452 The Management and Diseases of the Dog. 
Laverack or English Setter; the width between the eyes should 
perhaps not be too great, speaking with caution; the nose 
moderately long and broad across the top, giving room for the 
nerves of scent (in fact the opposite of snipyness), the nostril 
well distended, making this the widest part of the nose; the 
shape of the under jaw is perhaps a matter of fancy: old Kent 
had a very heavy muzzle and under jaw, with remarkably bright 
and penetrating eyes; in these his likeness has been transmitted 
to many of his descendants in a remarkable degree. Many 
Gordons show slight haw and dewlap, a proper development of 
these is probably the true type; the ears vary considerably, some 
being long, silky, and hanging close to the face, others much 
shorter ; these are also matters of fancy, and therefore of minor 
importance. . The body of the Gordon is also heavier than that of 
the English Setter, but may be judged on the same lines ; the tail 
is often long, giving bad carriage: this does not interfere with good 
work. The great beauty of this dog is his lovely colour, and as 
this in perfection is in no way antagonistic to his working qualities, 
great prominence should be given to it in judging. Formerly, 
without doubt, the prevailing colours were black, white, and tan; 
of late there has been but little white seen on the bench: this too 
is a matter of fancy. The black should be a jet, not brown or 
rusty ; the tan should be a rich dark mahogany, and should be 
exhibited on inside of thighs, showing down front of stifle to the 
ground, the front legs to the knees; the muzzle also should be 
tan, the spots over the eyes well defined, not blurred, and on the 
points of the shoulders also; blurring and diffusion over the belly 
and other parts of the dog probably indicate contamination with 
other blood. It is of the highest importance, if we are to get back 
the real hunting qualities of this breed and the show qualities also, 
that purity of blood should be the chief aim in breeding ; a first 
cross may sometimes affear to answer, but succeeding genera- 
tions will certainly show the cross and will deteriorate in all 
the qualities we prize. 
A splendid inteiligence, fine scenting powers, and great endur- 
ance are the main characteristics of the Gordon; if purity of blood 
is maintained, we may not only recover the qualities which some 
fear we have partly lost, but also develop their natural powers to 
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