174 MANUAL FOB YOUNG SPORTSMEN. 



Chance which was as curly about the ears and poll as 

 an ordinary water-spaniel. 



I do not know the pedigree of this animal, and it is 

 possible, though barely so, that he might have a cross of 

 water-spaniel in his blood. It is not, however, probable, 

 for the water spaniel is an exceedingly rare dog in the 

 United States, so much so that in a residence of five and 

 twenty years, I have not seen half a dozen of the race. 

 His character and conduct showed nothing of the spaniel, 

 which is the most riotous and hard to break of all sporting 

 dogs, for he was singularly docile, cool-headed, and, though 

 the best retriever I ever saw, was almost, if not quite, the 

 stanchest setter, both at the point, and the down charge. 



The chief cause of the question which has arisen con- 

 cerning the origin of this beautiful and sagacious animal, 

 it appears to me, is simply the new name, which with the 

 improvement of field-sports, the subdivisions which have 

 been introduced, and the nicer distinctions which have 

 been of consequence required, has come into use, it would 

 seem, within the last century. 



I find it variously stated, that the spaniel was first 

 taught to set in the reign of Edward II., and that he is 

 mentioned in a MS. treatise by the grand huntsman of 

 that monarch, so long ago as 1307 and, again, that 

 Dudley, Duke of Northumberland in 1335, first systemati- 

 cally broke in setting dogs. 



One objection, and a very material one, to the latter 

 version, being the fact that Robert Dudley was not Earl, 

 much less Duke, of Northumberland in 1335, but Henry 

 Percy. 



