DOGS USED IN SPORT 53 



their development of muscle, enable them to race, and 

 to keep it up. The colour of the Gordon is a great 

 point. The black should be raven black, with a blue, or 

 plum bloom, on the bright lights. The tan a rich red, 

 of burnt sienna, colour. It should be, by no means, yel- 

 low or tabby, or mixed with black or fawn, but rich, 

 deep, a sort of bright new mahogany. The cheeks, 

 lips, throat, feet, back of the forelegs to the elbow, front 

 of the hind legs up to the hips, belly, inside of thighs, 

 vent, underside of flag, inside of ears, should all be 

 brilliant red, and there should be a large brilliant spot 

 of tan over each eye. There is no objection to a white 

 short frill, although the absence of all white is a good 

 thing. White toes behind, are less objectionable 

 than white toes in front, and several of the very 

 best Gordons have even had a white foot, or feet, but 

 this is not to be desired if it can be avoided. The 

 origin of the breed is not well known. The late Duke 

 of Gordon, at any rate, brought it up to its present ex- 

 cellence. There is a suspicion it came originally from 

 Ireland, and the fact that nearly all the best Gordon 

 bitches have had in every litter, one or more deep red, 

 or orange, whelps, leads one to believe there has been an 

 Irish cross. The Gordon Setter's stern is shorter than 

 that of the English Setter, but ' sting like.' Failing 

 this, breeders find they have that greatest trouble to 

 the Gordon breeder, the ' teapot tail,' or a long stern 

 with a curl at the end, badly carried in action. He is a 

 long, low, Setter, his gallop noiseless, and he is re- 

 markably quick in his turn, from the power of his 

 shoulders and loins, length of his neck and general 



