160 The Dog Book 



her of trials, but the very great majority of these successes were attained 

 at minor trials or in stakes of a restricted character, which precluded the 

 wins taking rank with those obtained by English setters and pointers at 

 important trials in competition open to all. 



In England the Irish setters run in competition with other breeds and 

 meet with a very fair share of success, and if they were taken hold of here 

 in the same way that the at-one-time discarded pointer was, by men having 

 influence as well as the means to carry out their determination, the Irish 

 setter would stand a chance of regaining favour outside of the sportsmen 

 who still believe in the value of the reds as a useful shooting dog. 



The history of the Irish setter prior to the nineteenth century is little 

 more than a tradition. The first reference we have come across is that 

 quoted in the article on the spaniel family prefacing the chapter on the Eng- 

 lish setter. This is from "A Treatise on Field Diversions," published 

 originally in 1776, and written by the Reverend Mr. Simons, whose name 

 is not given on the title page, in its place being "By a Gentleman of Suffolk, 

 a Staunch Sportsman." In speaking of the setter, then only the setting 

 spaniel for use with the net, he says: "None can have any just claim, 

 however, to the appellation [of setter] but what is emphatically called by 

 way of eminence the English spaniel. The Irish insist theirs are the true 

 English spaniel; the Welsh contend theirs are the aborigines." 



Some readers might think this a mere figure of speech, but a little far- 

 ther on there is this remark: "A gentleman who resided some time in 

 Wales tells me this is a true description of their finest setters." It is per- 

 fectly proper to assume therefore that at that period there was a variety 

 known as Irish, or at least a variety in Ireland which differed in some 

 respect from the dog in vogue in England and in Wales. We have sub- 

 stantial evidence that the Welsh variety was white, or white and black, and 

 Mr. Simons goes on to say, "Be that as it may, whatever mixtures may 

 have been since made, there were, fifty years ago [that would be about 1725], 

 two distinct tribes the black-tanned, and the orange or lemon and white." 

 There has never been any suggestion that the setter of Ireland was anything 

 but red or red and white, and we may conclude that the variety specified 

 by Mr. Simons was of that colour. 



Dalziel in "British Dogs" quotes, from a work we have never seen, 

 entitled, "A Correct Delineation of the Canine Race," published in 1803 

 by "A Veteran Sportsman," a remark to the effect that setters were more 



