248 



THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG. 



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 necked 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 re- 

 garded as being less pleasing to the eye, 

 for in general appearance of style and 

 outline there is very little difference ; in 



MRS. F. C. HIGNETT'S 



CH. BRYAN O'LYNN. 



Photograph by F. C. Hignett ami Son, Loslock. 



fact, none, if the chiselling of the head 

 and colour of the coat be excepted. 

 The beautiful rich golden, chestnut colour 

 which predominates in all well-bred speci- 

 mens is in itself sufficient to account 

 for the great favour in which they are 

 regarded by exhibitors generally, while 

 their disposition is sufficiently engaging 

 to attract the attention of those who desire 

 to have a moderate-sized dog as a com- 

 panion, rather than either a very large 

 or very small one. Probably this accounts 

 for so many lady exhibitors in England 

 preferring them to the other varieties of 

 Setters. We have to go over to its native 

 country, however, to find the breed most 

 highly esteemed as a sporting dog for actual 

 work, and there it is naturally first favourite ; 

 in fact, very few of either of the other 



varieties are to be met with from one end 

 of the Green Isle to the other. It has 

 been suggested that all Irish Setters are 

 too headstrong to make really high-class 

 field trial dogs. Some of them, on the 

 contrary, are quite as great in speed and 

 not only as clever at their business, but 

 quite as keen-nosed as other Setters. Take, 

 for instance, some which have competed 

 within the past few years at the Irish Red 

 Setter Club's trials, which have had as rivals 

 some of the best Pointers 

 from England and Scotland, 

 and have successfully held 

 their own, the last occasion 

 being when these trials took 

 place at the commencement 

 of August in 1906 on the 

 mountains near Stranorlar, 

 County Donegal, when Mr. 

 Mclvor's Strabane Pam ran 

 second in the all-aged stake 

 for both Pointers and Set- 

 ters of all varieties. The 

 work of Mr. E. Ussher 

 Robert's Dame Fan, Mr. 

 J. S. Weir's brace Grays- 

 town Lark and his sire, 

 Roam, Mr. W. Wilson's 

 Strabane Young Pam, and 

 Eary Nellie, and Colonel 

 Milner's Antrim Molly, was 

 also of great merit, considering the few 

 opportunities afforded them in the length 

 of the season of gaining the experience of 

 trial work. But, as an instance of the 

 uncertainty which prevails in all such un- 

 dertakings, it must be mentioned that Mr. 

 S. Humphrey's Wilful Irish Lassie, who 

 was unplaced in the puppy stake, defeated 

 all those named, when the all-aged stake 

 confined to this variety was reached. 



Some of the most notable owners and 

 judges of show Setters of long standing in 

 Ireland are : Colonel Milner, Messrs. T. A. 

 Bond, A. McEnnery, J. Mclvor, J. H. H. 

 Swiney, and P. Flahive ; but very few 

 better specimens have been exhibited of 

 recent years than the late Mrs. R. Hamil- 

 ton's Ch. Florizel, Mr. Flahive's Ch. Kerry 

 Palmerston, Mr. R. Perrin's Peaceful Times, 



