The Irish Setter 189 



lived. To such an extent does the progeny of Elcho in the first and second 

 generation usurp the honours of the bench that we found it advisable in 

 preparing a list of his winning produce, to confine ourselves to prize-winners 

 only and leave out the names of the legion of commended entries. The 

 stoutness of the blood of Elcho is further evidenced by the freedom which 

 can be exercised in in-breeding between the closest possible relations, and 

 though he is nine years of age, his last crop of youngsters seem, if anything, 

 to be superior to their forerunners. To Elcho we owe the opinion, so freely 

 expressed by foreign visitors to our bench shows, that in Irish setters we 

 can beat the world. Mr. Graham of Belfast, Ireland, informed us that he 

 considered Lady Clare the best Irish setter he had ever seen, and that Glen- 

 cho and Chief could hold their own with the best dogs in England. The 

 great feature of the Elchos is quality, the perfection of fashion 'and sym- 

 metry, without the slightest coarseness." 



The early history of Elcho in Ireland is well told in the following 

 letter from his breeder to Mr. Cooper, who was commissioned by Mr. 

 Turner of St. Louis to purchase, without regard to price, the best Irish 

 setter he could find. Elcho had taken second at Dublin when Mr. Cooper 

 decided that he was the dog for Mr. Turner , 



"November 6, 1875. 

 "Dear Sir: — I give you particulars of my red Irish setter Elcho. He 

 is by Charlie -out of Nell, both of which were purchased specially for their 

 good pedigree and sent to Russia for breeding purposes. They are now 

 the property of Mr. Oppenheimer of St. Petersburg. . . . The dog 

 and bitch both came directly from the strain of both the Marquis of Water- 

 ford and the Marquis of Ormonde's breed, and were originally owned by 

 Captain Irwin. You can get no better blood in Ireland. I trained Elcho 

 myself and he is the best first-season dog I ever had. He will drop to raising 

 the hand, and at the word 'to-ho' will be steady, and to shot. ... In 

 case you should send him to America it will probably interest whoever gets 

 him over there to learn that he is called after the Elcho challenge shield 

 which came to Ireland by the last shot which was fired by me at Wimbledon 

 this year. . . . Robert S. Greenhill." 



When the St. Louis Kennel Club was formed Mr. Turner joined it 

 and the club took over his dogs. But this arrangement did not last long, 

 and in 1877 Dr. Jarvis had the good fortune to secure Elcho. How Rose and 

 Noreen were purchased has already been told by Dr. Jarvis. In America 

 Elcho won one first in the open imported class at Chicago in 1876, and six 



