414 DOGS USED FOR SPORT. 



Ears should be long and somewhat rounded at the points, but not 

 so long as to give a spaniel look, and they should be well coated, 

 fringe hanging below the rim. A thick ear would indicate ill breed- 

 ing. Head should be broad at the top, and nearly square to the 

 eyes, and the latter should be full, bright, of gentle expression. 

 Muzzle should be. well squared out, and lips slightly pendulent. 

 Coat should not be curly, but long and wavy. Many persons pre- 

 fer that the feather on the hind legs should extend below the gam- 

 brel joint, and many of the best bred dogs have it, but we do not 

 consider it either ornamental or useful. Black nose and eyes are 

 distinguishing marks of high breeding, besides adding much to the 

 beauty of the dog. 



In regard to the best colors for a dog for field purposes, a great 

 diversity of opinions prevails. In shooting over an open country — 

 the prairies, for instance — it does not matter so much about colors ; 

 but in shooting in dense coverts it is important, we think, that a 

 dog should be of such colors as can readily be seen — such as 

 orange and white, lemon and white, black and white, or black, 

 white and tan. 



Setters of various strains are the preferred dogs of the country 

 for general service, their thick coat of hair protecting them from 

 brush and briars in tangled cover, and from wet and cold ; \vhile 

 thick tufts of hair about their toes save them from injury by sharp 

 stones and close cut stubble. One objection to setters is, that they 

 cannot stand the summer heats, and another that their coat catches 

 burrs and other trash, which often put them to great inconvenience 

 and discomfort ; they in some instances refusing to work at all in 

 burrs. 



With regard to the much discussed question whether a setter 

 ought to be taught to retrieve, we reply : " Certainly ; we want a 

 dog that will save us the trouble of picking up our dead birds and 

 walking long distances after them." Retrieving is one of the chief 

 characteristics of the setter. The ancestors of this animal were 

 retrieving spaniels, and it v/as their first propensity to fetch and 

 carry. In England most of the gentlemen who patronize field 

 trials state that the birds should not come in too close contact 

 with the dog's nose as it injures the scent. Suppose it does, which 

 we are inclined to disbelieve. To talk plainly, the majority of our 



