The English Setter 123 



Farm, Morris Plains, N. J., Fairy coming over in whelp to Laverack's 

 Blue Prince, a son of Pride of the Border. 



In appearance the imported pair did not greatly resemble each other. 

 Pride of the Border, although not a large dog, was somewhat heavily made, 

 with long, low action, and liver and white in colour. Fairy, although stoutly 

 built, was smaller, of lighter frame and quicker in movement, and was an 

 orange Belton. Both were wide rangers, and possessed extraordinary 

 powers of scent. In this latter particular Pride of the Border was a remark- 

 able dog. At first he was apparently indifferent to or puzzled by the scent 

 of our game birds, but when he became acclimated and grew accustomed 

 to the new conditions, he developed into a most satisfactory shooting dog. 

 When in the field his intelligence seemed always actively at work, and in 

 getting to his birds his head saved his heels many an unnecessary rod's 

 travel. Like one of the blue Beltons described by Mr. Laverack, this dog 

 displayed wonderful sagacity on running birds; for instance, pointing an 

 old cock grouse, or a running brood, he knew by the scent when the game 

 had left him; then, instead of footing, immediately sunk or dropped down 

 wind thirty or forty yards and re-pointed, his sagacity telling him he could 

 find game much quicker by taking advantage of the wind than 'footing.' 

 When working on quail or ruffed grouse. Pride of the Border constantly 

 resorted to these tactics whenever the birds * roaded.* When on his game 

 he 'set' instead of pointing; lying down with neck extended like a dog at 

 Mown charge,' reminding one of Laverack's expressed belief that 'most 

 breeders of any note agree that the setter is nothing more than the setting 

 spaniel improved.'" 



Pride and Fairy showed to great advantage on the open snipe meadow, 

 ranging widely and pointing and backing staunchly, and they would doubt- 

 less have made an equally effective brace on wide prairies. Fairy was 

 faster than the dog, and more animated in her work, but like him was round 

 ribbed and deep chested. Both were thorough "gun dogs," caring little 

 for anything save seeking and finding game. They were never run in field 

 trials — then in their infancy here — being reserved by their owner for his 

 personal use in the field. Pride was never publicly advertised in the stud, 

 but was bred to several bitches from various parts of the country, and some 

 of his progeny were later imported by other fanciers. In 1881 we com- 

 piled a record of the get of Pride of the Border which showed that of the 

 fifty-six Laveracks then in this country, forty-six were descendants of this 



