134 DOGS AND ALL ABOUT THEM 



Field Trial Challenge Cup, for competition amongst its 

 members, besides having liberally supported all the leading 

 shows ; hence it has rightly come to be regarded as the 

 only authority from which an acceptable and official dictum 

 for the guidance of others can emanate. 



The following is the standard of points issued by the 

 English Setter Club : 



Head The head should be long and lean, with well-defined stop. 

 The skull oval from ear to ear, showing plenty of brain room, and with 

 a well-defined occipital protuberance. The muzzle moderately deep 

 and fairly square ; from the stop to the point of the nose should be long, 

 the nostrils wide, and the jaws of nearly equal length ; flews not too 

 pendulous. The colour of the nose should be black, or dark, or light 

 liver, according to the colour of the coat. The eyes should be bright, 

 mild, and intelligent, and of a dark hazel colour, the darker the better. 

 The ears of moderate length, set on low and hanging in neat folds close 

 to the cheek ; the tip should be velvety, the upper part clothed with fine 

 silky hair. Neck The neck should be rather long, muscular, and lean, 

 slightly arched at the crest, and clean cut where it joins the head ; 

 towards the shoulder it should be larger, and very muscular, not throaty 

 with any pendulosity below the throat, but elegant and bloodlike in 

 appearance. Body The body should be of moderate length, with 

 shoulders well set back or oblique ; back short and level ; loins wide, 

 slightly arched, strong and muscular. Chest deep in the brisket, with 

 good round widely-sprung ribs, deep in the back ribs that is, well 

 ribbed up. Legs and Feet The stifles should be well bent and ragged, 

 thighs long from hip to hock. The forearm big and very muscular, 

 the elbow well let down. Pasterns short, muscular, and straight. 

 The feet very close and compact, and well protected by hair between 

 the toes. Tall The tail should be set on almost in a line with the back ; 

 medium length, not curly or ropy, to be slightly curved or scimitar- 

 shaped, but with no tendency to turn upwards ; the flag or feather 

 hanging in long, pendant flakes ; the feather should not commence 

 at the root, but slightly below, and increase in length to the middle, 

 then gradually taper off towards the end ; and the hair long, bright, 

 soft and silky, wavy but not curly. Coat and Feathering The coat 

 from the back of the head in a line with the ears ought to be slightly 

 wavy, long, and silky, which should be the case with the coat generally ; 

 the breeches and fore-legs, nearly down to the feet, should be well 

 feathered. Colour and Markings The colour may be either black and 

 white, lemon and white, liver and white, or tricolour that is, black, 

 white, and tan ; those without heavy patches of colour on the body, 

 but flecked all over preferred. 



II. THE IRISH SETTER. Though this variety has not 

 attained such popularity as its English cousin, it is not because 

 it is regarded as being less pleasing to the eye, for in general 



