202 The Dog Book 



coated among her progeny, and am glad of it, as I don't believe in curly- 

 coated Gordons." 



Mr. Robinson having asked "Sixty-one" to say something about the 

 proportion of black and tan puppies he would expect even if bred from 

 black and white Gordons, he was answered as follows: "I never cal- 

 culate on my black and tan bitches producing black, white and tan puppies, 

 though always well pleased when they do so, and I hardly ever have any 

 puppies that are not somewhere marked with white, generally a white 

 frill. I mean no fancy word, but a white frill, showing what a well-dressed 

 gentleman of the olden school he is. Rapid has bred me in her time four 

 black, white and tan, all very handsome, good dogs. Old Lady bred me four 

 also, that were very handsome and good. Young Lady bred me three, 

 and among them was one of the best of the breed I ever owned. 



"Sixty-One" Compares Irish and Gordon 



"Allow me to suggest a point which I think would be worth investi- 

 gation. Taking for granted that it is proven that the original setter (taken 

 or sent to Gordon Castle, I believe, by the first Marquis of Anglesea) was 

 black, white and tan, that that said black and tan [sic] dog was also at 

 Holkham in the late Earl of Leicester's time, and in Derbyshire in his 

 brother's — I ask whence came this dog or breed ? It is worth inquiry." 

 Presumably that is the information he says in the previous letter he had 

 written to the Field years ago. "Sixty-one" then proceeds to say that in 

 make and shape the Irish and Gordons are identical, and that, but for the 

 tan, the latter were the exact counterpart of the black and white setters, 

 with just the least touch of tan, that were owned by the Marquis of Ormonde 

 and Captain Butler. He adds that in 1833 he compared two of these 

 Ormonde or Butler setters [Butler is the name of the Ormonde family] 

 with some Gordons belonging to Lord Panmure, the Admiral Wemyss and 

 others at Mill Den, and that all were astonished with the resemblance, 

 barring the lack of tan. 



This statement we give to show that at that period there could not have 

 been the difference between the Gordon and Irish setters, which was shown 

 at the period of the institution of dog shows. We do not see how it is pos- 

 sible to accept his opinion as to this claim as applying to the setters of 1870: 

 "The Gordon setter is in shape, make and action, in all but colour, the 



