54 SHOOTING IN CHINA 



and good at retrieving, but they run big 

 and heav)^, and are too much given to 

 " pottering." A last word may be said in 

 favour of the pointer : he can be worked 

 from the beginning to the end of the shoot- 

 ing season, whereas it is little less than 

 cruelty to take a spaniel or a setter out 

 before December. 



"If the foregoing considerations are any- 

 thing worth, the reasonable answer to the 

 question this chapter commenced with is 

 that the pointer is the best dog for shooting 

 purposes in North China." 



Clothes : The condition of the weather 

 will suggest the thickness of the clothes 

 that should be worn. The color is very 

 important and must conform to the color 

 of the landscape. A shooting suit of some 

 light brown color will, as a rule, meet the 

 requirements at most any time of the season. 

 The hat or cap ought to be of a similar color 

 to the clothes ; I prefer the hat with a soft 

 crown and rather a stiff brim as being a 

 better protection to the face and back part 

 of the head. A cap, of course, may be made 

 to cover the back part of the head, but then 

 it interferes more or less with the ears 



