The Setter. 279 



ing and drawing up to his game, when sufficiently 

 close, comes to a full stop, and a net is drawn or 

 cast over birds and dogs alike. Five hundred years 

 ago there was some excuse for taking game by means 

 of nets, but with modern firearms, breach-loading 

 guns so quickly loaded and emptied, the net ought 

 to have disappeared entirely. Still, its use is now 

 confined entirely to some few ill-conditioned, grasping 

 hill farmers, or the more sporting-like poacher. 



There is an engraving (of the early part of the 

 fourteenth century) still preserved in the Royal 

 Library which depicts two ladies and one attendant 

 hawking. Here are two spaniels of that day, odd 

 looking creatures enough, with pendulous ears and 

 long hound-like tails, evidently in the act of going 

 carefully up to some game or other, and the attitude 

 of the huntresses, with their hands raised and care- 

 fully poised, gives the idea that they are steadying 

 their dogs with their ancient equivalent of " So ho! 

 careful, good dogs ! " The girl carrying her hawk 

 on her hand is drawing the attention of her bird to 

 the action of the dogs. 



An earlier MS. than this is illustrated by the figure 

 of an archer in the act of shooting a bird on the 

 wing. This is from the Saxon of about the eighth 

 century ; the sportsman here is not accompanied 

 by a dog of any kind ; but this would scarcely be 



