Varieties of the Dog. 



chest is rarely so wide or barrelled as is allowable in that 

 dog. The hips are also more ragged and the loin slightly 

 more arched. 1l\\qsq points are : shoulders and chest, 15 ; 

 back and hind quarters, 15 — total, 30 points. 



In the feet and legs also the remarks on the pointer are 

 equally applicable, but there is some difference of opinion 

 as to the hare-foot, which by many is considered to be 

 necessary to the thorough-bred setter. In this shape the 

 toes are longer than in the cat-foot, more split up, and 

 thickly clothed with strong hair between the toes. No 

 doubt this last feature is of great service in keeping the 

 skin free from inflammation when at work over marshy 

 ground, but the long toes which usually attend this de- 

 velopment do not stand so well as the stout cat-like forma- 

 tion of the other foot. It is somewhat diflicult to strike 

 the balance between these feet, as one form is best suited 

 to wet ground and tlie other to hard. If it is possible to 

 get the cat-like foot with sufficient hair upon it, I should 

 no doubt prefer that form, and though I have never seen 

 the two fully united, I do not despair of getting them by 

 careful breeding. Legs and feet, 1 2 ; elbows, hocks, and 

 stifles, 8. 



In the general quality or character there is not much 

 to alter from the remarks given under the pointer, but the 

 stefji ox fag varies a good deal. It should be set on well 

 up the back, but not carried with the slightest curl over 

 it, though there may be a gentle and regular sweep in its 

 upper outline. The feather should be flat, long, and 

 silky, deep in the centre, and tapering to each end. This 

 should be as pointed as in the pointer, and should be 

 carried in the same perpendicular plane as the rest of the 

 flag, without the slightest approach to the corkscrew form. 

 Total value, 10. 



The coat must be fine and silky, but stifl somewhat 

 hard to the touch, a combination that can only be felt, 

 and not imagined. There must be little or no curl, while 

 the shorter it is on the body, and the longer in the feather, 

 the better for the value of the dog. Value in conjunction 

 with symmetry, 10. The order of merit of the various 

 colours met with is as follows, viz. : — i. Orange and 



