FRANCE 



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and foxes, and they interbred. Great brachs, beautiful spaniels, grey- 

 hounds and sheep-dogs — all this wandering band of the canine race 

 were fused in a mixture, in which it was no longer possible to 

 take up the thread in such a maze. Peace being once more estab- 

 lished, the chase became a common right, of which everyone was 

 ready to avail himself Everyone then looked out for dogs and took 

 such as he could lay hands on. Some knew how to choose ; others, 

 q-uite ignorant of the proper qualities, continued the breeds of 

 mongrels. The confusion went from bad to worse. 



Do we not continually see a dog closely resembling a pointer 

 chasing with the throat of a greyhound a hare wounded or missed 

 by its owner? It is easy in such cases to discover in the animal the 

 mixture of one of our breeds of Saintonge. Vendee, "briquet," or such 

 like with the pointer of olden time. 



English breeds, with an energetic manner of searching that does 

 not interfere with their perfect scent, have therefore been adopted 

 all over the country depleted of its game, and they have been so 

 effective these last forty years that their employment is universal. 

 Pointers, setters, and little spaniels, so useful in the shooting of 

 birds, nowadays fill French kennels. Their good qualities have 

 justified their naturalisation. An influential Society, composed of the 

 pick of French sportsmen (I had the honour of being among its 

 founders and on its committee), and presided over by the Prince 

 of Wagram, has been formed, and looks after the dog shows of Paris 

 and also the international field-trials. The Society has instituted a 

 stud-book for all breeds, and countenances with its support all 

 institutions aiming at the re-establishment or improvement of the 



