THE SPORTSMAN IN FRANCE. 155 



and, to use an Oriental term, the dogs 

 are of '' high caste," in nine cases out of 

 ten the setter supersedes the necessity of 

 a retriever ; and it would be superfluous 

 to point out the advantages my favourite 

 animal possesses in a woody country, 

 where wounded birds would inevitably 

 be lost under the ancien regime of shoot- 

 ing to pointers alone. 



It frequently happens that pointers are 

 foot-sore, and consequently useless in a 

 stony country ; whereas the setter, being 

 by nature furnished with ample protec- 

 tion to his feet, is seldom, if ever, unfit 

 for work from this cause. I shot for 

 three seasons consecutively (including 

 the spring, when the snipe were in the 

 marshes) with my invaluable god-send 

 " Mouche," and never took any other dog 

 out with me, and she was never on the 

 doctor's list for an hour. 



I would take the liberty of recom- 



