THE GORDON SETTER. 381 



Setter save in coat and colour. In the former dog the jacket is not so fine as it is in 

 his English relative, and his colour, as we have said before, is a black-and-tan. The 

 shade of the black cannot be too deep or intense, and the tan must be as deep or " warm " 

 in colour as it can be got. The dispersion of these colours for exhibition dogs should be 

 as follows : The tan should be on the fore-legs below the knee, on the feather on the fore-legs, 

 on the throat, on the cheeks, inside the ears and over the eyes, on the belly, inside the 

 thighs, and on the vent. The brilliancy of the tan in certain strains has been attributed to the 

 introduction of Irish Setter blood ; this cross, however, will be more fully alluded to in the 

 succeeding article, but the reference to it is necessary, as it is a matter of importance to 

 breeders of both varieties of Setter. 



As a field dog the Gordon has both detractors and admirers. He is stigmatised by the 

 former as an old man's dog, as they maintain that he can rarely do more than " potter about," 

 and is always beaten by lunch-time. This latter opinion is certainly shared by most practical 

 sportsmen ; but many of these, even though admitting that he is only a half-day dog, at the 

 same time gladly bear witness to his powers when he is at work. Undoubtedly the Gordon 

 is a nervous dog, and here he is behind his English cousin ; but it is claimed on his behalf 

 that he does not possess that craving for water which knocks so many of the latter up. 

 In nose a Gordon Setter excels, but this virtue is discounted by the want of endurance 

 which has been already alluded to. 



Amongst the most famous breeders and exhibitors of Gordon Setters of late years the 

 names of the following gentlemen appear most prominently : The Rev. Thomas Pearce, 

 who bred Argyle II. from Lord Bolinbroke's Argyle out of breeder's Ruby ; Mr. Sam Lang, 

 of Bristol, celebrated especially as breeder of the champion Lang, afterwards sold to 

 Mr. Goath ; The Earl of Dudley ; Mr. Josh Jobling, of Morpeth, who won the cup for 

 Setters at the first dog show ever held, viz., at Newcastle in 1859, with his Gordon Setter 

 Dandie, by Coward's Sam out of exhibitor's Nell ; Messrs. Rogerson and Adye, who in 

 turn showed Kent, a grand dog, and Premier, black-and-tan Setter, from 1863 1869; Mr. 

 Barclay Field ; the Marquis of Huntly ; Mr. J. T. Richardson, whose name is identified 

 with Duke ; the Rev. W. Serjeantson ; and the Rev. J. Gumming Macdona. 



The black-and-tan Setter has unquestionably been crossed with the Irish, probably to 

 improve the brilliancy of the tan. Hence the appearance in many litters of Gordons of 

 liver-coloured whelps. It is also noticeable in the reputed pedigree of Old Kent, which 

 we reproduce in this chapter, that the great-grandfather of that famous dog was a liver- 

 and-tan dog belonging to Sir Matthew Ridley. 



The similarity of this variety to the English Setter has already been alluded to, and 

 therefore the description of the Gordon Setter need not necessarily be a long one. Speaking 

 briefly : 



The Skull, and head generally, is very like that of the English, only that it is 

 heavier. 



The Lips and Flews are also heavier, and more like those of the Bloodhound than those 

 of the kindred breed. 



The Nose is rather coarse, and 



The General Formation is altogether heavier than is the case with the English Setter. 



The Stern, too, is shorter, though similar in shape. 



The texture of the coat is not so fine as that of the English Setter. 



The Colour is a deep raven black, and a rich mahogany " warm " tan. 



