FOR THE FIELD AND FIELD TRIALS. IIQ 



stops to the scent of game or prey, the act is called 

 pointing, setting or standing. It is observed in a 

 more or less rudimentary state in all dogs which are 

 used for hunting purposes, and is sometimes ex- 

 hibited even by curs which have no pretensions what- 

 ever to good breeding, or, for that matter, to any 

 breeding at all. 



The following excerpt from Stonehenge has fur- 

 nished nearly all writers their data for the origin of 

 the pointing instinct : "The setter is, without doubt, 

 either descended from the spaniel, or both are off- 

 shoots from the same parent stock. Originally 

 that is, before the improvements in the gun intro- 

 duced the practice of 'shooting flying' it is believed 

 that he was merely a spaniel taught to 'stop' or 'set' 

 as soon as he came upon the scent of the partridge, 

 when a net was drawn over the covey by two men. 

 Hence he was made to drop close to the ground, an 

 attitude which is now unnecessary, though it is 

 taught by some breakers, and notably to fast dogs, 

 who could not otherwise stop themselves quickly 

 enough to avoid flushing. Manifestly, a dog prone 

 on the ground allowed the net to be drawn over him 

 better than if he were standing up ; an4 hence the for- 



