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CHAPTER XLIX. 

 THE ENGLISH POINT F. R. 



THERE are very few varieties of dog which owe more to the institution of dog shows than 

 the modern Pointer does. Up to the commencement of canine exhibitions the majority of the 

 admirers of this breed appear to have devoted the greater portion of their attention to breeding 

 for sporting purposes, and to a certain extent seem to have ignored appearance. Now 

 things are so far changed, by a wider knowledge of the Pointer having been extended to the 

 public, that most breeders seem to regard good looks more favourably than formerly. 



It must not, however, be thought that all those who bred Pointers were unimpressed 

 with the desirability of producing a handsome dog, or that they were by any means indif- 

 ferent to the symmetry of their strain, for many gentlemen have used great exertions to 

 improve their dogs by every means in their power. The inauguration of dog shows, never- 

 theless, has done a great deal in the way of obtaining uniformity of appearance in the 

 Pointer, though it must freely be confessed that more than one type is supported, and we 

 may add that it is always likely to be so, by the various judges. 



With reference to the appearance of this breed, it may, we think, be fairly taken for 

 granted that it is the offspring of the old Spanish Pointer referred to in the preceding chapter, 

 and the lighter variety of Foxhound, to which allusion has already been made in former 

 pages. The introduction of the latter blood was unquestionably the result of a desire on the 

 part of the Pointer's early breeders to increase the pace and stamina of the Spanish Pointer, 

 for, as before observed, his forte was nose, not pace. The hounds selected for the purpose of 

 crossing with this dog were, we consider most probable, chosen as light-formed as possible, and 

 probably some attention was also paid to their colour, as breeders, no doubt, preferred to get 

 their puppies well marked with white, as such are more easily seen at work than liver or 

 dark coloured dogs. The precise period at which the Pointer was introduced into this country 

 is, of course, unascertainable, as he is, as he at present exists, a manufactured breed, and 

 consequently made his appearance gradually. That the introduction has been, comparatively 

 speaking, of recent date, is, however, an almost palpable fact, as no mention is made of the 

 Pointer in the earlier works on canine subjects. Dr. John Caius, for instance, though fully 

 recognising the Spaniel and the Setter, makes no allusion to the Pointer, and this he most 

 certainly would have done if the breed were in existence here in his time. He particularly 

 alludes to the Spanish origin of the Spaniel ; and, as the earlier Pointers were unquestionably 

 imported from that country, he would have remarked upon that fact at the same time beyond 

 a doubt. 



Gervase Markham, too, gives prominence to the Setting dog, but ignores the Pointer, and 

 In fact it is only in the writings published towards the commencement of the present century 

 that we find allusion to the latter. This is no doubt due to the fact that shooting was only 

 becoming a popular recreation about this period, and this is clearly proved in the preceding 

 chapter. Up to this time the Setter was the sportsman's dog, as his peculiar mode of working 



