498 



THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG. 



slightly drawn up belly, and his admirably 

 straight legs. The stern is naturally like 

 that of the Pointer, but is generally docked. 

 In colour the Poodle-Pointer is grizzle- 

 brown, brown and patched. Black, white, 

 and pale colours are objected to. 



The old Weimar Pointer is a smaller and 

 less muscular dog than the more common 

 national type of Germany, with a narrower 

 head and a softer coat. The colour is silver- 



ITALIAN BRACCO, 



grizzle or mouse grey, without markings. 

 The a\-erage height is 23 inches. Another 

 variety is the Pointer of Wiirtemberg, a 

 heavy, thick-set dog which approaches the 

 hound in character. His ears are noticeably 

 large. In colour he is brown, brindle about 

 the back and head, with light tan-and-white 

 markings, the white being plentifully ticked 

 with brown, which reminds one of a speckled 

 trout. The height at the shoulder may be 

 27 inches, and the weight from 60 to 75 lb. 

 In addition to their work as game finders 

 the gun-dogs of Germany have to be equal 

 to the task of polishing off a wounded fox 

 as well as retrieving hares or birds. 



Hound-like also is the Bracco, or 

 Italian Pointer, of which there are two 

 classes, those above and those below 

 24 inches in height. They have an oval 

 head, with a long, straight muzzle, pendulous 

 lips, folded ears set on a line with the eye, 

 large and deep chest, short, broad loins and 



strong, straight legs. They often have dew- 

 claws. In colour the Bracco is white and 

 orange, white and liver, iron grey, or roan. 

 Italian fanciers regard this as the parent of 

 all Pointers ; but the Spaniards have more 

 justification for the belief, their Perro de 

 Mostra being unquestionably the forbear of 

 the breed, at least in its more distinguished 

 types. 



The Spanish Pointer still exists as a 

 useful working dog with the gun. 

 It is heavy and loosely made, 

 larger than the English variety, 

 and much less elegant. Latterly 

 the English Pointer has been in- 

 troduced into Spanish kennels, 

 and the native dog has in con- 

 sequence been suffered to fall into 

 neglect. The Spanish Pointer is 

 often double nosed. 



The same can only be said with 

 reservation of the French Braques, 

 which for many generations have 

 been kept in excellent training for 

 work under the gun. They are of 

 many types, and are known by 

 various names, although most of 

 them are alike in their general 

 characteristics. A distinct variety 

 is the Braque St. Germain, a fine, up- 

 standing lemon and white dog, somewhat 

 more leggy than we desire on this side 

 of the Channel, but elegant in shape and 

 showing admirable quality and capacity for 

 speed. His tail is allowed to remain its 

 natural length ; but not so the Braque de 

 Bourbonnais, whose caudal appendage is 

 never permitted to be more than three inches 

 in length. This latter is a short, compact 

 and cobby dog, white in colour, with light 

 chestnut flecks, and no large markings. His 

 lips are pendulous and heavy, his ears rather 

 fine and not large. His back is rounded 

 towards the hindquarters, which are short 

 and muscular. His height is about 23 

 inches. 



The Old Braque is usually white, with 

 large patches of chestnut. He is a heavy, 

 thick-set animal, with short neck, broad, 

 square muzzle, loosely hanging lips, and 

 long thin ears. He has further a conspicuous 



