118 THE AMERICAN BOOK OF THE DOG. 



of country, where cockle-burs, sand-fleas, nettles, and other 

 pests which annoy the long-haired dog, most abound. 

 On this point, Forester, in his " Field Sports," says: 



The Pointer's skin becomes infinitely tender, and his whole frame more 

 delicate and fine-drawn, by high breeding, but so much does he gain thereby 

 in pluck and courage, that I have seen pure-blooded dogs of this strain 

 tearing away through cat-brier brakes, literally bleeding at every pore, and 

 whimpering with pain; while great, coarse-bred, hairy brutes, of six times their 

 apparent power of frame and capacities of endurance, slunk away like curs, 

 as they were unable to face the thorns. 



It is also true that the Pointer's feet are not so well 

 padded as the Setter's; but Nature seems to have provided 

 for that by increasing the thickness and toughness of the 

 flesh and skin of the foot, enabling it to stand a great 

 amount of work before becoming tender. It must also be 

 remembered that the round, compact foot of the well-bred 

 Pointer is inherently stronger and more enduring than the 

 weak and loosely constructed hare-foot of many strains of 

 Setters. Besides, the Pointer has inherited the foot of the 

 Foxhound, which for a hundred years or more has been 

 cultivated and developed to withstand hard usage and 

 constant wear. 



In the field trials of 1889, held in Ireland, under the 

 auspices of the Irish Setter Club, and on the roughest of 

 moors and heathery mountain-sides, the Pointer bitches 

 Perdita and Mopsa, and Devonshire Lady and Sail, carried 

 off first and second prizes in the Brace stakes, and Mopsa 

 the Champion Cup, valued at twenty guineas, over some 

 of the best Irish and English Setters in Ireland this, 

 also, during stormy, raw, and most disagreeable weather. 

 Devonshire Sail also won the final stake in the Derby, for 

 both Pointers and Setters. 



So far as the field trials are concerned, the Pointer has 

 not, as a general rule, been as successful as the English 

 Setter, because (1) he has not been entered in equal num- 

 bers; (2) so much time and money have not been expended 

 in his development; and (3) because, as a rule, he does not 

 start off to his work with the snap and dash of the Setter, 

 is not at first so wide, and extensive in his range, and is 



