THE SETTER. 



245 



since it is, unhappily, immaterial from an 

 exhibition point of view whether they have 

 been trained or not, it is surprising that 

 many more have not been produced. 



If there be any truth in the old saying 

 that variety is charming, the attribute must 

 pertain to this particular breed, for they are 

 of almost every conceivable colour, from pure 

 white, which is exceptional, to all black. 

 Probably what are known as the blue-ticked 

 variety are the favourite colour, though 

 they have very little advantage over the 

 lemon and orange coloured. Some hold 

 that there is a consanguinity between the 

 English Setter and the English Pointer, and 

 it has been proved beyond doubt that 

 several really good prize-winning Pointers 

 have been produced from the alliance of a 

 Pointer dog and a 

 Setter bitch. 



It will be within 

 the memory of many 

 admirers of this breed 

 that up to about 

 twenty years ago it 

 was the custom to 

 designate what are 

 now known as English 

 Setters by several 

 distinct appellations, 

 among the more im- 

 portant being the 

 Blue Beltons and 

 Laveracks, and this 

 regardless of any con- 

 sideration as to 

 whether or not the 

 dogs were in any way 

 connected by rela- 

 tionship to the stock 

 which had earned 

 fame for either of 

 these time-honoured 



names. It was the great increase in the 

 number of shows and some confusion 

 on the part of exhibitors that made it 

 necessary for the Kennel Club to classify 

 under one heading these and others which 

 had attained some amount of notability by 

 individual or local influence, from which time 

 the old terms have gradually been dropped. 



There are certainly two schools who 

 officiate as judges at important shows, and 

 their decisions are arrived at from stand- 

 points which make them at least perplexing 

 to those who are not intimately connected 

 with both shooting and exhibition life. 

 Those who care nothing about a dog's 

 capabilities as a workman, so long as he 

 answers their own ideal as regards anatomy 

 and coat and, particularly, possesses what 

 is known as a " classical " head, are prone 

 to smile at the awards made by some of the 

 old shooting sportsmen who will insist on 

 giving preference to exhibits which possess 

 the very best body and limbs, making the 

 head something of a secondary considera- 

 tion. Of course, both sides advance strong 

 arguments in support of their creed, but it 



MR. FRANK GOODFELLOWS CH. MALLWYD 



BY MALLWYD SAILOR EINION LUCY. 



BRED BY MR. T. STEADMAN. 



Photo, 



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does not follow that either makes out a con- 

 clusive case. Better would it be if, as before 

 stated, a common vantage-ground were de- 

 cided on, and it became generally acknow- 

 ledged that there is nothing to stop the highest 

 class show dogs from being gradually brought 

 to the same state of perfection in the field 

 as its more plebeian relation has attained. 



