74 THE AMERICAN HUNTING DOG 



While the English Retriever has but small vogue 

 in our country, there being but one entry in the 

 big 5-point Westminster show, any breed that has 

 some special virtue will always find adherents 

 among our sportsmen. The Eetriever has been 

 in the main supplanted by our own Chesapeake, 

 and the Irish Water Spaniel, but there is another 

 dog, called, Down East, the Tolling Dog, which 

 hails from Newfoundland and seems destined to 

 have a future with us. His admirers have written 

 me at length concerning the virtues of the breed. 

 I shall content myself here with a brief statement 

 of the particular claims of the breed on the atten 

 tions of American sportsmen. Suppose you had 

 a dog that bred true to type, was an unexcelled 

 cold-water retriever and would "toll" ducks for 

 you. Sounds interesting, but just what is "toll 

 ing" ducks! Well, Down East they have solved 

 that vexatious problem of a raft of ducks playing 

 out in front of your blind (but most warily keep 

 ing well out of gun range), by using a tolling dog. 

 This dog is trained to perform antics in the sedge ; 

 now in sight, now down in the grass, appearing 

 and disappearing, until the curious ducks begin to 

 swim in, little by little, to satisfy themselves what 

 it is all about. They seem to have no fear of the 

 toller which is a rather small dog, and soon are in 



