DOMESTIC DOGS 



the "point" for hours, until absolutely exhausted. Moreover, such dogs would 

 frequently make ' ' points ' ' at imaginary game. 



The pointer differs from the hounds in hunting by " body scent " instead of by 

 "foot scent." The most ancient breed appears to have been the old Spanish 

 pointer, which stood relatively high on the legs, and had a heavy, clumsy head, with 

 a long, wide, and squared nose, pendulous upper lip, with ears nearly as large as 

 those of the bloodhound, and a massive throat and distinct dewlap. This pointer 

 was of a surly disposition, slow in pace and apt to give chase to hares. His redeem- 

 ing point was, however, his marvelous perception of scent, and the perseverance 

 with which he would work his game. The Portuguese pointer is of rather shorter 

 ouild, with badly-formed legs and feet, and a long and fully-fringed tail, and dis- 

 plays the same faults of character as the Spanish breed. The French pointer is 

 distinguished by the presence of a furrow between the nostrils, which renders 

 its sense of smell less acute. It is, however, a better-shaped and more- 

 active dog than either 



- 



of the two preceding 

 oreeds, with more 

 power for hard work, 

 "but quarrelsome and 

 .given to hare chas- 

 ing. The modern 

 English pointer is 

 the lightest and best- 

 shaped dog of the 

 whole group, and is 

 Taelieved to have been 

 derived from the 

 Spanish breed, with 

 some intercrossing 

 either directly with 

 the greyhound or in- 

 directly through the 

 foxhound. 



This breed is characterized by its compact and well-knit build, sloping 

 shoulders, straight muscular limbs, and spirited action. The head is still relatively 

 large, but the pendulous upper lips, dewlap, and the heaviness of the throat have 

 been lost. The nose should be long, br6ad, and square in front. The eyes are 

 moderately large, soft, and intelligent, the color varying from buff to dark brown. 

 A peculiarly rounded outline on the upper side of the neck marks the well-bred 

 pointer, which can hardly be described in words. The tail is as straight as possible, 

 with no trace of a fringe, sharply pointed at the end, and carried low. The coat is 

 soft, although not silky. With regard to color, there are two strains, distinguished 

 as the "lemon and white," and the " liver and white," which are the most numer- 

 ous and the most esteemed ; in addition to which there are entirely black and 

 entirely liver-colored pointers, the latter being very rare. There are also black and 



ENGUSH POINTER. 



