 between either or both of these kinds, or the mongrels of either of 

 these kinds, either with the shallow-fiewed hound, the tumbler, the 

 lurcher, orindeedthe small bastard mastiff, maybe brought to this 

 perfection in setting (as I have seen by daily experience, both in 

 this and in other nations ) ; yet is there none so excellent indeed as 

 the true-bred land-spaniel, being of a nimble and good size, rather 

 small than gross, and of courageous and fiery metal, evermore 

 loving and desiring toil, when toil seems most irksome and weary, 

 which although you cannot know in a whelp so young, as it is " 

 intended he must be when you first begin to train him to this pui'- 



C\ yet youmay have a strong speculation therein if you choose 

 from a right htter or breed, wherein by succession you have 

 known that the whole generation have been endowed with all these 

 quahties, as namely, that he is a strong, lusty, and nimble ranger, 

 both of active foot, wanton tail, and busy nostril; that liis toil is 



