122 TRAINING THE HUNTING DOG 



Any cur of good hunting instinct and ability may 

 be taught to hunt and point birds with more or less 

 success. In the course of time he learns that capture 

 in the pursuit of birds is consequent to silent and 

 careful effort only, though the point work of the cur 

 is inefficient and unreliable from a point of utility as 

 compared with that of the pointer and setter. 



The pause to capture, called pointing, is a mere 

 incident in the exercise of the general purpose. It 

 may have even a wider application, as exhibited by 

 hounds or curs which have been trained to road and 

 stop on deer, keeping close in front of the deer hunter 

 while so roading and drawing, and timing their ef- 

 forts with exquisite judgment for the success of the 

 gun. 



Strange dogs, meeting on the highway for the first 

 time, not infrequently stiffen and feather as they 

 stealthily draw toward each other, mimicking am- 

 bush and attack, or preparing for actual battle, ac- 

 cording to their whims or the governing circum- 

 stances. The uses of pointing, as exercised in the 

 dog's activities, comprehend a much greater scope 

 than that considered by sportsmen. 



Setters and pointers, as a matter of reason, employ 



