230 



THE RETRIEVER. 



The foxhound, together with the harrier and beagle, follows up the odorous track which is 

 left on the earth by the imprint of the hunted animal's feet, or the accidental contact of the 

 under-side of its body with the ground. But the pointer, Setter, spaniel, and other Dogs that 

 are employed in finding victims for the gun, are attracted at some distance by the scent that 

 exhales from the body of its game, and are therefore said to hunt by "body-scent," in contra- 

 distinction to the hounds who hunt by "foot-scent." The direction in which the wind blows 

 is therefore, a matter of some consequence, and is duly taken advantage of by every good 

 sportsman. 



RETRIEVER Dogs, which are so called on account of their value in recovering or "retriev- 

 ing" game that has fallen out of the reach of the sportsman, or on which he does not choose 

 to expend the labor of fetching for himself, are of various kinds, and in every case are obtained 



RETRIEVER Canis famUianf. 



by a crossing of two breeds. There are two principal breeds of Retrievers, the one being 

 obtained by the mixture of a Newfoundland Dog and a setter, and the other by a cross between 

 the water spaniel and the terrier. 



The former of these breeds is the most generally known, and is the animal which is 

 represented in the engraving. On inspection of this Dog, the characteristics of both parents 

 are plainly perceptible in its form. For the larger kinds of game, such as hares or pheasants, 

 this Dog is preferable to the Terrier Retriever, as it is a more powerful animal, and therefore 

 better able to carry its burden ; but, for the lesser description of game, the smaller Dog is 

 preferable for many reasons. 



The height of the large Retriever is from twenty -two to twenty-four inches ; its frame is 

 powerfully built, and its limbs strong. A good nose is necessary, for the purpose of enabling 

 the Dog to trace the devious and manifold windings of the wounded birds, which would baffle 

 any animal not endowed with so exquisite a sense of smell. The fur of this Dog is curly and 

 of moderate length, and is almost invariably black in color. Indeed, many Dog-owners wil] 

 repudiate a Retriever of any other color but black. 



