The most remarkable feature in the Laverack breed of setters is the extraordinary extent to which in-breeding has been carried, as shown in the pedigree of Countess, given by Mr. Laverack in his book on the setter. By examining this carefully, it will be seen that every animal in it is descended from Ponto and Old Moll, which were obtained by Mr. Laverack in 1825 from the Rev. A. Harrison, who lived near Carlisle, and who had kept the breed pure for thirty-five years. Four names only besides these two are found in the right hand column, and these four are all descended from Ponto and Old Moll, as will be seen at a glance by referring to the names in italic in the middle of the table. Thus it appears that they alone formed Mr. Laverack's breed, though he often stated that he had tried the introduction of alien blood, but finding it not to answer he had abandoned the produce, and resorted again to the original stock. This has led to the belief that the pedigree is incorrect, but he was very positive in his statement.

If correct, it certainly is the most remarkable case of breeding in and in I ever met with.

The supporters of the opinion that Mr. Laverack's pedigrees are incorrect adduce two arguments against him, first, that he has, shortly before his death, given different pedigrees of his stud dogs; and, secondly, that the average duration of life in each generation, from Dash and Belle, to Countess, Nellie, and Sam, was fully nine years, which is certainly very remarkable, though within the bounds of possibility. The first of these arguments does not go for much, as we all know that after a man has passed his 70th year his memory is not often to be relied on; and, as to the second, though per se highly improbable, it is, as I have above remarked, by no means impossible. But the discussion of this point is of little practical interest, the "Laverack" breed having been sufficiently tested in practice to stand on its own merits without regard to any theoretical opinions. No one disputes that it is in-bred to an extent which few would care to imitate; and if it could be proved that a cross had been occasionally introduced, instead of being considered to have lost in value, I should estimate it more highly.

The discussion, therefore, is purely one of curiosity, and need not influence any breeder in his selection of a breeding stud.

To this in-breeding is, no doubt, to be attributed the fact that the Laverack setters are very difficult to rear, and that a large proportion of them die of distemper. Whether or no the average working "form" of the breed is a high one, is very difficult to decide; but, undoubtedly, Countess and her sister Nelly were grand specimens of the high-bred setter. Nearly all the pure Laverack dogs which have been shown are too spaniel-like in shape to please my eye, the only exceptions I remember being Prince and Bock, and to some extent the well-known Sam, brother to Countess and Nellie; nevertheless, they have not the spaniel carriage of the flag alluded to above, which is in them generally trailed like that of the fox, and without any lashing or feathering. Probably it is owing to the excessive in-breeding of the Laveracks injuring their health that they have not succeeded as well as might be expected as sires; but at all events, from whatever cause, a good deal of disappointment has been felt by breeders on that score.

Nevertheless, for work the breed still maintains the high character gained for it in its purity by Countess, Nellie, and Garth's Daisy, and for its crosses by Banger, Dick, Dash II., Field's Daisy, Prince, Ginx's Baby, Glen, Rhoda, Druid, Norah and Nora, and, last, but not least, that excellent little bitch, Mr. Lloyd Price's Queen, by Blue Prince out of the Rev. S. East's Quaver II. - bred by that gentleman from his own old Shropshire blood.

A great many different strains of English setters might be adduced from all parts of the country, but notably from the north of England, with claims superior to those of Mr. Laverack's strain, up to the time of the institution of field trials. Among these were the Graham and Corbet breeds, those of the Earl of Tankerville, Lord Waterpark, Mr. Bishop, Mr. Bayley, Mr. Lort, Mr. Jones (of Oscott), Major Cowan, Mr. Withington, Mr. Paul Hackett, and Mr. Calver, the last two being a good deal crossed with Gordon blood. None of these strains were, however, so generally known beyond the immediate circle of their owners' friends as to have gained a universal reputation; and it was not till the public appearance of Mr. Garth's Daisy, and afterwards that of Mr. Purcell Llewellyn's Countess and Nelly, that the Laverack strain attained its present high reputation. Before Daisy came out, Mr. Garth had produced a brace of very bad ones at Stafford in 1867; and it was with considerable prejudice against them that the above celebrated bitches first exhibited their powers, in spite of the high character given of them by Mr. Lort, Mr. Withington, and other well-known sportsmen who had shot over them for years.

It is Mr. Lort's opinion that Mr. Withington possessed better dogs than even Countess; but it must not be forgotten that private trials are generally more flattering than those before the public.

I come now to consider the value of Mr. Llewellyn's "field trial" strain, as they are somewhat grandiloquently termed by their "promoters," or as I shall term them, the " Dan-Laveracks," being all either by Dan out of Laverack bitches, or by a Laverack dog out of a sister to Dan. As a proof of the superiority of this cross to the pure Laveracks "Setter" states, that "during the last two years ten of this breed " (Laveracks), " and ten of the Duke-Rhcebe and Laverack cross have been sent to America; the former including Petrel, winner of the champion prize at Birmingham, Pride of the Border, Fairy, and Victress; the latter including Rock, Leicester, Rob Roy, Dart, and Dora, the same men being owners of both sorts. At the American shows both sorts have appeared, and the Rhoebe blood has always beaten the Laverack. At field trials no Laverack has been entered; but, first, second, and third prizes were gained at their last field trials, in the champion stakes, by dogs of the Rhoebe blood, all descended from Mr. Llewellyn's kennel." I confess that, in my opinion, this does not indicate any superiority in the one over the other, as far as regards field trials, since they were not tested together; and, in reference to the superiority of the Dan-Laveracks on the show bench, it is of little interest to my present inquiry, but I unhesitatingly state, that, as far as my judgment and opportunities for forming it go, "Setter" is quite correct.

Dan himself was a very fine upstanding and handsome dog, and his stock might therefore be expected to resemble him, while the Laverack dogs are nearly all heavy and lumbering, and the bitches, though very elegant, too small and delicate for perfection. But, as I have above remarked, the Laveracks have not shown very delicate noses in public, and indeed I have always considered them rather deficient than otherwise in this quality, which is the worst point of the setter as compared with the pointer, and should be regarded, therefore, as the first essential in estimating any of its strains. Now, though I have always regarded Duke himself as on the whole a good dog, especially in pace and range, and have estimated Dan and Duke, the result of his cross with Mr. Starter's Rhoebe, favourably, as compared with the Laverack litters as shown in Bruce and Rob Roy, yet I never considered Dan as a good cross for the Laverack bitches, because his sire always showed a want of nose similar to that of the Laveracks themselves.

Duke is said by "Setter," and I believe correctly, to have received a high character from Mr. Barclay Field for his nose as exhibited in private, but he was notoriously deficient in this quality when brought before the public, going with his head low, and feeling the foot rather than the body scent. In proof of this defect it is only necessary to say that he was beaten by Hamlet and Young Kent in this quality at Bala in 1867, when the judge gave him only thirty-one out of a possible forty for "nose;" while at Stafford in the following spring Rex found birds twenty yards behind the place where he had left his point, and thereby gained the cup, Sir V. Corbett, the breeder of Duke, being one of the judges, and loud in admiration of Rex's nose, at the same time finding fault with that of Duke. Indeed, this defect was always made the excuse for E. Armstrong's constant interference with him by hand and voice - whether rightly or wrongly I do not pretend to say, but it evidently marked that clever breaker's want of confidence in his dog's nose. Of Rhcebe herself I do not recollect enough to give an opinion as to this quality in her individually; and among her produce I do not remember any but Bruce and Dan that displayed even an average amount of scenting powers.

Rob Roy was notoriously deficient in nose; and Dick, brother to Dan, in his second season, was constantly making false points, and is so described in the report of the Southampton Trials of 1872. For these reasons, although I had always considered the Duke-Rhcebe cross superior to the two Laverack-Rhoebe litters, I never expected Dan to get such a good bitch as Norna in point of nose and correct carriage of head and flag, according to my ideas. If Nora, as alleged by her owner and " Setter," as well as by the Field reporter at Horseheath, is superior to her, I can only make my apology to Dan, and admit that he has turned out a better sire than I expected, and than might have been gathered from the performances of Laura, Leda, and Druid, at the Devon and Cornwall, and Sleaford trials of 1874, which I saw. These two bitches were slow and without any style whatever, while the dog, though moderately fast, was well beaten by Ranger at Sleaford at all points.