THE IRISH SETTEE. 83 



(of the Knight of Kerry's strain), including Kimo, Kite, and Kitty ; while another 

 litter, out of BuclmeH's Min, contained Marvel, May, and Knowing, less successful 

 than the former, both on the bench and in the field. With the solitary exception 

 of Plunket and his daughter Music, who was at Vaynol in 1872, however, no Irish 

 setter has shown anything like high form in the field trials, Mr. Purcell Llewellyn's 

 Samson, who is above the average, being crossed with the Laverack Prince through 

 his dam, Carrie, though both are entered in the Stud Book as Irish setters. 



After a great deal of discussion, a separate class has been made in Dublin 

 and elsewhere for " reds " and " white and reds," it being shown that there are two 

 distinct strains of the Irish setter, of these colours respectively. The white and 

 reds stand no chance in the open classes, and yet it was considered hard to debar 

 them from all prizes, especially as by some good judges they are thought to 

 possess better noses than the reds. According to my judgment the rich red, 

 or blood-red colour as it is described, is made a little too much of, and I should 

 strongly object to the passing over of excellence in shape because the colour is 

 too pale ; a marked instance of which happened at the Brighton show of 1876. 

 Here one of the grandest bitches I ever saw in shape, size, and quality, who 

 had won several prizes in Ireland, and moreover of excellent blood, succumbed 

 to a very moderate animal, simply because her coat was too pale in colour, though 

 very little, if any, paler than that of the above-mentioned excellent dog Plunket. 

 If this class had been judged by points, the bitch in question would have distanced 

 her competitors, because she would have been credited with a full allowance for 

 all other qualities, and could only have had ten points altogether knocked off 

 for the negative value of colour. 



The old breeds of this dog most celebrated are the O'Connor (generally 

 known as La Touche), Lord Dillon's, Lord Clancarty's, Lord Lismore's, Lord de 

 Fresno's (usually called the French Park), the Mount Hedges, Lord Eossmore's, 

 and the Marquis of Waterford's. In modern days Dr. Stone, Major Hutchinson, 

 Capt. Cooper, Capt. French, Mr. H. B. Knox, Hon. D. Plunket, Capt. W. Allaway, 

 Mr. Hilliard, Mr. Lipscombe, Mr. C. Brien, and Miss Warburton have been most 

 successful on the show bench, but, with the exception of Plunket, none of them 

 have proved the excellence of their strains at any field trials. 



In points the Irish setter only differs from the English in the following : 



1. The skull is somewhat longer and narrower, the eyebrows being well raised, 

 and the occipital prominence as marked as in the pointer. 



2. The nose is a trifle longer, with good width, and square at the end; nostrils 

 wide and open, with the nose itself of a deep mahogany or very dark fleshy-colour, 

 not pink nor black. 



3. Eyes, ears, and lips. The eyes should be a rich brown or mahogany colour, 

 well set, and full of intelligence ; a pale or gooseberry eye is to be avoided. Ears 

 long enough to reach within half an inch or an inch of the end of the nose, and, 

 though more tapering than in the English dog, never coming to a point ; 

 they should be set low and close, but well back, and not approaching to the 

 hound's in setting and leather. Whiskers red ; lips deep, but not pendulous. 



