English Setter Questions 51 



At best, all setter pedigrees except those of the 

 Laveracks had not much authenticity up to forty 

 years ago, and Mr. Laverack was not beyond 

 suspicion. There was no doubt of their being 

 English setters if they came from the kennels of 

 well-known breeders among the country gentle- 

 men. The breeding was kept within setter lines in 

 most cases by such men and often conducted with 

 care and skill, but not much attempt was made to 

 preserve the facts of individual breeding. The 

 breeding was good, but the proof is missing. 

 Consequently, there is not, after all, a great deal 

 more to boast about in the Duke-Rhoebe-Laver- 

 ack combination, when it comes to stickling for 

 purity, than in the union of Mason's Jeff and 

 Old Fannie blood which produced the Campbell 

 setters and through Daisy F. enters into the 

 blood elements of so many of the very best field 

 setters in America. 



Here again the reader will recognize the value 

 of a fashion. Though there is no special virtue 

 in a straight-bred Llewellin as dogs actually 

 stand, either on the records or in the possession 

 of setter quality, none the less there is a well- 

 defined fancy for this kind of breeding. If ama- 

 teurs are looking for advice on the subject, I 

 suggest that they weigh the value of a cult as 

 compared with practical judgment of the worth 

 of dogs and decide for themselves whether they 



