Some American Sporting Dogs. 627 



by any other breed. " Idstone " says he has seen better setters of 

 the black-and-tan than of any other breed. Their heads are a little 

 heavier than the English setters, they have more flew, are deeper in 



HEAD OF POINTEH "SENSATION." (OWNED BY WESTMINSTER KENNEL CLUB, NEW-YORK CITY.) 



chest and body, with more bone ; otherwise their points vary but 

 little. Much, however, depends upon their coats, which must be a 

 glossy black with a slight wave allowed, but no suspicion of a curl, 

 and the tan with which they are marked should be of the richest red. 

 Before leaving the setters, a word as to their origin may not be 

 out of place. Most authorities claim that the setter was known in 

 iand long before the pointer was introduced, he being a direct 

 descendant of the spaniel. In fact, they are spoken of as "setting 

 spaniels," being used, before the introduction of fowling-pieces, to aid 

 in lecturing game by first finding the birds and then "setting" or 

 pointing in that position while the net was passed over dog and birds 



ether. In time, after the introduction of the pointer, they came 

 to point their game in the same manner, although even now we 

 occasionally find a setter that drops or crouches to the ground 

 immediately upon sce nti ng his birds. 



Although the colors of pointers at the present day are quite as 



varied as those of setters, there is but little doubt that the color of 



the old Spanish pointers, from whom they are all descended, was a 



liver and white. Color is quite a matter of fancy, but I confess to a 



rence for orange and white in the setter, and lemon and white 



