CHAPTER II 



SHOOTING BREEDS 



Accurate impressions of the general value and 

 utility of shooting dogs in America cannot be 

 formed from any man's private judgment, even 

 when his experience is considerable. No man's 

 personal observation covers more than a small part 

 of the ground, and an assured estimate can be 

 obtained only by averaging a large number of 

 personal opinions collected from different parts 

 of the country, or by an analysis of the public 

 records. In preparing this book my effort has 

 been to combine these two methods in order to 

 reach results which will be reliably instructive. 



As far as anything can be, the records of regis- 

 tration in the studbooks are free from narrow and 

 factional opinions. In the American Kennel Club 

 Studbook for 1902 there are 893 English setters, 

 708 pointers, 70 Irish setters, and 37 Gordon set- 

 ters. Out of the 893 English setters, 756 have 

 Gladstone or Count Noble blood ; in the great ma- 

 jority of cases both. There are 53 which are either 

 modern Laveracks or carry a controlling infusion 

 of that blood. There are 84 of prevailing Llewel- 



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