The Pointer. 235 



was in 1891, Mr. Walter Gilbey, of Norfolk, sent up 

 a brace of Spanish pointers. These were short, 

 thick set, small dogs, fawn, rather than lemon 

 and white in colour, doubled nosed, with short 

 stumpy heads very ugly animals indeed, and, how- 

 ever staunch and steady they might be on game, 

 they would certainly be sadly deficient in pace, 

 and of no use in competition against the high rangers 

 we at present own. Nor could these Spanish pointers 

 of Mr. Gilbey's compare with the one Stubbs 

 had, over a hundred years before, given us upon 

 canvas. As a fact, they were short and thick enough 

 in head, and sufficiently heavy in under-jaw, to 

 give indications of a bulldog cross. Still, they 

 were pure bred animals so far as they went. 



Good as the old Spanish pointer had been, our 

 English sportsmen required something better. The 

 old strain tired much, and became slow at the 

 end of a day's heavy work ; and indeed, it lacked 

 perseverance generally. So, it was said, a cross 

 was resorted to. History tells us this was found 

 with the foxhound, and that the celebrated Colonel 

 Thornton, of Yorkshire, was the first man to 

 bring the improved dog prominently to the notice 

 of the public. This might be so or not, we fancy 

 not ; for, about the same period, pointers, far removed 

 from the imported Spanish dog in appearance, were 



