THE ENGLISH SETTER. 19 



unsearehed, where any haunt is likely to be hidden; and when he doth it, most 

 coragiously and swiftly, with a wanton playing taile, and a busie labouring 

 nose, neither desisting nor showing less delight in his labour at night than he 

 did in the morning. 



"And his cunning hunting is discerned by his casting about heedfully, 

 and running into the wind of the prey he seeketh; by his stillnesse and quiet- 

 nesse in hunting, without babbling or barking; but when he is upon an assured 

 and certain haunt, by the manner of his ranging, and when he compasseth a 

 whole field about at the first, and after lesneth and lesneth the circumference, 

 till he have trodden every path, and brought the whole circuit to one point; 

 and by his more temperate and leisurely hunting, when he comes to the first 

 scent of the game, sticking upon it, and pricking it out by degrees; not open- 

 ing or questing by any means, but whimpering and whining to give his 

 master a warning of what he scenteth, and to prepare himself and his hawke for 

 the pleasure he seeketh; and when he is assured of his game, then to quest out 

 loudly and freely." 



After describing Spaniels which "delight in plains or the open fields," and 

 others more adapted for covert, he goes on to say: "There is another sort of 

 Land Spannyels which are called Setters, and they differ nothing from the former, 

 but in instruction and obedience, for these must neither hunt, range, nor 

 retaine, more or less, than as the master appointeth, taking the whole limit of 

 whatsoever they do from the eie or hand of their instructor. They must never 

 quest at any time, what occasion soever may happen, but as being dogs with- 

 out voices, so they must hunt close and mute. And when they come upon the 

 haunt of that they hunt, they shall sodainely stop and fall down upon their bellies, 

 and so leisurely creep by degrees to the game till they come within two or three 

 yards thereof, or so neare that they can not press nearer without danger of 

 retrieving. Then shall your Setter stick, and by no persuasion go further 

 till yourself come in and use your pleasure. Now the dogs which are to be 

 made for this pleasure should be the most principall, best, and lustiest Spann- 

 yel you can get, both of good scent and good courage, yet young, and as little 

 as may be made acquainted with much hunting." 



There is no doubt that the Setter is a Spaniel, brought by a variety of 

 crosses (or rather, let us say, of careful selections) to the size and form in 

 which we now find him. He is the most national of all our shooting dogs, and 

 certainly has existed for four centuries. His form probably has improved. 



The net used in different countries required the same character of dog. 

 He might be slow, heavy, or slack, and soon fatigued, but he would answer 

 the purpose. But when shooting flying superseded the use of the net, the 

 moors, the Grampians, the Norfolk turnips (before they were sown in drills), 

 the Irish potato-fields, the low Scottish wolds, or the fens of Lincoln, all 

 required dogs of different types, accommodated to their several hunting- 

 grounds. 



The description of the Setter's manner of hunting is 

 both quaint and spirited; yet there is nothing whatever in 

 the writings quoted which implies that the Setter had a 



