128 British Dogs. 



depended upon as "backers," and, when opportunity serves them, they 

 will take away the other dog's point a most serious fault. This same 

 failing makes them reckless in their range, and they have the stupid 

 habit of folloiv the leader, instead of taking up an independent beat, 

 and, often from sheer jealousy, commit faults (amongst others, that of 

 " flushing"), not from want of nose, but from giving too much attention 

 to what the other dog is doing, instead of minding their own work. 

 What is most needed in a pointer to make him a good workman is a good 

 nose, plenty of pace, a level sweeping stride, that will enable him to hunt 

 a lot of ground without distressing himself, a natural love of hunting, 

 making him anxious to find game, with sufficient perseverance to make 

 him continue ranging, even where game is scarce ; a lively, kindly, 

 temperament, with plenty of courage without being headstrong, not 

 jealous of a companion, though ever ready to do his share of work, 

 standing correction for a fault without getting sulky or refusing to work, 

 neither sly, shy, nor wilful ; carrying his head well up, never stooping to 

 ground scent ; having sufficient brains to make him clever at getting on 

 to " point " by making the best use of the wind in quartering the ground. 

 When a sportsman has succeeded in breeding or obtaining pointers 

 possessed of the qualities I have enumerated, as necessary for success on 

 the show-bench and in the field, if he takes my advice, he will be very 

 chary in parting with them. 



The gentlemen that at present possess dogs nearest to my idea of the 

 model pointer are Messrs. J. H.Whitehouse, Samuel Price, G. Pilkington, 

 E. Lloyd Price, G. Moore, T. Statter, C. H. Mason, Heywood-Lonsdale, 

 W. Arkwright, Barclay Field, R. P. Leeche, Viscount Downe, and Lord 

 Sefton. 



The brace illustrated, Special and Stella, combine in a marked degree 

 those qualities I have attempted to describe, and which I consider are sine 

 qua non in a first-class pointer. Stella has been decided by competent 

 judges to be one of the best large pointer bitches in England, 

 as evidenced by the fact that some five years ago she won the 

 cup at the Crystal Palace, and then, after a rest of four years, 

 was again shown and won first Palace, first Birmingham, and then 

 took champion cup at Birmingham in 1878, which proves that for 

 the last few years nothing has been produced that can relegate 

 her to a "back seat." She is one of the very few Sancho bitches 



