34 INTRODUCTION. 



ly were produced, by means of accidental variety or 

 purposed selection, the several breeds of Stag-hound, 

 Blood-hound, old English Harrier (can. sagax, Lin.), 

 Fox-hound, common Harrier, and Beagle ; with numerous 

 varieties of the hound kind used in the chase throughout 

 Europe and other countries. The selection and culti- 

 vation of the Pointer (can. avicularis, Lin.'*) followed 

 these ; and about the same time, probably, the Bull-dog 

 first appeared, whose origin, it is not unlikely, was de- 

 rived from particularly small but sturdy specimens of 

 the mastiff '^ 



14 The Pointer, it is supposed, was first cultivated in Germany and 

 Spain : he was originally a strong heavy dog, but of great sagacity. 

 The pointer of Russia appears a distinct breed, and betrays, in 

 strong characters, his immediate origin from the early northern 

 races : neither are his general characters, nor his habits, like the 

 southern pointers. The property of stopping in pointers in general, 

 as soon as either the sight or scent of those animals (and of those 

 only) we call game arrests the attention, is wholly a cultivated qua- 

 lity, founded on a natural one inherent in all dogs. Every dog in- 

 stinctively crouches, or intently points, towards the object on which 

 he meditates an attack. By this means he lessens his bulk to de- 

 ceive his adversary or surprise his prey ; or he arrests his attention 

 for the same purposes. In this w ay, it is not unusual to witness two 

 complete mongrels making a perfectly steady poi7it at each other. 

 As this property is common to all, the introduction of the pointer 

 was probably a chance selection from among the early dogs accus- 

 tomed to hunt. The Setter is altogether a dog of different origin, 

 being only a more highly cultivated spaniel. 



"» I confess myself totally at a loss from whence to derive the ori- 

 gin of the Pug Dog. A hasty view might lead one to consider him as 

 descended from a dwarf breed of bull-dogs ; but closer inspection 

 shews many variations from the bull-dog in the external form. Well- 

 formed pugs are seldom under-hung; bull-dogs arc always so : the 

 colours also vary considerably ; and, above all, the bull-dog draws 

 an essential character from the fine taper of his tail, while the pug 

 is no less prized from his tail being of equal thickness throughout, 

 and locked up in a compact curl. 



