134 THE COMPLETE SHOT 



need have no relationship to the essentials for a working 

 dog. 



In these days of wild grouse and partridges, all the fine 

 qualities and beauties of a pointer are absolutely useless unless 

 the individual is endowed with the very best of olfactory 

 powers. 



The length of a pointer's " nose " is determined by the 

 day ; but the author is inclined to believe that the relative 

 distances at which any two dogs can find game always bear 

 the same proportions to each other. One on a fair scenting 

 day may find game at 100 yards and another at 10 yards ; 

 another day, or in other circumstances, the same two noses 

 will be effective at 50 yards and 5 yards respectively. Even 

 this great difference does not convey all there is between the 

 best and the worst. Such differences have been observed even 

 at field trials, where each sportsman only enters his very best. 

 But behind those is the rest of the kennel, and every breeder of 

 dogs must occasionally breed the very bad indeed. The author 

 has, at any rate, sometimes seen a dog with a total inability to 

 find game although both its parents had exceptional olfactory 

 powers. What the explanation may be cannot be suggested, 

 but there may be a kinship between the organs of sight, hearing, 

 and smell, and as there are some colours and sounds the human 

 eye and ear cannot detect, and some scents that the human 

 nose cannot recognise and the dog's nose can, it seems possible 

 that even a dog's nose may occasionally be found either below 

 or above the range of sensitiveness usual in the canine. But 

 " nose" is the only quality in the dog that does not seem to be 

 within the control of the skilled breeder, who may expect 

 success within limits from proper selections of parental form, 

 pace, stamina, and heart, but in inheritance of olfactory powers 

 must expect the unexpected occasionally, but not often. 



Having obtained pure bred pointers, it is well to remember 

 that nose is even more important than enormous speed. 

 A dog travelling 50 while another went IOO yards would be 

 a crawler ; but, as has been said above, nose differs by much 

 more. When, therefore, we consider the comparative merits ot 



