474 LETTERS TO YOUNG SHOOTERS 



pluck, hardihood, and intelligence, of the smooth and 

 the curly-coated retriever, there is no appreciable 

 difference between them. 



8. A small dog for a retriever, one that looks as if 

 he could hardly carry a hare a light dog is able to 

 do twice the work in hot weather that a heavy one 

 can, and will at all times be far quicker on his game ; 

 as to retrieving a hare, that is not often necessary 

 nowadays, though the old-fashioned lumbering half- 

 Newfoundland breed favoured by our forefathers was 

 formerly considered indispensable for ground game. 

 A light dog that will retrieve winged game smartly is a 

 much more serviceable animal than a heavy one, even 

 should the former now and then find it a struggle to 

 bring along a wounded hare. 



4. A long body in proportion to his height a short 

 dog never gallops fast, and a low dog naturally hunts 

 with his nose close to the ground, when a tall one can- 

 not or will not. 



5. Legs perfectly straight, but short, and with 

 plenty of bone right down to the foot, though not in 

 any way lumpy in the joints. 



6. Feet that give a firm, extended foothold, but 

 which do not splay out so as to widely separate the 



