354 Modern Dogs. 



fairly good-looking dog, and perhaps all round no 

 Irish setter that has yet appeared could beat him. 

 But, of course, this is purely a matter of opinion, for 

 it is very difficult indeed to judge of the work of two 

 dogs without seeing them together, especially when 

 there is an interval of about twenty years between 

 him and the best of recent years Aveline, Drogheda, 

 and some others. In appearance either of the two 

 named would easily have beaten Plunket in the 

 show ring, whatever might have been the result in 

 the field. 



When the Irish Setter Club was established, in 

 1882, considerable impetus was given to the red 

 setter, but even before that time he was beginning 

 to make his mark as a good worker at field trials. 

 He had long borne a reputation for being wild and 

 headstrong, and another fault he had was a tendency 

 to put his nose down and hunt the foot scent like a 

 hound rather than seek for it in the wind. This was 

 said to be on account of some remote, may be 

 fabulous, cross, years and years ago with a blood- 

 hound. However, that he was fond of hunting on 

 the ground there is no doubt whatever, any more 

 than there is of his wilfulness and difficulty in 

 breaking. When properly and perfectly trained, the 

 red setter has shown us that no other variety can 

 beat him. 



