324 FRANK forester's FIELD SPORTS. 



bred as south-country dogs, and therefore more calculated for 

 rough work. Many are crossed with the Foxhound, which 

 gives them speed and courage as well as hardness of foot ; hut 

 the produce of the first cross is generally too high-mettled to be 

 managed with ease, being difficult to break from running Hares, 

 or to down-charge ; and, for the most part, very hard-mouthed. 

 You may reckon on six days out of every twelve being rainy 

 in the Highlands ; the wet, and injuries from burnt heather, 

 &c., cause the Pointer soon to become foot-sore, particularly 

 between the toes, as he has no hair to protect his feet, like the 

 Setter. High-bred Pointers are also delicate in their appetites, 

 and wiil not eat the Scotch meal at firet. Gentlemen should 

 have plenty of greaves sent to their shooting quarters to mix 

 with it, as meat can seldom be had in the remote Grouse coun- 

 tries. They should give orders that their dogs should be fed 

 immediately on their return from the hills, and their feet care- 

 fully washed with salt and water : indeed, if gentlemen saw to 

 those things themselves, they would find their account in it, 

 observing that such dogs as would not feed well were never 

 taken out the following day. ' A stitch in time saves nine,' is 

 a good wholesome maxim. 



" ' I now proceed to speak of the Setter. The Irish Setters 

 are very beautiful both in and out of the field ; but so hot-head- 

 ed, that unless always at work, and kept under very strict 

 discipline, they constantly spoil sport for the first hour, frequent- 

 ly the best in the whole day. I have shot to many, and found 

 them all pretty much alike. I had one, the history of whose bad 

 and good qualities would fill half-a-dozen pages. As long as I 

 kept him to regular hard woi-k, a belter never entered a field : 

 I refused forty guineas for him, and shot him a month afterwards 

 for his bad deeds. I bred from him, out of an English Setter 

 bitch, and some of the produce turned out very good ; one of 

 them I shot to myself for eight seasons : my reasons for parting 

 with him I will presently explain. Unless to throw more dash 

 into my kennel, I should never be tempted again to become 

 master of an Irish Setter. Frequently, Partridges are driven 



