136 The Dog Book 



field sports and with a view of possibly approaching field trials form, than 

 any person not conversant with the facts could imagine possible. It has 

 become so much a matter of custom to accept the dictum that we owe every- 

 thing to the original importations from Mr. Llewellyn's kennels and other 

 dogs of similar breeding, that it is generally believed that Gladstone is the 

 main reliance in pedigrees and that all modern field trials performers are 

 of his family. 



We cannot make any change in the arranging of families in dogs from 

 what is the custom in grouping other animals, and therefore take the male 

 line as authoritative. We are indebted to Major J. M. Taylor for a vast 

 amount of unrequited labour in getting up his book of " Bench Show and 

 Field Trials Records," which covers the ground up to the close of 1891, 

 valuable statistical information being included with the plain records. 

 Here we find, from a thorough supporter of the Gladstone family, a table of 

 the successful get of that dog, also what Count Noble accomplished and 

 every other sire of a field trials winner or placed dog. Gladstone, Count 

 Noble and Roderigo are however taken out of the alphabetical sequence as 

 being dogs of prominence as sires. Gladstone up to the close of 1891 — he 

 was born in 1876 and died in 1890 — had sired twenty-five dogs, which had 

 obtained a place in the trials. Count Noble, imported 1880, died 1891, is 

 credited with twenty-eight sons and daughters, and we may say that the 

 tables show the two families as tied for honours, as each had fourteen firsts 

 and nineteen thirds to its credit, the only difference being that Gladstone led 

 by two points on second place and Count Noble by three as to fourth place. 

 That, however, is the only point where there is an equality. 



If we had had to rely upon the male descendants in that Gladstone 

 record for the carrying on of the family honours it would have been a broken 

 reed, for with the exception of Paul Gladstone not one became famous, and 

 he to a limited extent only. On the other hand. Count Noble sired such 

 remarkable performers and sires as Gath, Roderigo, Cincinnatus, and 

 Count Gladstone IV. It is quite true that Gladstone bitches had much to 

 do with the success of Count Noble, and that it was probably the latter's 

 good fortune in that respect that led to his very great success. Had the 

 tables been turned and Gladstone followed Count Noble, the result might 

 have been satisfactory to the admirers of the latter family, but we cannot 

 deal with probabilities and must take the records as we find them. 



Gath, who died young, left a few very good dogs to carry on his line. 



