70 THE DOGS OF THE BEITISH ISLANDS. 



was Sir R. Garth's Daisy, a good average bitch. Though small, Countess was 

 possessed of extraordinary pace, not perhaps quite equal to that of the still more 

 celebrated pointer Drake, but approaching so closely to it that his superiority 

 would be disputed by many of her admirers. On referring to her portrait 

 accompanying this chapter, it will be seen that her frame, though on short legs, 

 is full of elegance, and her beautiful head and neck are absolutely perfect. 

 With her high pace she combined great power of endurance, and her chief fault 

 was that she never could be fully depended on; for, when fresh enough to 

 display her speed and style to the full, she would break away from her master 

 and defy his whistle until she had taken her fling over a thousand acres or so. 

 On a good scenting day it was a high treat to see her at work ; but, like most 

 other fast gallopers, she would sometimes flush her game on a bad scenting day, 

 and then she would be wild with shame. An instance of this occurred at the Bala 

 field trials of 1872, when, on her appearance in the stake for braces with her sister 

 Nellie, both of these bitches were utterly beyond the control of Mr. Buckell, who 

 worked them, Nellie even chasing a bird like a raw puppy. To get rid of this 

 wildness, they were worked hard in the day which intervened between their 

 appearance in the braces and Countess's trial in the Ehiwlas Stakes, when she came 

 out as stale as a poster, and was only placed third to Ranger and Belle. Still, 

 though manifestly beaten, she evidently was so from bad judgment alone on the 

 part of those who managed her ; and she only injured the character of the stock to 

 which she belongs so far as to show that, like most high-couraged setters, they 

 require a certain amount of work to keep them steady, which it appears she had not 

 had. Nellie (the sister) was of the same size, but not so fast nor so elegant ; still 

 she was good enough to beat the crack on one occasion at Vaynol in 1872, but on 

 most days she would have stood no chance against Countess. She served to show 

 that Countess was not wholly exceptional, as was sometimes alleged by the detractors 

 of the "Laverack"; and these two bitches, together with Sir R. Garth's Daisy, 

 may fairly be adduced as indicating that at all events these Laverack bitches were 

 quite first-class. No, dog, however, of the pure breed has yet put in an appearance 

 at any field trial with any pretension to high form, but several winners have 

 appeared half or quarter bred of that strain. For example, Mr. Statter's Bruce, 

 by Dash (Laverack) out of owner's Rhcebe, and his Rob Roy, by Fred II. (also 

 Laverack) out of the same bitch, may be adduced; but Dick and Dan, by Duke 

 (of the Corbet and Graham strain) out of Rhoebe, were far superior to these dogs, 

 and serve to show that, at all events as crosses for other breeds, the Laveracks 

 are not to be so highly recommended as Mr. Lort and other disciples of the 

 "Laverack" school would lead us to believe. The cross which has been most 

 successful is that with Mr. Lort's, Sir R. Garth's, and Mr. Paul Hackett's blood, 

 culminating in the third remove from the Laverack kennel in Mr. Macdona's 

 Ranger. This dog was fully as fast as Countess, with. a keener nose and far better 

 temperament, being, when in form, as steady and dependable as a steam locomotive. 

 Mr. Macdona's favoairite may be classed A 1 among the field trial winners in 

 a quintet including Drake, Countess, Dash II., and Belle; the Irish setter, 



