keenness lead him to cover an immense amount of ground, where the slower and more mechanical Pointer would fall far short of his number of finds at the end of a day's work.

An amusing confirmation of this occurred at the field trials in Ireland several years ago. The Irish Setter Puppy and Allaged Stakes were first run off, and occupied three whole days, when on the fourth day the All Comers Stakes were opened. The first brace put down were very fine and celebrated Pointers, who quartered their ground in good style, but in rather limited beats. A well-known writer on sporting dogs happened to be present in his capacity as reporter, and remarked, with a sigh of relief: "Now that is what I call proper going. My eyes are sore watching those red devils like flashes of lightning over the mountains for the past three days." The Pointers were taken up after an extended trial, in which they found once.

Again, on snipe the Irish Setter is perfectly at home, and it is really wonderful to see the dog, who a moment before was galloping at full speed over the moor, when he comes to a marsh or a patch of likely rushes, slow down and adopt a pace more like a cat creeping on a mouse than anything else, and when this has been thoroughly searched, resume, no doubt what to some would appear, his wild career over the heather.

The "Veteran Sportsman quoted at the beginning of this article goes on to say, comparing the Irish Setter with the Pointer, that "they are certainly more difficult to break, and when broke are most apt to run wild and unsteady if not frequently hunted." This was written a hundred years ago, and has become a sort of stereotyped opinion of the character of the dog, for which probably his environment was more to blame than his temperament. Most certainly, if not hunted regularly and with due attention to the correction of faults, the same remark is applicable to all breeds. All sportsmen and writers on sporting dogs are well aware that one day's careless handling may undo the training of months; and, for some inexplicable reason, Irish gamekeepers are notoriously bad breakers and handlers. Now, if to bad handling be added scarcity of birds, and consequently fewer opportunities of teaching and fixing the lessons taught, an explanation at once appears of the very few really highly trained dogs seen, which would reasonably enough give rise to the idea that they were apt to run wild and unsteady if not frequently hunted.

With proper preliminary handling when young, chiefly for discipline, a well-bred Irish Setter, after three or four days on a mountain, will have learned his work so well as to be entitled to his place with the regular team; and after a couple of seasons appears to know when he is out with the gun for business or out on a walk for pleasure, in the latter case frequently transgressing the

most ordinary rules, but with the gun settling down to his work at once, as if he had never known what it was to go wrong.

Although there are unquestionably many first-rate dogs in Ireland who have never appeared at field trials, still, on their public form they are judged, and among those who have been most successful may be mentioned Mr. J. G. Hawkes (though his dogs of recent years do not come up to the form of his famous Signal and Miss Signal), Major Milner (with such dogs as Spalpeen, Airnie, etc.), Mr. W. Hill Cooper (with Wrestler, Isinglass, and others); while Mr. G. H. Cheetham's wonderful little bitch Honeysuckle, and Mr. McIvor's Ballycolman with his two sons Strabane Pam and Ranger, as being the most recent field winners, must not be forgotten. The blood of that celebrated dog Major Hutchinson's Bob told on Mr. Hawkes's kennels when at their best. Mr. Hill Cooper's dogs run up through such well-known ones as Muskerry, Champions Hector and Kate to Palmerston on both sides; and Major Milner on the one side traces from the same ancestor, with another good one in Cocksure on the other; while Ballycolman, through his sire Champion Donal MacSwine, traces from Champions Garryowen and Palmerston, and that truly remarkable bitch of her day Mac's Little Nell.

This is but another example of the potency of blood, as every one of these dogs, on one side at least, and some of them, such as Isinglass and Ballycolman, with several crosses, trace to Palmerston. He was indeed a king among kings, and living, as he did, to almost twice the usual span of a Setter's existence, it is perhaps. hardly to be wondered at that his blood is rarely wanting in any of the best bench or field dogs of the day.

Champion Donal MacSwine (36,240), the dog illustrated at Fig. 63, is a good representative of the Irish Red Setter. Although he was never sent to compete at field trials, yet he is an excellent worker, despite his weight of years. Every August he accompanies. the writer to his shoct on the mountains, and he can do a day's work that will compare favourably with that put in by the younger ones. He first came out on the show-bench in 1893, when he competed successfully as a puppy at the Dublin Show. From that time onward to 1899 he continued his winning career, placing to his owner's credit firsts at all the more important shows, including Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Armagh, Dublin, Strabane, and Belfast, amongst others; while he also secured winning brackets in Scotland. Donal MacSwine is by Garryowen Junior (24,599) by the famous Garryowen (8,262) out of Mac's Little Nell (19,714); and his dam is Jiel MacSwine (31,320) by Major-General out of Norah. He thus combines some of the best blood extant.

The best time for breeding is in the spring. If the pups are born in May, the mother will be quite ready for the moor in August,

while the pups will be sufficiently grown and strong to stand the ensuing winter's cold, and be ready for the following summer for the necessary hand-training preparatory to their actual entry on birds in August, when they may be worked daily for a few hours without injury.

Selection of the pups is a difficult matter, but dogs are so prolific that, with a good strain to start from, perseverance and a hard heart are all that is requisite to secure a good field dog and bench winner before many seasons are over. The real sportsman should,

however, be ruthless in destroying, no matter how handsome, the dog that shows want of stamina, keenness, speed, nose, or other qualities requisite for perfect field work. When the pups are able to get about, they should have ample room to play, a small wellfenced paddock, if possible, with a dry and comfortable kennel to retire to at night or if wet, answering this purpose admirably. With this exercise their feet and legs are properly formed, and their muscles developed. When about four months old they might be more confined, but taken out for regular exercise on a mountain or in the fields, and put under some discipline, but not in any way to restrain their running, which in this way they take

up much more readily than if allowed their freedom about a place all day. Their feeding should be regular and varied, without too much meat, at three months old getting four meals daily, which should be gradually reduced to two meals at nine months. With clean, dry, roomy kennels, proper feeding, and exercise, the breeder will be spared many of the ills which so often fall on those who attempt too much, with but too little knowledge.

For the bench, given the possession of a handsome animal, no special advice is necessary further than to keep the dog in health by the above means. If in proper health, the coat will have a fine gloss and lie, which may be somewhat improved by regular grooming with comb, brush, and chamois. Dogs should not be shown when out of coat or condition, which happens at least once yearly to every dog. It also tends to success if a Setter be trained to show himself properly, though this is frequently very difficult, and sometimes impossible to do.

Let the showman, however, remember that he is no true lover of the breed if he is content to rest on his bench laurels; but he will gain the respect of every sportsman if he has his dog properly broken, and regularly shot over, and, if possible, tested at field trials, where, if successful, he will increase the value of his animal tenfold, and at the same time have the satisfaction of knowing that he has done all he could to crystallise the qualities for which, after all, the breed exists-namely, bringing game to his master's bag.

CHAPTER XXVIII

THE SPANIELS

IN considering the following descriptions of the principal varieties among British Spaniels, it must be borne in mind that, with the possible exception of the Clumber, they are all ramifications from the same stem. So close, indeed, is the kinship between them that they can be interbred with advantage to preserve vigour of constitution without jeopardizing the various types. An illustration of this is the crossing of the English with the Welsh Springer : those puppies that are liver-and-white or black-and-white follow the shape of the English breed, while the red-and-whites present the undiminished type of the Welsh dog.

The same phenomenon has been noticed among Setters. In the same litter the blue-mottled pups will be found of one type, roughly resembling that of the English Springer, while the shorter-eared orange-and-whites have more affinity with his Cambrian cousin. This seems to confirm the notion of Blaine (1839) that the redand-white Setters and Springers were originally distinct from the Spaniels of other colours, though themselves, of course, from the same stock.

There are several sub-varieties of the great Spaniel family that are not described in these pages, because, though capable of culture, they are at present too restricted in numbers, and not sufficiently defined, to merit special classification.

THE CLUMBER

The Clumber is the aristocrat of the Spaniel family in comparison with him his modern Black brother of the benches is a mere upstart, and the Irish Water Spaniel as an unkempt kerne to a polished gentleman. The Sussex cannot compare with him in dignity of demeanour; and the busy little Cocker, taking though he be, is commonplace by the side of the Clumber, whose manners, solemn and deliberate, are stamped with that repose which the least imaginative may easily conceive to rest on the consciousness of noble lineage.

How the variety of Spaniel under consideration came into being