THE COCKING SPANIEL. 199 



case in battues ; the game, in these, as I must consider 

 them, unsportsmanlike butcheries, being driven up by 

 beaters. The reason of this preference of the spaniel is 

 twofold. First, he does the work better than the pointer 

 or setter can do it ; secondly, it is an injury to the latter 

 species to inure them to this sort of work, which is not 

 suited to their habits, instincts, or style of hunting. 



Those dogs are naturally endowed with great range 

 and speed of foot, and ought, if high bred and endowed 

 with good noses, to stand their birds steadily at long 

 distances. 



These are the points and excellences of fine setters or 

 pointers ; the proper stage for which is, in England, the 

 moors, or the open partridge stubbles and turnip fields , 

 here the prairies, for grouse, the open stubbles for quail, 

 and the snipe marshes. 



If they be duly qualified to hunt these grounds in style, 

 and to find their game fast and well in such situations, 

 they will, in covert, range entirely out of shot, will proba- 

 bly overrun and put up many birds, quite beyond the 

 shooter's range, or, coming to a dead point, at a quarter of 

 a mile's distance, with heaven knows how much brush and 

 brier intervening, will be missing half of the time, or will 

 have, instead of themselves hunting, to be painfully hunted 

 up by their owner. 



Over and above this, being used to hunt under the 

 constant supervision of the sportsman's eye, where the 

 least error is observed and the least fault rated, finding 

 themselves under less restraint in covert, they are apt to 

 become careless and to run riot. To this habit they are 



