THE SETTEE.] 



THE DOG-, AXD ITS ^AEIETIES; 



[the setter. 



hour before, but bad since been through a 

 considerable portion of high cover. Fortu- 

 nately, however, Mr. Pocock had a retriever 

 dog with him, which he sent into the wood to 

 find the missing valuables ; hardly, however, 

 supposing that he would really do so ; but, 

 upon following the animal some distance into 

 the high wood, the dog was found to have 

 taken his station at the stem of a small tree, 

 into which he was anxiously looking up, and 

 endeavouring to jump. Mr. Pocock's gratifi- 

 cation and surprise may be imagined, when he 

 saw his watch and chain suspended in the 

 tree by the bough which had drawn them from 

 his pocket. 



The nature of the setter was generally well 

 understood two centuries and a-half ago. 

 Gervase Markham, in his work On the Art of 

 Fowling, says — " I know that in divers places 

 in this kingdom the setting dogs are to be 

 taught (so that men of ability may have them 

 at their pleasure) ; yet, likewise, I know they 

 are sold at such great rates and prices, that no 

 industrious man whatsoever (which either loves 

 the sport, or would be partaker of the benefit) 

 but will be glad to learn how to make a dog 

 himself, and so both save his purse and make 

 his pleasure and profit both more sure and 

 more delicate ; for this I must assure all men 

 that buy their dogs from mercenary teachers, 

 that evermore those salesmen do reserve in 

 their own bosoms some one secret or another, 

 for the want of knowledge whereof the pur- 

 chaser quickly finds his dog imperfect, and so 

 is forced upon every disorder or alteration of 

 keeping to send the dog back to his first master 

 anew to be reformed, which, drawing on you a 

 new price, makes the dog's certain price with- 

 out end, and without valuation. This fault to 

 redress, and to make every man the true master 

 of his own work, I will show you here, in a 

 brief and compendious manner, all the mys- 

 teries and secrets which lie hid in this laborious 

 business. The first thing, therefore, you must 

 learn in this art, is to make a true selection of 

 your dog which you intend to apply to this 

 purpose of setting ; and, in this selection, you 

 shall observe, that although any dog which is 

 perfect, and of good scent, and naturally ad- 

 dicted to the hunting of feathers — as whether 

 it be the land spaniel, water spaniel, or else 

 the mongrels between either or both of these 

 433 



kinds, or the mongrels of either of these 

 kinds, either with the shallow-flewed hound, 

 the tumbler, the lurcher, or indeed the small 

 bastard mastiff — may be brought to this per- 

 fection in setting (as I have seen by daily 

 experience, both in this and in other nations) ; 

 yet is there none so excellent, indeed, as the 

 true-bred land spaniel, being of a nimble and 

 good size, ratlier small than gross, and of 

 courageous and fiery metal, evermore loving 

 and desiring toil, when toil seems most irk- 

 some and weary, which, although you cannot 

 know in a whelp so young, as it is intended he 

 must be when you first begin to train him to 

 this purpose, yet you may have a strong spe- 

 culation therein if you choose him from a right 

 litter or breed, wherein, by succession, you 

 have known that the whole generation have 

 been endowed with all these qualities, as, 

 namely, that he is a strong, lusty, and nimble 

 ranger, both of active foot, wanton tail, and 

 busy nostril ; that his toil is without weariness, 

 his search without changeableness, and yet that 

 no delight nor desire transport him beyond 

 fear or obedience ; for it is the perfectest cha- 

 racter of the most perfect spaniel ever to be 

 fearful and loving to him that is his master 

 and keeper. I confess I have seen excellent 

 rare setting dogs made in the Low Countries, 

 which have been of a bastard tumbler's kind ; 

 and, indeed, I have found in them (if I may so 

 term it) a greater wisdom (which, indeed, is 

 but a greater fear) than in our land spaniels ; 

 but, comparing the whole work together, that 

 is, the labour of ranging, the scent in finding, 

 and the act of setting, they have been much 

 inferior to our dogs, and not able to make 

 their ways in the sharp thickets and trouble- 

 some covers, nor stand up with them in the 

 large and spacious campaigns. To speak then, 

 in a word, touching the best choice of this 

 setting dog, let him be as near as you can the 

 best bred spaniel that you can procure; and 

 though some have been curious in observing 

 their colours, as giving pre-eminence to the 

 motley, the liver-head, or the white or black 

 spotted; yet, questionless, it is but a vain 

 curiosity, for no colour is amiss for this pur- 

 pose, provided the natural qualities be perfect, 

 and answerable for the work to which end you 

 intend them." 



IS'otwithstanding all the precautions taken 



