In points the Irish setter only differs from the English in the following:

1. The skull is somewhat longer and narrower, the eyebrows being well raised, and the occipital prominence as marked as in the pointer.

2. The nose is a trifle longer, with good width, and square at the end; nostrils wide and open, with the nose itself of a deep mahogany or very dark fleshy-colour, not pink nor black.

3. Eyes, Ears, And Lips

The eyes should be a rich brown or mahogany colour, well set, and full of intelligence; a pale or gooseberry eye is to be avoided. Ears long enough to reach within half an inch or an inch of the end of the nose, and, though more tapering than in the English dog, never coming to a point; they should be set low and close, but well back, and not approaching to the hound's in setting and leather. Whiskers red; lips deep, but not pendulous.

5 and 6. In frame the Irish dog is higher on the leg than either the English or black and tan, but his elbows are well let down nevertheless; his shoulders are long and sloping; brisket deep, but never wide; and his back ribs are somewhat shorter than those of his English brethren. Loin good, slightly arched, and well coupled to his hips, but not very wide; quarters slightly sloping, and flag set on rather low, but straight, fine in bone, and beautifully carried. Breeders are, however, going for straight backs like that of Palmerston, with flags set on as high as in the English setter.

7. Legs very straight, with good hocks, well-bent stifles, and muscular but not heavy haunches.

8. The feet are hare-like, and moderately hairy between the toes.

9. The flag is clothed with a long straight comb of hair, never bushy or curly, and this is beautifully displayed on the point.

11. The coat should be somewhat coarser than that of the English setter, being midway between that and the black and tan, wavy, but not curly, and by no means long. Both hind and fore legs are well feathered, but not profusely, and the ears are furnished with feather to the same extent, with a slight wave, but no turn.

12. The colour should be a rich blood red, without any trace of black on the ears or along the back; in many of the best strains, however, a pale colour or an occasional tinge of black is shown. A little white on the neck, breast, or toes is by no means objectionable, and there is no doubt that the preponderance of white, so as to constitute what is called " white and red," is met with in some good strains.

In his work the Irish setter is fast and enduring; his nose is quite up to the average of fast dogs in delicacy, and to those who are limited to a small kennel he is an invaluable aid to the gun. His style of going is very beautiful, with head well up and feeling for the body scent; he has a free action of the shoulders; hind legs brought well under him, and a merry lashing of the flag on the slightest indication of scent - often, indeed, without it. His advocates contend that he is as steady as any other setter when once broken, but, as far as my experience goes, I scarcely think this position can be maintained. Neither Plunket, nor any that I have seen of Mr. Purcell Llewellin's breeding, nor indeed any of those which I have had out in private, have been always reliable, and I fear that, like almost all other setters of such high courage, it must be admitted that he requires work to keep him in a state of control fit for immediate use with the gun. In this respect, and indeed in delicacy of nose, both the English and Irish setter must yield to the black and tan of the best strains; but to do the same amount of work, at least a double team of the last mentioned must be kept.

Having been charged, by Mr. Adcock, in the case of the bulldog, with selecting inferior specimens for illustration, it is perhaps necessary that I should explain my reasons for choosing a dog without any public reputation to represent the Irish setter in preference to Mr. Hilliard's Palmerston, who has taken all the chief prizes since the last appearance of Dr. Stone's Dash at the Crystal Palace in 1875. As remarked above, no strain but that of the Hon. D. Plunket has been tried in the field; and, as that has done great credit to the brood in the shape of Mr. Macdona's (afterwards Mr. Llewellin's) Plunket, his daughter Music, and his sons Marvel and Kite, I prefer a portrait of one of this tried strain to that of any dog not similarly tested. Both Plunket and his daughter Music were too small to serve as a type, while Kite and Marvel have faults which render them equally unfit for that purpose. Fortunately, however, I have been able to meet with a grand specimen of the breed in an own brother to Plunket, which Mr. Macdona has recently obtained from Ireland, and which has never yet been shown.

The faithful portrait of this dog presented herewith speaks for itself as to his external shape; but for his performances it is necessary to look to his brother Plunket, except that I have ascertained on good evidence that in private he has been tried to be first class. In colour he is of a beautiful rich red with scarcely any white; while he possesses a frame of great size, symmetry, and substance, with good legs and feet. He is thus fit to show in any company; but, as I have not been able to compare him with the celebrated Palmerston, and must depend on memory alone, I do not pretend to settle their respective merits from a show-bench point of view.

The high form of Plunket and his stock in the field is well known to all who have seen the various field trials of 1870-73; and for stud purposes his own brother may be considered as identical with himself. Mr. Baker's drawing of Rover is almost as exact as a photograph, and in particular his rendering of the head is wonderfully good, and shows the character of the breed extremely well. Plunket first appeared at Shrewsbury in 1870 as a puppy, when he was placed second to Mr. Statter's Bruce, by Dash (a Laverack dog) out of Rhoebe. In his first trial he was described in the Field as going in fine style, but was afterwards beaten on a bare piece of ground by Bruce, who showed a better nose. He was then so much admired by Mr. Purcell Llewellyn that he gave 1501. for him. In the autumn of the same year he won the all-aged stake at Vaynol without much competition, and he was described in the Field as "greatly improved in appearance, having lost none of his grand dash and style," and as having " gained in staunchness." In 1871 he seems to have been out of form at Southampton, being beaten by Capt. Venner's Dandy, a grand dog, in the single stakes, and only dividing the second prize in the braces.

In the following week he was still more unsuccessful at Shrewsbury; but, nevertheless, "he completely outpaced March," who defeated him in the single stake, and, though going better in the braces, lost his chance from the bad performance of his companion Shot. At Vaynol in the next autumn, he was selected by Mr. Purcell Llewellyn as the companion of Countess in the Bodfill Stakes for braces; and here, with the exception of two slight mistakes, their performance was described as "faultless," making the large score of ninety nevertheless, and winning easily. He also won the Borough Stakes, going " even better than before, and not making a single mistake." Finally at Vaynol in 1872 he appeared with his son Marvel in the braces, and was second to Countess and Nellie, beating Mr. Statter's Bob Roy and Belton. The description given was that "Plunket and Marvel went beautifully together and each did some pretty work till towards the end of their time, when Plunket making a point, Marvel drew by him, and put the birds up. This, of course, penalised them ten points.

Countess and Nellie, going in fine style, made no mistake whatever, and, being credited with their full quota of points, were made the winners without dispute." Plunket therefore lost none of his reputation by this defeat, except through his son Marvel, whose fault was moreover dependent on his breaking only; and as his daughter Music, "going in fine form and very merrily," won the Dinorwig Stakes, at the same meeting, he gained rather than lost from the stud point of view.

Plunket (and his brother Rover of the same litter) are by Beauty out of the Rev. R. Callaghan's Grouse. This gentleman informs me that Plunket was bred by himself, and not by the Hon. D. Plunket, as stated in the "Stud Book"; Beauty by Birtwhistle's Tim out of Hebe; Grouse by Capt. Hutchinson's Bob.

Since the above was written, Rover has been placed above Palmerston at the Kennel Club Show, where he took the first prize.