THE SETTER. 157 



into Somersetshire by an old friend, whose science in everything 

 connected with sporting is first-rate. Then, for the first time for 

 many years, I had my dogs, English setters, beaten hollow. His 

 breed was from pure Eussian setters, crossed by an English setter 

 dog which some years ago made a sensation in the sporting world 

 from his extraordinary performances; he belonged to the late 

 Joseph Manton, and had been sold for a hundred guineas. Al- 

 though I could not but remark the excellence of nxy friend's dogs, 

 yet it struck me, as I had shot Over my own old favourite setter 

 (who had himself beat many good ones, and had never before 

 been beaten) for eight years, that his nose could not have been 

 right, for the Eussians got three points to his one. I therefore 

 resolved to try some others against them the next season ; and 

 having heard a gentleman, well known as an excellent judge, 

 speak of a brace of extraordinary young dogs he had seen in the 

 neighbourhood of his Yorkshire moors, with his recommendation 

 I purchased them. I shot to them in August last, and their 

 beauty and style of performance were spoken of in terms of praise 

 by a correspondent to a sporting paper. In September I took 

 them into Somersetshire, fully anticipating that I should give the 

 Eussians the go-by : but I was again disappointed. I found, from 

 the wide ranging of my dogs, and the noise consequent upon their 

 going so fast through stubbles and turnips (particularly in the 

 middle of the day, when the sun was powerful and there was but 

 little scent), that they constantly put up their birds out of distance, 

 or, if they did get a point, that the game would rarely lie till we 

 could get to it. The Eussians, on the contrary, being much closer 

 rangers, quartering their ground steadily — heads and tails up — 

 and possessing perfection of nose, in extreme heat, wet, or cold, 

 enabled us to bag double the head of game i that mine did. Nor 

 did they lose one solitary wounded bird ; whereas, with my own 



