A SPORTING PIG. 35 



gamekeeper to Sir Henry Mildmay, testifies to the teachability of 

 these animals ; and therefore, as it is our intention to defend them 

 from many of the aspersions cast upon them, we will quote it. 



" Toomer actually broke a black sow to find game, and to back 

 and stand. Slut was bred in, and was of that sort which maintain 

 themselves in the New Forest without regular feeding, except when 

 they have young, and then but for a few weeks, and was given, 

 when about three months old, to be a breeding sow, by Mr. Thomas 

 to Mr. Richard Toomer, both at that time keepers of the forest 

 From having no young she was not fed or taken much notice of, and, 

 until about eighteen months old, was seldom observed near the 

 lodge, but chanced to be seen one day when Mr. Edward Toomer 

 was there. The brothers were concerned together in breaking 

 pointers and setters, some of their own breeding, and others sent to 

 be broke by different gentlemen ; of the latter, although they would 

 stand and back, many were so indifferent that they would neither 

 hunt, nor express any satisfaction when birds were killed and put 

 before them. The slackness of these dogs first suggested the idea 

 that, by the same method, any other animal might be made to stand, 

 and do as well as any of those huntless and inactive pointers. At 

 this instant the sow passed by, and was remarked as being very 

 handsome. R. Toomer threw her a piece or two of oatmeal roll, 

 for which she appeared grateful, and approached very near ; from 

 that time they were determined to make a sporting pig of her. The 

 first step was to give her a name, and that of Slut (given in conse- 

 quence of soiling herself in a bog) she acknowledged in the course 

 of the day, and never afterwards forgot. Within a fortnight she 

 would find and point partridges or rabbits, and her training was 

 much forwarded by the abundance of both which were near the 

 lodge ; she daily improved, and in a few weeks would retrieve birds 

 that had run as well as the best pointer, nay, her nose was superior 

 to the best pointer they ever possessed, and no two men in England 

 had better. She hunted principally on the moors and heaths. Slut 

 has stood partridges, black-game, pheasants, snipes, and rabbits, in 

 the same day, but was never known to point a hare. She was sel- 

 dom taken by choice more than a mile or two from the lodge, but 

 has frequently joined them when out with their pointers, and con- 

 tinued with them several hours. She has sometimes stood a jack- 

 snipe when all the pointers had passed by it: she would back the 

 dogs when they pointed, but the dogs refused to back her until spoke 

 to, their dogs being all trained to make a general halt when the 

 word was given, whether any dog pointed or not, so that she has 

 been frequently standing in the midst of a field of pointers. In 

 consequence of the dogs not liking to hunt when she was with them, 

 (for they dropped their sterns and showed symptoms of jealousy ) 

 she did not very often accompany them, except for the novelty, or 



