CHAPTER FOURTEEN ON DOGS 



their high bred and well brought up ancestors. For my own 

 part, I think it quite a superfluous trouble crossing a good 

 breed of pointers with fox-hound, or any other kind of dog, 

 by wayof adding speed and strength, — you lose more than 

 you gain, by giving at the same time hard-headedness and 

 obstinacy. It is much better, if you fancy your breed of 

 pointers or setters to be growing small or degenerate, to 

 cross them with some different family of pointers or setters 

 of stronger or faster make, of which you will be sure to find 

 plenty with very little trouble. It is a great point in all dogs 

 to allow them to be as much at liberty as possible ; no ani- 

 mal kept shut up in a kennel or place of confinement can 

 have the same use of his senses as one who is allowed to 

 be at large to gain opportunities of exerting his powers of 

 observation and increase his knowledge in the ways of the 

 world. Dogs who are allowed to be always loose are very 

 seldom mischievous and troublesome, it is only those who 

 are kept too long shut up and in solitude that rush into 

 mischief the moment they are at liberty; of course it is 

 necessary to keep dogs confined to a certain extent, but 

 my rule is to imprison them as little as possible, Mine, 

 therefore, seldom are troublesome, but live at peace and 

 friendship with numerous other animals about the house 

 and grounds, although manyof those animals are their na- 

 tural enemies and objects of chace: dogs, Shetland ponies, 

 cats, tame rabbits, wild ducks, sheldrakes, pigeons, &c., 

 all associate together and feed out of the same hand; and 

 the only one of my pets whose inclination to slaughter I 

 cannot subdue, is a peregrine falcon, who never loses an 

 opportunity of killing any duck or hen that may venture 

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