OcrroBKB 7, 1880.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



191 



THE ENGLISH SETTER. 



Fbom Vebo Shaw's iLLUgTEAi'isD Book uk the Doa. 



[KopjintBiJ from advanue aheetu foiwai'dedto tliB FoiiEai A^D 

 Stbeam exchieively, by the author, tluough the covirtesy of MesBrw, 

 Caasell, Petfet, Oalpin & Co., PublislierB.] 



■rTTTIATE-\T!:R tlu- orit^nn of the setler u.uv have- lii^ru. 

 yV tlicrrj .--,111 he no iH.ssihilitvc.f II, .knil.ri-m( tlial iu- 

 Iiolas a poRitiari secoiifl 1,0 iitnif' in ilir raiiiiv wui-d in the 

 prceent dny. The bcauly of t:lie due's coai aud tliu brilliuu.^v 

 of liia colors, coupled witli liia usuund ititollismiceiu the field, 

 CSmioi. fail to juake the setter a favorite \rith nil who reKlJv 

 fldnure aud Ioyo a good dog. 



Another iuiportalat feature in coiuioctiou with the setter's 

 popularity, and whicli has lioan tio small support to it, is tbi-. 

 jiuouin of national jcaloiiar and prnindiec whiuh has been 

 from nine totinh- importPd Into disriiK.sions on the breed, as, 

 Dftturplly ciioiiE-h, encL v;iri<Mvin e:%i,^tcii(:L' linds keen SUp- 

 poiters miiojis; Us IVllnn ,'oin,i.yn,fn. To exiilahi our 

 niuHt at OLiee :dlLule lo the fuel that in tlie preac-.ul 

 lie divided into Uu'ec distinct varieties— viz. , tho 



The above e.vl.ract, tboue:h not tlirowLoK mueh lieht upon 

 tlie appearance of i bo brerd in Uie reit;)-i of (,)aiMjn Elizabeth. 

 nevcrtheleH^ i^ a uroLif of its exi^tenre ; biil the following re- 

 marks talieu from Gervase Mtukliaui'a ' Ilnnger'H T'l-eveiitioii, 

 orthe ArtotFouiiug," wliidi ->vli,s |.ubli«h,,d in Loudon iu 1655, 

 gives a considerable anionnt i,.; iulcinuariMn iipou the dog'.s 

 chanicter aud the men lo which it was Ihtu placed. L'udci' 

 the heading of "What a Setiina Dog is " Gervase ilarldiaiu 

 writes .- 



" Tiefore I wade fm'ther iuto this dii«;<nutie I show you 

 what ;i Felting dot,riic is. Y,iu shall Uieu nnderstiuul that a set- 



Uii" psii-trin^'fs befdi-e" jind n.^irc then imy oiher chase 



day : 



Eii-lifli =cttcr, tlie Irish .setter and the Gordon setter. This 



latiei- iiiciMlJM rocogin'zcd as the Scottish national soiier, its 



oriiiin lieins traced to Gordon Caatle, A-bordeenshire, and will, 



wjth Ufi Irish relative, be fully aUuded to later on in tbia 



work. There was an old Welsh breed, too, of blflclc-and- 



wloic setters whicli is almost extinct, tliough frequentlv pa- 



•In'ticiilly alluded to by veteran sportsman hailing from the 



Pnncij.ality in que.9tion. ""- 



In various localities throughout the country families or 



rsiina of flctters from special lines ''adopted iu breeding— 



lUbtl'jss With the object of produciag the dog best suited to 



" " '"Ciftliiics and pe- 





: the tic 

 ■ no lii 



id tli:it widi all I 



hi 



IFlilv 



i,d Hf" 

 id iuiMlv 

 et s.M|,. 



IS if Ih 



difii'd . 



1 the !_TC 



tempered vitU uit ajid (ilicdicuce, thai wheji I 

 est and eagei'est pursute, luul seenics lo be iiii'St 

 frantike, that yet even then, one hem or siiund r,t iiis nucs- 

 ler's voycc makes liini presently stand, irazc niji.m idm, 

 and looke iji his master's face, taldn;;- iill liiH .lircciions 

 from it whether' tu proeeede, stand still. n[ retire, Nuy, 

 when lie is i-ouie even to the veiy place \s hcr(_' bin prey is and 

 dialli as it were his uosc over it, so that it Heeine.s hee may 

 take it up at bis tiwne pleasure, yet is his temperance and 

 ohcdienee sornafle niid ttwned ly'arte tliat presently even on 

 a sudden he either sland>i still m "tulles <lii\viic tlatli^ upon his 

 belly, wiUioul daring once lo .11 11 li ri,,,iitii, or make any 

 noyse or motion at all, till thii, ■ i, ■ rne unto him and 



then proeeedos in all things uir,-,iiii. is directions and 



couimandineni «. " 



Tliis quiii alien niiyht almost have be«u taken fti>m a mod- 

 em work Oil ^eiter^, as it refers to « class of dog whose duties 

 iu Che iieid appear to liave little altered during the progress of 

 time. There still seems to have heen a eonsidei-able looseness 

 iu the classification of this breed of dog, aud the barrier be- 



Sportsman," in wliichagood deal is s-oid about I lie sclting 

 dot;, and Hponiug in scnei-al. Tlie " C'nmpleat .Sporlsnmn," 

 which was pubUahedln the &nrw, L-mdon, v,-aH dedicated t,o 

 8ir Ubarlcs Keynii.H. uf Kcveii-iMHliley, iu tlie Cuuuty of Gla- 

 morgan, Bar!., and mav be lakiiii as luivinir been a vtiluiible 

 handboi-ik relating I.) tlie la w.s on spun mid dog.s at tiic time 



wlien it 

 blu.?biugly fr.ini 

 ciedit fiir vvbut I 

 that the deseviiii 

 above is reprcidn 

 therefore, only r 

 events, any mat 



icl.t^ln: 



. Gilei 



Juecili.;, however, copies im- 

 ithout giving the latter any 

 lakcii firiiii Ills works, and the result is 

 I he ,-;elling dog which we have quoted 

 I I he ■'Compleat Spoilsman." It is, 

 iiihe 111 infer that no change, or, at all 

 iiiiiige, had come over the ilog during 

 the interval which had expired since Nicholas Cox wtok;. or 

 ii w'cadd probabh' have been alluded to by Giles Jacob.i m his 

 ■k. 



mentiiiued iu pisiice to the individual to 

 line, tliiit lichert DiuDey, Did<e of North- 

 ined I" li:ive i;c'-n the llr-it person to train 

 iinnnei- w In. li liii.4 flincc bis time been imi- 

 his .iiiiieHn. i:-s. His Grace lived nliout 

 T earlier llian the date at which Di'. Caius 

 ca.siiiil lefcrcDCC-S lo him by subsequent 

 wrilert). nothing is i.iiisitively known of the system upon which 

 lie a(a.(!d, though from the renuirks nuide it is probable that 

 his ideas, were closely carried out by the setter breakers who 

 came aftei' him. 



The " S|Hjrtsman'« Cabinet," inlHOS, devotes ii good deal 

 of its .spaw to the subject of setters, whicJ) had evidently 

 by that time taken theh'rank nn a dlMinct lueetl nf sporling 



It 



wiling dogs in llu- 

 \erR!dU adopted In 

 Iheyear kWO. nilb. 

 wrote, 1ml, beyo 



, Ih. 



not in 

 iniition 

 a com- 



cuiianiics of the country 

 over wliich tln-y wtrp to 

 he worlced — as,snnicd ]ie- 

 pnliaritics distingni.shing 

 them from each other 

 and became known by 

 Bpocial names, snch as 

 the kennels which be- 

 came known for breeding 

 pood ones. The Karl nf 

 Osrlislelia.^a, blniin, a|ie- 

 cimens of -svbich have 

 occasionally l:i..en shown.,, 

 and whinli display strong- 

 ly-marked Simniel char- 

 acteriBiicg, and from the 

 ■tendency to curl in the 

 eoat, the top-kn.it miiro 

 or Icp.s d.'vel.-,,-,rd, and 

 their !ieiieivil shape, m-j. 

 ge?t them hnviiig Viecn 



dog. Whether, lio\v 



his'a.ssertiou that -'Tliedng |i;i 



[setter] is a .-ipc.-icii i.f iiuiui'i -i ■_!,,' 



mixture between the Spanish iHJiuLt^ae^l 



English siiMuiel," will always be a matter e 



tween perwnis interested in the breed, a-sman 1 



who den. .Ii 



of the ]-ii,.iii,!.:-r cr!-.s,5. 

 This subject may, how- 

 ever, be abandoned foi 

 the present, as i:.iir desire 

 ianow to !rai:e the exist- 

 ence of the I- nglish set- 

 ter from it.-i liv.st ap.pear- 



grafie.] 



Spani 

 of Bi 



west, of 



Waier 

 III the Maniuia 

 .Is m the 

 Ihe 



to 



dern 



-1 pi-0lial)lv 

 still is, a strain ot hlaclv 

 setters, and innneroiiH 

 tcpimels of extent bad 

 strainrs specially their 

 own and some distin- 

 sniisbing feature. The 

 Behmis, famous in the 

 northern counties, are a 

 superb race, and form 

 the great base of the now 

 .famous Lavenick Setter, 

 Iiich acain is fomid- 

 ed tlie iii.njority of the 

 g-reiit kenn'elfi, sn favor- 

 ably laiown thrtmghout 

 the country, and which 

 jws an bniTHjnse popular- 

 ity with American 

 .sportsmen. 



Whether any of the 

 modern and present-day 

 hreedcvs liavereHorted to 

 aspaniel crosK direct we 

 are not in a position to 

 Btate, but that snch 

 might be done with ad- 

 vantage in some instances we do not doubt. 



In !ipite, however, of the mmierotis families 'mia which the 

 setter is now divided, there can he no doubt that the oTigin 

 of each was Ihe srianiel, and it is a curious snbjeci for con- 

 templation that Spain (as vili be seen iu rhe cliai 



periods, and at the same 

 time draw what deduc- 

 tions wc can from con- 

 temporary -vsrilers con- 

 cerning its appearance 

 aud value a.s a sporting 

 drii:. Mr. ^V. Taplin, m 

 the ■' Sportsman's Cabi- 

 net," jirocccds lo remark 

 subsequently to the pre- 

 ceding quotation, that, 

 "The K]ioning deport- 

 ment C'f a :'.>. li.T ill the 

 field pieciselv cr.Tivs- 

 jionds ivitli the ].rirsu;ts 

 and propensities of the 

 pointer, hut with this 

 single variation, that ad- 

 mitting their olfactory 

 sen.sations to be equally 

 e.xquislte, and that one 

 can disco^'er and as ex- 



as reaiUly and at equal 

 distance with the other, 

 the dilTemicc of the 



spoils ill which tliev are 

 individuallv empfovfd 

 ivndiTs it ncccB.sary that 

 one .should elfcct upon 

 ids legs what the other 

 does by prostration upon 

 the ground, iu the very 

 positicHi from wliicb the 



pi-e:- 



.:>f I lie 



nei 



shoiil.) 



'lie to claim any . 



of the; 



idis; 



..'ith the 

 i .oiuters 

 The 

 iiut it is 

 1 to this 



, closely identified with it as they are at the time of 



.... .iohn CVtina alludes to the »ette- in his work on " Eng- 

 lislie Ta.gne.s." imder Ihe title of Index, and his cla^fication 

 Df it with the .s):ianiel is conviueible proof Of its identity with 

 that animal at llic period in which Dr. Cains wrote as follows: 



" Another sort of Dogges be ihere, seruiceable for fowling, 

 jwdcing no noise eitlier vdth foote or with tounge, whiles they 

 followe the game. These attend dlli.gently vpon theyr 3Ias- 

 4er, and frame their conditions to such beclces, moli'on.s and 

 gestures, -IS it shall please hiui to eyhibiie and make, either 

 coing forward, drawing t.a.-'lrward. indiniug to the right 

 br.11.1 or yealding toward the left. ('In makine nieiicion"of 



- my meaning is of the Partridge ,wd the Qn.iile ■ when 

 !i founde tbebyrdo, he keepeth sure and fa.",!, Htlence, 

 vetJi bis steppes and wil proceede no turfher and with 



couort, watching eye, layeth his belly to the gi-ounde 

 . creepeth forward like a worms. 'Wien he appro.acbeth 

 1 the place where tho hyrde is, he. layes him rlowne. and 



- mnrckn of his pawes, betraveth the place of the byrdes 

 r-,i- h' i.-ler.'by it' is supposed' that this kinde of dogge is 

 e; ,'",,,'■ ,i, Selley, Iiemg m decdc a name vno?r consonant 



etiLile 10 his rpifdiiy. The place being knowne by 

 meanes of the dogge, the fowler immediately openeth and 

 edetli hisDct, intending to take them, which being done 

 dogge at "the accustomed becke or vsutdl .signe of his 

 iter ryseth vp by and by, and drawetb ueerer to the fowle 

 by his presence they might be the authors of their owne 

 ring, and be ready intaagled in the prepared net." 



DoGs ixD c^ni rofiEs (,AjltT Detpoiten) 



tween the setter and tiie spaniel appears to iiave been uure- 

 moved at a much later time, and the name setter applied only 



to dogs broken to set gfmie, and not to those distinguishable 

 by ai!\ strue'ura.l diif •.iu.-e in shape or build. 'Tn 11197 

 Xichoh,,-M'..v .,v,ii,.. ..fiLe ^etter in "The Gennemnn's Rp- 

 creafi.;iii-' iu tie- L.tlou iim words; 



" The d. ig wjjich y._.ii eleii, f. ir sei ting must have a jTcidect and 

 good seem, .lud bi- natuiidiy addictecrio liie limiting of feath- 

 ers; aud tills doc in,.iv lie ci II ler land 8(i<rniel, water spaniel, 

 ot iiiuuLTcl of tlipin ;„:.ih,- cither the sh<,ll.jw--t!,-:iwed liom.d, 

 luinbler, liirchet, or siuall bastard niastiti But there is none 

 better than tlie knid s|ianicl. beine' ..! a ._.-onr| and nimble size, 



rather small Ihau gross, aud of -:■:,,_-,.,,;,,= nieial : which 



tho' you cannot di.sceru, l>ei I! - •'• u luav very well 



know from a right breed, ',> . . i i n fajowu'lo be 



Strong, lusty .and nimble ranger , . i : ;i;,. ieet, wanton tails, 

 and imsie nostrils, whose tail was v^^thout weariness, their 

 scai-ch without changeablenesse, and whom no delight did 

 transjwrt beyond fear or obedience." 



With reference to tlie behavior of this dog in the field, 

 Nicholas Cox remarks as follows in his notes on training the 

 setting dog : 



■' You must teach inm to come creeping to you with his 

 Iiclly aud head close upon the ground, as far or as littlo away 

 as yon think ilt. » * « And i his observe in his creeping 

 to yon, if he offer to r.'iiee his body or head von must not only 

 thmst the rising part down, but threaten him with your angry 

 voice, which if he seem to slight, then add a sharp jerk or 

 two with ti wliipcVvrd lash. . *, * ■> If you walk abroad 

 with him, and he take a fancy to range, even when be is most 

 busie speak to hira, and in the hciglit of his iiastime irifd.:e 

 him fall upon his helly and lie close, and utter that mai.:,: 

 him come, creeping to j'ou." 



Thus TSTicholaa Cox succeeds in clearly proving that late in 

 the seventeenth century the spaniel, or even a mongrel par- 

 taking of any breed, was naed as a. setting dog by British 

 sportsmen. Things do doI appear to have nndei-gone any 

 groat alteration in the beginning of the nest contmT, for in 

 1718 one Giles Jacobs produced a book called the " Oompleut 



ngdog' is derived. 

 And these arc neither 

 more nor less than the 

 pure cfflect of sporting 



edu. 



sbo. 



for 

 ; wilti the pointer 

 t llie use of a sot- 



the muie is constantly expected to rise, s 

 ing dog and net the game Is required to 1 



"Although lie- :o.. lii I J .;.._- i-" in n-,ji-i„al u.sed merely for 

 the purpose oi , ,; i ,._ , , i , . , . - ,|, ,1,,. ,lraw-net, vel'tbev 



are .sometime^ i'. ".l; , :,;,:.! u-,ei\ilh (he gun. buiI 



ai-e e((ually appiie.ih.e l,.- il.al a|jj,r.,i,riiilioii, except itrtiu'nips, 

 French wheat, standing clover, ling, furze, or other covert, 

 where their sudden drop and point mav not he so readilv ob- 

 served." 



Personally we attach very great lmp...itauce lo the above 

 extract, for two rea.sons: First, it is fliftinctlv strecd that up 

 to llirti time Pointers were the faslii.inairie, r.ir rather the 

 favorite, breed with .sportsmen who amusi-d themselves by 

 sbo.jtin;:' three-quarters of a cenirirv back: and, sccondlv. It 

 L^ive.-n- a good reason for the cfiaiiLic wbicli has come over 

 the setter's behavior in the ticld of later }ears. It is. of 

 course, iicrfcctly well known that the modem" setter usually 

 points his game standing up, ,hs a pointer does, and the abnu- 

 donmeiit of netting is uuquesliunably responsible for this 

 alteratioLi iu the method of a Serter carrying out his work- 

 Before, when the sportsman was an,\ious lo net as nianv tiirds 

 ,'iE possible, it was most essentia] that th.-,- ^hoelH he ic n-nij.s- 

 turbed a.s possible, and the presence o.i' ', '^ -,,,-- 



increase the chances of their beine i 



the net was fi.xed for tiu-ir capture. .^ 



being seen by the game was natm-ally ., ;.;,- 



down, and this, no doubt, was therea.sou iorluni i., mi oroide 

 to do so. Now things ,ire much altered, and the iportsm.an 

 only wants the whereabouts of the game to he indicated, so 

 that he may walk tlieni up. There is, however, a perfectly 

 piilpable icndeii'-y lo croncl, 9j\\[ obsei-vahle in many of the 

 best aud highest bred setters lu" liic preaent dav, which is nn- 

 que.stionably accotintcd for by the fta-mer habits of the breed, 

 and the iiaea to which it was put. 



From the following remarks of Mr. Taplin it will lie seen 

 that in the early years of the present centuiv the Better was 

 creditwi (as he is by many iu the present day) with being 

 naturally of timid and nervous temperament, for he writes ; 



" It has already been observed that the setter is in possoa- 



