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Some American Sporting Dogs. 



COCKER SPANIELS " SNIP " AND "JULIET." (OWNED BY S. J. BESTOK, HARTFORD, CONN.) 



There is a dog which is destined to become a great favorite in 

 this country, and I doubt not that we have a much larger sphere for 

 his usefulness than they have in England. This is the little cocker 

 spaniel. He is a merry, active worker, not pointing his birds, but 

 giving tongue when he strikes the scent, which he follows until the 

 bird is flushed. In our thick, almost impenetrable covers, particu- 

 larly where woodcock are shot, in summer, the cocker is especially 

 valuable, as he can make his way under briers and into places where 

 a larger dog could not penetrate. In such shooting the dog is almost 

 always out of sight of his master, and a stanch setter or pointer might 

 be lost on his point ; whereas, the cocker, by giving tongue, apprises 

 the gunner, not only of his own whereabouts, but also of the presence 

 of game. Could I countenance such an unsportsman-like proceeding 

 as shooting a bird while sitting, I might say that they would be use- 

 ful for treeing ruffed grouse instead of the mongrels now used ; but 

 their real value is in woodcock shooting. The illustration of Mr. 

 Bestor's fine imported dogs sufficiently describes their general ap- 

 pearance. There is another variety of spaniel, the clumber, which 

 is deservedly popular in England, as possessing all the advantages in 

 cover shooting of the cocker, but hunts mute. They are rare even 

 on the other side, and the only pure specimens I have seen in this 

 country are those imported by Mr. Jonathan Thorne, Jr., of Duchess 

 County, in this State. As spaniels are not expected to point their 

 game, they should be broken to range close, never more than twenty 



