THE ENGLISH SETTER. 25 



by dogs in training, and not such as is exhibited by broken 

 dogs. It requires a long course of training to bring the dog 

 to steadiness on his points to subserve the purposes of the 

 sportsman; but this only shows that, by training, the sports- 

 man has diverted to his own use a quality which is an aid 

 to the dog in gaining a food-supply in a state of nature, the 

 dog being a carnivorous animal. That the act of pointing, 

 so far as its practical application is concerned, is but par- 

 tially instinctive is demonstrated by the various methods 

 which the Setter has in pursuing his prey; for instance, 

 when drawing on the trail of birds, he is mute, and shows 

 the greatest caution in avoiding making any noise, knowing 

 that noise would alarm the prey and destroy all chances, as 

 a chase after birds would be hopeless. In chasing rabbits, 

 which are a part of his prey, and which he hunts with 

 greater zest than birds, he gives tongue merrily and makes 

 no attempt at caution. That this trait of pointing may also 

 be acquired is a well-attested fact. The writer had a Bull 

 Terrier which was an excellent squirrel-dog. From seeing 

 an occasional ruffed grouse shot, he learned that they were 

 objects of pursuit. When he struck the trail, he would 

 road cautiously and silently, making a point at the proper 

 place with excellent judgment, and in this manner, by his 

 intelligence, giving many good shots. On squirrels, he was 

 noisy and rapid in his work. There are a number of such 

 instances mentioned by authors. 



Yet the popular belief, in respect to the purposes of the 

 pointing instinct, is opposed to these views. 



The following, from " British Dogs," contains the gist of 

 the popular teachings and belief on the subject: "I look 

 upon the form exhibited by Pointers, and some Setters, 

 when standing to game as an inherited habit, the result 

 of education. The stop, or point, voluntarily made by our 

 dogs now, is the inherited result of training the breed, gen- 

 eration after generation, to forego the spring onto the game 

 natural to a carnivorous animal, in order to serve the gun." 

 This is quoted as being an accurate expression of how the 

 pointing instinct was developed; therefore it will serve as 



