THE DOG. 
503 
not readily procured and ordinarily possessed by the farmer, or to relate of 
other thau the leading varieties. We begin therefore^with 
THE ENGLISH SETTER. 
Authors disagree on the subject of the origin of the setter dog, but it is now 
very generally conceded he is either descended from the spaniel, or that both 
sprung from the same stock. Before the invention of gunpowder, at least 
prior to its use in fowling and shooting on the wing, the spaniel was taught to 
stop or set with his nose pointing in the direction of the bird, his acute 
sense of smell indicating the presence of the partridge. His attitude was one 
lying flat on his belly that he might not impede the drawing or throwing of a 
net over the covey or flock before him by the fowler. This act of setting has 
given the name to the dog supposed to be the improved spaniel. Since the im- 
provement of firearms, and since shooting on the wing is followed by sportsmen, 
setters almost universally stand erect in their points at game which admits of 
their close proximity as it lies endeavoring to avoid danger. The most famous 
strain of English setters is the Lavarack, which takes its name from its 
celebrated breeder, Mr.. E. Lavarack, of Shropshire, England. The pedigree of 
this family of setter's dates back to 1825, when Mr. Lavarack purchased old 
Ponto and Moll from the llev. A. Harrison, of Carlisle, England, who had 
kept the strain pure for twenty-five years. From the fact that all Mr. 
Lavarack’s dog§ descended from Ponto and Moll, it would strike the reader 
that unless fresh blood was sought, his animals would be so inbred as to 
be worthless. But such is not the case. Mr. Lavarack declares all his dogs 
came directly from Ponto and Moll without an outside cross, and so famous 
have they become that even at the present day they are eagerly sought for, 
and fabulous prices are paid for them by breeders who are anxious to improve 
their own stock. Their sense of smell is wonderful, their speed in the field 
tremendous, and their natural desire for the chase so remarkable, that an 
introduction of this blood in other families is at once noticeable in the offspring. 
The Lavarack setter in color may be black, white and tan ; white mottled or 
flecked with black so as to produce a blue-gray appearance (from whence the 
term blue belton), orange and white, lemon and white, or orauge or lemon 
ticked, termed orange or lemon belton. Mr. Lavarack’s system of breeding has 
decreased the size of his dogs, and when purely bred are most difficult to raise. 
In the north of England there are very many strains of setters claiming to be 
fully as fine as the Lavarack ; this we doubt, but that of Mr. Purcell Llewellyn 
we must mention in particular as being quite as noted, if not superior in some 
respects to the Shropshire straiu. Mr. Llewellyn having conceived the idea 
that Mr. Lavarack was breeding in and in to an excessive degree, crossed his 
noted Dan with a pure Lavarack bitch, and a sister to Dan with a pure Lavarack 
dog, and produced setters which have become famous in England and this 
