142 THE AMERICAN BOOK OF THE DOG. 



in the joints, the knees and hocks being especially required 

 to be bony. The elbows should be well let down, giving a 

 long upper arm, and should not be turned in or out, the 

 latter being, however, the lesser fault of the two, as the 

 confined elbow limits the action considerably. The reverse 

 is the case with the hocks, which may be turned in rather 

 than out, the former being generally accompanied by that 

 wideness of stifles which I have already insisted on. Both 

 hind and fore pasterns should be short, nearly upright, and 

 full of bone. 



The feet (value 8) are all-important; for, however fast 

 and strong the action may be, if the feet are not well 

 shaped and their horny covering hard, the dog will soon 

 become foot-sore when at work, and will then refuse to leave 

 his master's heels, however high his courage may be. 

 Breeders have long disputed the comparative good quali- 

 ties of the round, cat-like foot, and the long one, resem- 

 bling that of the hare. In the Pointer, my own opinion is 

 in favor of the cat-foot, with the toes well arched and close 

 together. This is the desideratum of the M. F. H., and I 

 think stands work better than the hare-foot, in which the 

 toes are not arched, but still lie close together. In the Set- 

 ter, the greater amount of hair to a certain extent condones 

 the inherent weakness of the hare-foot; but in the Pointer 

 no such superiority can be claimed. The main point, how- 

 ever, is the closeness of the pads compared with the thick- 

 ness of the horny covering. 



The stern (value 5) must be strong in bone at the root, 

 but should at once be reduced in size as it leaves the body, 

 and then gradually taper to a point like a bee's sting. It 

 should be very slightly curved, carried a little above the 

 line of the back, and without the slightest approach to curl 

 at the tip. 



Of symmetry and quality (value 7) the Pointer should 

 display a goodly proportion, no dog showing more differ- 

 ence between the gentleman and his opposite. It is impos- 

 sible to analyze the essentials, but every judge carries the 

 knowledge with him. 



