The Dog

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"Soon the sagacious brute, his curling tail
Flourished in air, low bending, plies around
His busy nose, the steaming vapour snuffs
Inquisitive, nor leaves one turf untried,
Till, conscious of the recent stains, his heart
Beats quick. His snuffing nose, his active tail,
Attest his joy. Then, with deep opening mouth,
That makes the welkin tremble, he proclaims
Th' audacious felon. Foot by foot he marks
His winding way. Over the watery ford,
Dry sandy heaths, and stony barren hills,
Unerring he pursues, till at the cot
Arrived, and seizing by his guilty throat
The caitiff vile, redeems the captive prey."

THE SETTER

is evidently the large spaniel improved to his peculiar size and beauty,
and taught another way of marking his game, viz., by 'setting' or
crouching. If the form of the dog were not sufficiently satisfactory on
this point, we might have recourse to history for information on it. Mr.
Daniel, in his 'Rural Sports', has preserved a document, dated in the
year 1685, in which a yeoman binds himself for the sum of ten shillings,
fully and effectually to teach a spaniel to 'sit' partridges and
pheasants.

[As this old document may prove interesting to the curious, we take the
liberty of inserting it, knowing full well, that Mr. Daniel's work is
quite rare in this country, and copies of it are not easily obtained
even in England.

Ribbesford, Oct. 7, 1685,

"I, John Harris, of Willdon, in the parish of Hastlebury, in the
county of Worcester, yeoman, for and in consideration of ten shillings
of lawful English money this day received of Henry Herbert of
Ribbesford, in the said county, Esqr., and of thirty shillings more of
like money by him promised to be hereafter pay'd me, do hereby
covenant and promise to and with the said Henry Herbert, his exors and
admors, that I will, from the day of the date hereof, untill the first
day of March next, well and sufficiently mayntayne and keepe a Spanile
Bitch named Quand, this day delivered into my custody by the said
Henry Herbert, and will, before the first day of March next, fully and
effectually traine up and teach the said Bitch to sitt Partridges,
Pheasants, and other game, as well and exactly as the best sitting
Doggers usually sett the same. And the said bitch, so trayned and
taught, shall and will delivere to the said Henry Herbert, or whom he
shall appoint to receive her, att his house in Ribbesford aforesaid,
on the first day of March next. And if at anytime after the said Bitch
shall, for want of use or practice, or orwise, forgett to sett Game as
aforesaid, I will, at my costes and charges, maynetayne her for a
month, or longer, as often as need shall require, to trayne up and
teach her to sett Game as aforesaid, and shall and will, fully and
effectually, teach her to sett Game as well and exactly as is above
mentyon'd.

Witness my hand and seal the day and year first above written,

John Harris, his X mark.

Sealed and delivered in presence of

H. Payne, his X mark."

L.]

The first person, however, who systematically broke-in setting dogs is
supposed to have been Dudley Duke of Northumberland in 1335.

A singular dog-cause was tried in Westminster, in July, 1822. At a
previous trial it was determined that the mere possession of a dog,
generally used for destroying game, was sufficient proof of its being
actually so used. Mr. Justice Best, however, determined that a man might
be a breeder of such dogs without using them as game-dogs; and Mr.
Justice Bailey thought that if a game-dog was kept in a yard, chained up
by day, and let loose at night, and, being so trained as to guard the
preimises, he was to be considered as a yard-dog, and not as a game-dog.

The setter is used for the same purpose as the pointer, and there is
great difference of opinion with regard to their relative value as
sporting-dogs. Setters are not so numerous; and they are dearer, and
with great difficulty obtained pure. It was long the fashion to cross
and mix them with the pointer, by which no benefit was obtained, but the
beauty of the dog materially impaired; many Irish sportsmen, however,
were exceedingly careful to preserve the breed pure. Nothing of the
pointer can be traced in them, and they are useful and beautiful dogs,
altogether different in appearance from either the English or Scotch
setter. The Irish sportsmen are, perhaps, a little too much prejudiced
with regard to particular colours. Their dogs ate either very red, or
red and white, or lemon-coloured, or white, patched with deep chestnut;
and it was necessary for them to have a black nose, and a black roof to
the mouth. This peculiar dye is supposed to be as necessary to a good
and genuine Irish setter as is the palate of a Blenheim spaniel to the
purity of his breed. A true Irish setter will obtain a higher price than
either an English or Scotch one. Fifty guineas constituted no unusual
price for a brace of them, and even two hundred guineas have been given.
It is nevertheless, doubtful whether they do in reality so much exceed
the other breeds, and whether, although stout and hard-working dogs, and
with excellent scent, they are not somewhat too headstrong and unruly.

The setter is more active than the pointer. He has greater spirit and
strength. He will better stand continued hard work. He will generally
take the water when necessary, and, retaining the character of the
breed, is more companionable and attached. He loves his master for
himself, and not, like the pointer, merely for the pleasure he shares
with him. His somewhat inferior scent, however, makes him a little too
apt to run into his game, and he occasionally has a will of his own. He
requires good breaking, and plenty of work; but that breaking must be of
a peculiar character: it must not partake of the severity which too
often accompanies, and unnecessarily so, the tuition of the pointer. He
has more animal spirit than the pointer, but he has not so much patient
courage; and the chastisement, sometimes unnecessary and cruel, but
leaving the pointer perfect in his work, and eager for it too, would
make the setter disgusted with it, and leave him a mere 'blinker'. It is
difficult, however, always to decide the claim of superiority between
these dogs. He that has a good one of either breed may be content, but
the lineage of that dog must be pure. The setter, with much of the
pointer in him, loses something in activity and endurance; and the
pointer, crossed with the setter, may have a degree of wildness and
obstinacy, not a little annoying to his owner. The setter may be
preferable when the ground is hard and rough; for he does not soon
become foot-sore. He may even answer the purpose of a springer for
pheasants and woodcocks, and may be valuable in recovering a wounded
bird. His scent may frequently be superior to that of the pointer, and
sufficiently accurate to distinguish, better than the pointer, when the
game is sprung; but the steadiness and obedience of the pointer will
generally give him the preference, especially in a fair and tolerably
smooth country. At the beginning of a season, and until the weather is
hot, the pointer will have a decided advantage.

[We beg leave to finish this history of the setter by referring to our
essay on this dog, published in vol. xv, No. 47, of the "New York Spirit
of the Times", or as lately transferred to the pages of an interesting
and valuable sporting work, about being published by our esteemed
friend, Wm. A. Porter, and from which we now abstract our remarks upon

THE MERITS OF THE SETTER COMPARED WITH THOSE OF THE POINTER.

It cannot for a moment be doubted that the setter has superior
advantages to the pointer, for hunting over our uncleared country,
although the pointer has many qualities that recommend him to the
sportsman, that the setter does not possess. In the first place, the
extreme hardiness and swiftness of foot, natural to the setter, enables
him to get over much more ground than the pointer, in the same space of
time. Their feet also, being more hard and firm, are not so liable to
become sore from contact with our frozen ground. The ball pads being
well protected by the spaniel toe-tufts, are less likely to be wounded
by the thorns and burs with which our woods are crowded during the
winter season. His natural enthusiasm for hunting, coupled with his
superior physical powers, enables him to stand much more work than the
pointer, and oftentimes he appears quite fresh upon a long continued
hunt, when the other will be found drooping and inattentive.

The long, thick fur of the setter, enables him to wend his way through
briary thickets without injury to himself, when a similar attempt on the
part of a pointer, would result in his ears, tail, and body being
lacerated and streaming with blood.

On the other hand, the pointer is superior to the setter in retaining
his acquired powers for hunting, and not being naturally enthusiastic in
pursuit of game, he is more easily broken and kept in proper subjection.

The setter frequently requires a partial rebreaking at the commencement
of each season, in his younger days, owing to the natural eagerness with
which he resumes the sport. The necessity of this, however, diminishes
with age, as the character and habits of the dog become more settled,
and then we may take them into the field, with a perfect assurance of
their behaving quite as well on the first hunt of the season, as the
stanchest pointer would.

The extreme caution, and mechanical powers of the pointer in the field,
is a barrier to his flushing the birds, as is often witnessed in the
precipitate running of the setter, who winds the game and frequently
overruns it in his great anxiety to come up with it. But this occasional
fault on the part of the setter, may be counterbalanced by the larger
quantity of game that he usually finds in a day's hunt, owing to his
enthusiasm and swiftness of foot. Setters require much more water while
hunting than the pointer, owing to their thick covering of fur,
encouraging a greater amount of insensible perspiration to fly off than
the thin and short dress of the pointer. Consequently they are better
calculated to hunt in the coldest seasons than early in our falls, which
are frequently quite dry and warm.

A striking instance of this fact came under our own immediate
observation this fall, when shooting in a range of country thinly
settled and uncommonly dry. The day being warm and the birds scarce, the
dogs suffered greatly from thirst, in so much that a very fine setter of
uncommon bottom, was forced to give up entirely, completely prostrated,
foaming at the mouth in the most alarming manner, breathing heavily, and
vomiting from time to time a thick frothy mucus.

His prostration of both muscular and nervous powers was so great, that
he could neither smell nor take the slightest notice of a bird, although
placed at his nose. He could barely manage to drag one leg after the
other, stopping to rest every few moments, and we were fearful that we
should be obliged to shoulder and carry him to a farm-house, a
considerable distance off. However, he succeeded, with much difficulty,
in reaching the well, where he greedily drank several pints of water
administered to him with caution.

He recovered almost immediately, gave me a look of thanks, and was off
to the fields in a few moments, where he soon found a fine covey of
birds.

The pointer, his associate in the day's work, and a much less hardy dog,
stood the hunt remarkably well, and seemed to suffer little or no
inconvenience from the want of water. The setter has natural claims upon
the sportsman and man generally, in his affectionate disposition and
attachment to his master, and the many winning manners he exhibits
towards those by whom he is caressed.

The pointer displays but little fondness for those by whom he is
surrounded, and hunts equally as well for a stranger as his master.--L.]

Of the difference between the old English setter and the setters of the
present day, we confess that we are ignorant, except that the first was
the pure spaniel improved, and the latter the spaniel crossed too
frequently with the pointer.

It must be acknowledged, that of companionableness, and disinterested
attachment and gratitude, the pointer knows comparatively little. If he
is a docile and obedient servant in the field, it is all we want. The
setter is unquestionably his superior in every amiable quality. Mr.
Blaine says, that a large setter, ill with the distemper, had been
nursed by a lady more than three weeks. At length he became so ill as to
be placed in a bed, where he remained a couple of days in a dying state.
After a short absence, the lady, re-entering the room, observed him to
fix his eyes attentively on her, and make an effort to crawl across the
bed towards her. This he accomplished, evidently for the sole purpose of
licking her hand, after which he immediately expired.

[Daniel Lambert celebrated for his enormous magnitude, weighing seven
hundred and thirty-nine pounds, had a very superior breed of sellers,
which were publicly sold, at the following prices; after his death,
which forcibly illustrates the immense value placed on this dog in
England; whereas, many American sportsmen considers it a great hardship
to be obliged to give thirty or forty dollars for a well-bred setter in
this country.

Guineas

Peg, a black Setter Bitch..........................41
Punch, a Setter Dog..................................26
Brush, do ..........................................17
Bob, do............................................30
Bell, do........................................... 32
Bounce, do............................................22
Sam, do............................................26
Charlotte, a Pointer Bitch...............................22
Lucy, do............................................12
------
218 --L.]

The pointer is evidently descended from the hound.

[We beg leave to make the following extracts from our essay on this
subject, published in No. 1, vol. xvi, of the "Spirit of the Times":

The origin of the pointer, like that of the setter, is involved in much
obscurity; he is of mixed blood, and no doubt largely indebted to both
hound and spaniel for his distinct existence.

Many sportsmen are under the erroneous idea that the pointer is
contemporary with, if not older than, the Setter. Such, however, is not
the case; and we are led to believe that the Pointer is of quite modern
origin; at all events, the production of a much later date than the
spaniel.

Strut, in his "Sports and Pastimes", chap. 1, sects. xv. and xvi.,
mentions a MS. in the Cotton Library, originally written by William
Twici, or Twety, Grand Huntsman to Edward II, who ascended the throne in
1307.

This manuscript contains the earliest treatise on hunting that the
English possess, and enumerates the various kinds of game and different
species of dogs then in existence, as also the modes of taking the
former and using the latter.

After describing, in the usual minute manner, the specific employment of
each dog, he finishes by stating:

"The spaniel was for use in hawking, hys crafte is for the perdrich or
partridge, and the quail; and when taught to couch, he is very
serviceable to the fowler, who takes these birds with nets."

No mention is made in this treatise of the pointer, and we naturally
infer that he did not exist, or he would have been noticed in connexion
with the spaniel, who, it appears, even at this early period, was taught
to 'couch' on and point out game to those employed in netting it.

In the early portion of the sixteenth century, we have another
enumeration of dogs, 'then' in use, in a book entitled--"A Jewel for
Gentrie;" which, besides the dogs already descanted upon by Twici, we
find added to the list,

"bastards and mongrels, lemors, kenets, terrours, butchers' hounds,
dung-hill dogs, trindel-tailed dogs, prychercard curs, and ladies'
puppies."
(Chap. 1st., Sec. XVI.--Strut.)

The pointer being the offspring of the fox-hound and spaniel, is
consequently sprung from the two ancient races known as 'Sagaces' and
'Pugnaces' or 'Bellicosi'. He certainly evinces a larger share of the
'Bellicosi' blood than the setter, being ever ready for fight when
assailed, while the latter generally exhibits a conciliatory disposition
under the most trying circumstances.--L.]

It is the fox-hound searching for game by the scent, but more perfectly
under the control of the sportsman, repressing his cry of joy when he
finds his game, and his momentary pause, and gathering himself up in
order to spring upon it artificially, converted into a steady and
deliberate point. There still remains a strong resemblance, in
countenance and in form, between the pointer and the fox-hound, except
that the muzzle is shorter, and the ears smaller, and partly pendulous.

Seventy or eighty years ago, the breed of pointers was nearly white, or
varied with liver-coloured spots; some, however, belonging to the Duke
of Kingston, were perfectly black. This peculiarity of colour was
supposed to be connected with exquisite perfection of scent. That is not
the case with the present black pointers, who are not superior to any
others.

Mr. Daniel relates an anecdote of one of his pointers. He had a dog that
would always go round close to the hedges of a field before he would
quarter his ground. He seemed to have observed that he most frequently
found his game in the course of this circuit. [25]

Mr. Johnson gives the following characteristic sketches of the different
breeds of pointer:

THE SPANISH POINTER,

originally a native of Spain, was once considered to be a valuable dog.
He stood higher on his legs, but was too large and heavy in his limbs,
and had widely spread, ugly feet, exposing him to frequent lameness. His
muzzle and head were large, corresponding with the acuteness of his
smell. His ears were large and pendent, and his body ill-formed. He was
naturally an ill-tempered dog, growling at the hand that would caress
him, even although it were his master's. He stood steadily to his birds;
but it was difficult to break him of chasing the hare. He was deficient
in speed. His redeeming quality was his excellent scent, unequalled in
any other kind of dog.

[To convince our readers of the value of this particular breed, we may
mention the very singular sale of Colonel Thornton's dog Dash, who was
purchased by Sir Richard Symons for one hundred and sixty pounds worth
of champagne and burgundy, a hogshead of of claret, and an elegant gun
and another pointer, with a stipulation that if any accident befell the
dog, he was to be returned to his former owner for fifty guineas. Dash
unfortunately broke his leg, and in accordance with the agreement of
sale was returned to the Colonel, who considered him a fortunate
acquisition as a stallion to breed from. (See Blain or Daniel).--L.]

THE PORTUGESE POINTER,

although with a slighter form than the Spanish one, is defective in the
feet, often crooked in the legs, and of a quarrelsome disposition. He
soon tires, and is much inclined to chase the hare. The tail is larger
than that of the spaniel, and fully fringed.

THE FRENCH POINTER

is distinguished by a furrow between his nostrils, which materially
interferes with the acuteness of smell. He is better formed and more
active than either the Spanish or Portugese dog, and capable of longer
continued exertion; but he is apt to be quarrelsome, and is too fond of
chasing the hare.

[We will close this account of the Pointer by transferring from the
pages of the "Spirit of the Times" our remarks upon this particular
breed.

The French variety, as described by English authors, is much smaller
than either of the above breeds; and although possessed of great beauty,
acute scent, and other qualifications that would render him valuable in
their eyes, still is considered much inferior, not being able to cope
with their dogs in hunting, owing to a want of physical power of
endurance.

Youatt states, that he is distinguished by a furrow in his nose, which
materially interferes with his acuteness of smell.

These accounts do not agree with the French writers, to whom, it is very
true, the English should not look for any particular information
respecting hunting or shooting. Nevertheless, all must admit that they
are quite as capable of describing their particular breeds of animals as
other nations; and, in fact, we might go farther, and say that they are
much more competent to the task than English writers, judging from their
extensive knowledge in comparative anatomy, and their long array of
celebrated writers on natural history--the Cuviers, Buffon, &c.

'Baudrillart', in his 'Dictionnaire des Chases', describes the French
Pointer as having endurance and great industry, and of their being used
oftentimes solely for 'la grande chasse'. In the atlas of plates
accompanying this interesting work, will be found two distinct and
extremely correct drawings of the English Pointer, and also an engraving
of the French variety, which latter, certainly, is represented as being
equally, if not more muscular and and hardy, than the English.

As for the furrow in the nose, as mentioned by Youatt, no reference is
made to it in connection with this species, and in the engraving the
nose is square. But in describing another variety, known in France as
coming from Spain, 'Baudrillart' states, that they are vulgarly called
"a deux nez, parceque ce chien a les narines separees par une gouttiere."

As for Mr. Youatt's declaration in reference to the furrow in the nose
"materially interfering with the acuteness of smell," I cannot
understand how, or on what principle of reasoning, this slight deviation
from nature should affect the properties of the olfactory apparatus.
That these furrow-nosed dogs are inferior to the English in scenting
powers, as stated by Mr. Youatt, we do not question; but that their
deficiency depends upon this furrow, remains to be proved.

This furrow in the nose is merely a deformity, and like many others in
various breeds of animals, was solely the result of accident in the
first place; and as we often see, even in the human species, the
deformities and infirmities of our ancestors entailed upon their
progeny, so has this 'cut in the nose' been so extensively inherited by
succeeding generations, that it has now become a distinctive mark of a
whole class of dogs.

The French Pointer, as known in this country, is a beautiful,
well-shaped, compact, square-nosed dog; not so long or high as the
English, but extremely well built, full-chested, large head, pendent
ears, projecting eyes, large feet, and thickish tail. His colour, seldom
white, but generally intermingled with small spots of brown or chocolate
over the body, and more particularly over the head and ears. Such a dog
is in the possession of the writer, who knows nothing of his ancestry;
but is convinced from those he saw in France, that they must have been
imported from that country.

The English Pointer will now claim more particularly our attention. It
is quite useless to go into a general description of an animal of whom
we have already said much, and with whom we are all familiar; but we
will endeavour to mention the most striking points of the species, which
marks can be referred to as guides in the purchase of a dog.

It is a difficult matter to put on paper, in a manner satisfactory
either to the reader or writer, the peculiarities of any animal, whereby
he may be judged pure or mixed. However, there are, generally, some few
points in each species, that can be selected as proofs of their
genuineness and ability to perform certain actions peculiar to the race.

But, after all, more reliance must be placed upon the good faith of the
seller, or the previous knowledge of the strain from which the purchaser
selects--and what is better than either, from actual observation in the
field; all of which precautions may, nevertheless, prove abortive, and
our dog be worthless.

As regards the size of the English Pointer, we may say, that he averages
in length about 3 feet from the tip of the muzzle to the base of the
tail, and from 22 to 26 inches high. His head not bulky nor too narrow,
the frontal sinuses largely developed.

The muzzle long and rather tapering, the nostrils large and well open,
the ear slightly erect, not over long, and the tip triangular; if too
pendent, large and rounded at the tip, there is too much of the hound
present. The eyes lively, but not too prominent; the neck rather long
and not over thick, the chest broad, the limbs large and muscular; the
paws strong, hard and wide. The body and loins thin, rather than bulky,
the hind quarters broad, and the limbs in the same proportion with the
fore members; the tail long and tapering.--L.]