SETTERS. 117 



oblique, with the elbows well let down ; legs straight and 

 well feathered ; feet round, and soles strong, with a good 

 deal of hair between the toes; hind quarter scarcely so 

 muscular as in the pointer, but the stifles are well bent, and 

 the hinder parts well feathered, like the fore legs ; stern or 

 flag long, and clothed with a brush of hair, which should 

 come to a point, and resemble altogether a pointed sword, 

 slightly curved upwards. If the hair stands out sideways 

 in a bushy form, or if the tail itself is curled over the back, 

 it is a sign of a cross with the Newfoundland or sheep dog. 

 The colour of the Irish dog is always a rich red, slightly 

 approaching to mahogany colour on the head, down the 

 back, and along the flag. The English dog may be black, 

 or black and tan, or liver-coloured, or yellow, or lemon, or 

 red, or any of these mixed with white. The Duke of Gordon 

 breed is much admired, being black and white, with tan on 

 the cheeks and eyebrows, and also spotted down the legs. The 

 coat should not be too thick or curly ; as it is apt in that case 

 to heat the dog too much, and render him incapable of 

 working without access to water. The English and Irish 

 setters are represented in the annexed engraving. 



The Russian Setter, which is also exhibited in the illus- 

 tration accompanying this article, is similar in shape to his 

 English congener, but being clothed in a much more woolly 

 coat, very long over the eyes and nose, his exact form can 

 scarcely be recognised. Still, in spite of this apparent draw- 

 back, I have known these dogs stand heat almost as well as 

 the English dog. Some years ago there was an opinion 

 prevalent among sportsmen, that the Russian dog was 

 endowed with a better nose than either of our indigenous 

 varieties, and many of them were imported and used by good 

 sportsmen ; but experience has shown that there is no foun- 

 dation for this opinion, and at present the breed is extremely 

 rare. From the great length of their hair, they are very 

 difficult to keep clean, and become liable to mange and surfeit 

 if they are at all mismanaged. The engraving represents 

 the peculiarities of this dog very well, and it is scarcely 

 necessary to describe them more minutely. Generally their 

 feet look too flat, but their soles are thick, and they stand 

 work as well as any other kind of dog. 



