THE IRISH SETTER 



FASHION has made the Irish setter a red dog, whereas 

 there used to be many more index dogs of Erin red- 

 and-white than red. Fashion in this case has been the dog 

 show, but if that had been all the result of its influence the 

 author would have been content. It is the Irishmen who are 

 most concerned, and the fact that the Irish setter is the worst 

 colour in the world to see in a Scotch mist can be well under- 

 stood not to matter in Irish atmosphere and manners of 

 thinking. Between 1870 and 1880 the dog shows had attracted 

 most of the handsomest dogs in Ireland, and many of these 

 were very good workers. 



From time to time an Irish setter has been good enough to 

 compete with success at English field trials, and although on 

 occasion such an animal has carried all before it in its stake, 

 neither in England nor America has one of the breed ever won 

 a Champion Stake, so that probably it will be considered fair 

 to say that poor competition has brought the Irish to the front 

 when by chance they have come out first at field trials. The 

 author has seen and shot over many charming red setters, 

 but he has never seen a really great dog of that breed that 

 is, not a dog in the same class with the pointers Drake and 

 Romp's Baby. 



The best Irish setter the writer ever shot over had the 

 peculiar luck of always finding birds when, by the manners of 

 other dogs, there appeared to be none about Many a time 

 has a bad day been redeemed by letting off this beautiful red 

 dog, a son of the field trial winner Plunket. To some good 

 judges of dog's work the field trials appeared to be at the 



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