THE SETTER. . 185 



fail to do this, and it is unusual for them to point except 

 at hedgerows, or on running game. 



In America, wherever I have shot, East or West, in 

 Canada or in the States, I have but twice in five and 

 twenty years seen a setter set, and then it was accidental ; 

 so far as this, that the dog usually stood. It is worthy of 

 remark also, that, on my first arrival in this country, I 

 shot over a dog which was bred in my own family and 

 which I broke myself in England. I do not think I ever 

 saw him point in his old country ; I know I never saw him 

 set in his new. After I lost him, I for many years im- 

 ported dogs of the same family, which traced back to 

 Lord Clare's red Irish breed and Colonel Thornton's cele- 

 brated black dog " Death," and always with the same re- 

 sult not one of them ever set. 



I should like vastly to arrive at something, concerning 

 this strange point in natural history, but it defies conjec- 

 ture. 



I omitted above to say that in my own opinion, for 

 choice, perhaps I should rather say for fancy, the best 

 colors for English setters are pure black ; pure white 

 the latter very rare red and white, or lemon and white, 

 with black noses; black and white, or black and tan. 

 Roan, or fleabitten dogs, whether red and white speckle, 

 called strawberry, or black and white speckle, called blue, 

 are unobjectionable. 



But I have something of a prejudice against liver or 

 liver and white setters ; as I regard the colors as belong- 

 ing, of right, to the water-spaniel, or to the pointer, and 

 therefore indicating the suspicion of a cross. In the 



