The English Setter breed of dog is a very old breed of gundog. He has style and grace as well as strength and stamina. He has a beautiful feathered coat with distinctive coloring: white with an intermingling of darker hairs resulting in markings called "belton." Belton markings can be orange, blue (white with black markings), tricolor (blue belton with tan points), lemon or liver. Everything about the English Setter breed of dog is harmonious in size and proportion. His head is long and lean with a well defined stop. He has an oval shaped skull and a long, square muzzle. His nose is black or dark brown, with nostrils that are wide apart and large, befitting his hunting dog heritage. His cheeks are clean, and his rounded eyes are dark, bright and spaced so as to give a mild, intelligent impression. A scissors bite is preferred, but an even bite is acceptable. His ears are set well back and low. They are moderately long, slightly rounded at the ends, and covered with silky hair. The neck of the English Setter breed of dog is long and graceful, muscular and lean. It is arched at the crest. While clean where it joins the head at the base of the skull, his neck becomes larger and more muscular toward the shoulders, with the base of the neck flowing smoothly into the shoulders. His topline forms a graceful outline of medium length. The chest is deep, but not wide or round so as to interfere with the action of the forelegs. The English Setter has long ribs, a straight back and strong, moderately sized loins, slightly arched. His tail is seen as a smooth continuation of the topline, not long, and tapering to a fine point. The English Setter carries his tail straight and level with the back. His tail feathering is straight and silky. The legs of the English Setter breed of dog are straight and parallel, with substantial bone and hard muscles. The pasterns are short, strong and nearly round. His feet face directly forward, with closely set toes, and are strong and well arched. The coat of the English Setter breed of dog is flat, with no curl or wooliness. He is well-feathered on his ears, chest, abdomen, underside of thighs, tail, and the back of all four legs, but the feathering is not so excessive as to hide his true lines and movement or to affect his performance. His ground color is white, with an intermingling of darker hairs, resulting in "belton" markings. Belton markings vary from clear distinct flecking to roan shading; all over flecks are preferred. Head and ear patches are acceptable, but heavy patches of color on the body are not preferred. Acceptable colors include orange belton, blue belton (white with black markings), tricolor (blue belton with tan on muzzle, over the eyes and on the legs), lemon belton and liver belton. The English Setter breed of dog is effortlessly graceful, suggesting efficiency and endurance. He has a long forward reach and a strong rear drive, carrying both head and tail proudly. His head may be carried slightly lower when moving. His back is strong and firm and does not roll. As he picks up speed, his legs tend to converge toward a line representing the center of gravity.