288 Modern Dogs. 



Pliny of Germany. Gesner says there were two 

 sorts of dogs that follow their masters, who use 

 a small firearm (minor bombarda) for the purpose of 

 taking fowl. He, however, only alludes to them 

 as bringing birds to their masters ; but naturally 

 education in the art of retrieving would follow 

 that of finding the birds. So there is little doubt 

 that these sixteenth century dogs that Gesner 

 wrote about, not only found the game, but brought 

 it to their masters when shot, just as a well-trained 

 dog of the present would do. 



Firearms and gunpowder had been introduced long 

 prior to this, and, although the earliest firearms were 

 big cumbrous weapons that had to be fired from a 

 rest, tubes for firing gunpowder from the shoulder 

 were introduced into England about 1440. From 

 this date until approaching the middle of the follow- 

 ing century appears an extraordinarily long period for 

 the development of the firearm from an implement of 

 warfare to one for sporting purposes. We must not, 

 however, forget that in these early days of firearms, 

 the wounds caused by them were almost always fatal, 

 possibly not so much on account of the nature of the 

 wound, but because the surgical treatment at that 

 time \vas of an unskilful character. Such being the 

 case, those whose pleasure it was to kill birds or other 

 creatures would not care to do so with either a 



