Varieties of the Dog. 5 



which combine towards the essential qualities of the 

 breed, viz., strength, speed, and endurance. A black 

 nose is common to the liver and white pointer, but it is 

 disastrous to the lemon and white in the show ring. 



The head of the pointer should be large but not 

 heavy, wide across the ears, and showing a raised fore- 

 head. The nose should be long and broad, with its front 

 outline square, the teeth being even. This marks the 

 pointer from the hound, whose nose has a tendency to 

 slope towards the throat, the extreme of which is called 

 the "pig's snout." The lips should be well marked, 

 without running into the flews of the bloodhound. Ears 

 long, soft, and thin, set on low down, and carried quite 

 close to the cheeks. Eyes moderately large, soft, and 

 intelligent, the colour varying from buff to dark brown 

 according to that of the coat. A peculiarly rounded out- 

 line on the upper side of the neck marks the well-bred 

 pointer, which can scarcely be described in words. No 

 throatiness is allowable, as it indicates too much of the 

 Spanish strain. This point should be divided as follows : — 

 Skull, 10 ; nose, lo ; ears, 5 ; neck, 5 — total, 30 



The frame may be divided into loin, hind quarter, 

 shoulders, and chest. The loin, which with the hind 

 quarter constitutes the propellmg powers, must be well 

 arched, broad, and deep, and strongly united to the ribs 

 in front, and to the couples behind, which latter should 

 be wide and somewhat ra,2:ged. Next in importance are 

 the shoulders, upon the obliquity of which depends the 

 elasticity of the action, while they must be well clothed 

 with muscle, to enable the dog to keep up for many 

 hours in succession. The chest must be full, but not so 

 much so as that of the old barrel-shaped Spanish pointer, 

 the back ribs being required to be very deep. Hind 

 quarters well bent at the stifles, provided with strong 

 hocks, and clothed with powerful muscles. In estima- 

 ting these points, I should give to the shoulders and 

 chest, 15 points; back and hind quarters, 15 points- 

 total, 30 points. 



Without the feet and legs the continued action of each 

 dog must altogether be forbidden, as weakly-formed ones 



