common; but their instincts are somewhat limited or not called forth. It is only in its domesticated state that we find the various qualities which render the dog so useful a servant to man. Wild dogs are, in comparison with domesticated dogs, what savages are to civilized society; for whereever savages are found, they bear some resemblance to each other, and are engaged in similar pursuits.

England is not less famous for its horses than for its sporting dogs. Our grey-hounds, foxhounds, and harriers are unequalled, and that they are so results from the care that has been taken to keep each breed distinct. All our pointers are, in some degree, of Spanish extraction; and such of them as have most Spanish blood in their veins are unquestionably the best. The Spanish pointer is about twenty-one inches in height. He has a large head, is heavily made, broad-chested, stoutlimbed, with a large dew-lap; his eyes are full, and widely apart, and his nose is broad; his tail is straight, short and thick, and his ears large, pendulous, and fine; he should have a roundballed and not a flat foot.* Notwithstanding, how

* "The most essential point about the dog," says General Hanger, "is a good foot; for, without a good firm foot, he can never hunt long. I never look at a dog which has a thin, flat, wide, and spread foot." He relates the advice given him by a gamekeeper in Suffolk for keeping the dog's foot in working condition. "As long as the ground is dry and hard, I always wash my dog's feet with warm soap and water, and clean them well, particularly between the toes and balls of the feet; this comforts his feet, allays the heat, and promotes the circulation in the feet. In the more advanced period of the season, when the ground is very wet, then salt and water may be proper."

ever, the vaunted excellence of British pointers, the generality of them are not such as they ought to be. It is much to be lamented that the same care is not taken in the breeding of pointers and setters as of hounds. Scarcely two pointers are to be seen so much alike, that a naturalist would pronounce them to belong to the same class of dogs, inasmuch as they are dissimilar in size, weight, and appearance. We recognise only two pointers, -the Spaniard and the mongrel. Nearly all the pointers we see are, in fact, mongrels, although each may have more or less of the original Spanish blood. Such, however, is the force of nature, that a dog having in him very little of the blood of the pointer may prove a very serviceable dog to the shooter. We frequently meet with very good dogs-dogs deemed by their owners firstrate-which bear little resemblance, in point of shape and appearance, to the true pointer; some of these have the sharp nose of the fox, others the snubbed nose of the bull-dog; in short, there is every possible diversity in size and appearance, from the greyhound to the pug. The excellence of such dogs must be attributed to judicious treatment, severe discipline, or from having been constantly out with a good shot, or in company with highly-trained dogs. It is, however, a mistake to suppose that they are of a proper strain to breed from. Their offspring will be deformed, and will probably manifest some of the worst and more hidden qualities of the parents.

The attempt to lay down a written rule whereby

to distinguish between a good and an indifferent pointer would be futile. How much of the blood of the pointer a dog has in him will be read in his countenance, rather than inferred from his general shape and appearance. There is an indescribable something in the countenance of a thorough-bred or nearly thorough-bred pointer, which a little habit of observation will enable the sportsman to detect with tolerable accuracy, so that he may judge of the capabilities of a dog, as a physiognomist will read at a glance a person's disposition and ability, in his countenance.

The instinct of pointing, we apprehend, is an indestructible principle in the blood of the pointer, which, however that blood may be mingled with inferior blood, will always, in some degree, manifest itself; and on this ground we build our theory, that the further any dog is removed from the original Spanish pointer, the worse the dog is; and, consequently, that all attempts to cross the pointer with any other blood must necessarily deteriorate the breed. The grey-hound is seldom or never crossed to give him additional fleetness, nor the hound to improve his nose; why then should the pointer be crossed with dogs which, in so far as the sports of the field are concerned, scarcely inherit one quality in common with him? tempts, however, are constantly made to improve the pointer by a cross with the blood-hound, foxhound, Newfoundland dog, or mastiff, sometimes with a view of improving his appearance, and bringing him to some fancied standard of perfec

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tion; but in reality inducing a deformity. One of these imaginary standards of perfection is, that to one part thorough Spanish blood, the pointer should have in him an eighth of the fox-hound, and a sixteenth of the blood-hound. A cross will sometimes produce dogs which are, in some eyes, the beau idéal of beauty; but however handsome such dogs may be, they will necessarily possess some quality not belonging to the pointer; for instance, a cross with the hound gives the propensity to trace hares, if not to give tongue. A thorough-bred pointer carries his head well up when ranging; he will not give tongue, nor has he much desire to chase footed game. The hound pointer may be sometimes detected by his coarse ears, by his tail being curled upwards, and being carried high, or by his rough coat. An occasional cross with the mastiff or Newfoundland dog is said to increase the fineness of nose, but it is converting the pointer into a mere retriever. Another, and the main source of the unsightliness of sporting dogs, is the allowing an indiscriminate intercourse between pointers and setters. Good dogs may be thus obtained sometimes, but they are invariably mis-shapen; they have generally the head and brush tail of the setter, with the body of the pointer, and their coats are not sleek, and instead of standing at their point, they will crouch. When the sire is nearly thorough-bred, dogs of a superior description, but certainly not the best, are sometimes produced by the Newfoundland or some other bitch not strictly a pointer. We are not