16 



THE SETTER. 



ing; Dogs, called setters, are now to be met with of all forms, 

 miserably deficient in the most prominent quality, setting, and 

 generally very inferior to the modern pointer in every respect. 

 Not one in a hundred of these mongrels are worth the notice of 

 the sportsman ; many of them it is utterly impossible to Lreak 

 or train, and even of those which are in some measure forced 

 into subordination, very few become sufficiently steady to be 

 fully depended on, or to render their services satisfactory. It is 

 true, sometimes one is met with of approved worth ; but the 

 instances were so few which had come within my knowledge, 

 that I despised what was called the setter altogether. 



Speaking, however, on this subject to a friend, he remarked 

 that he was no sportsman himself, but that his father had a 

 breed of setters, which he believed would alter my opinion ; and 

 that he would procure me a specimen for that purpose. I paid 

 but little attention, aware that promises of this sort are very 

 often neglected ; but I did my friend injustice ; for in the 

 course of a few weeks, I received a whelp about six weeks old. 

 In the course of a short time afterwards, I happened to be walk- 

 ing across some fields near my residence, accompanied by a fav- 

 ourite pointer bitch; the whelp followed and kept close to my 

 heels. As I had not gone out for the purpose of finding game, 

 I devoted but little attention to my canine companions ; never- 

 theless, after walking a few minutes, I missed the whelp, and on 

 looking round, was much surprised and delighted at seeing 

 him abreast of my favourite bitch, pointing, as well as she, 

 with all the steadiness of a veteran. I walked to the spot and 

 was astonished at the earnestness of the whelp's countenance ; 

 and had it not been for his whelpish appearance, from his man- 

 ner no person would have doubted that he had gone through 

 all the requisite degrees of education, and had become a perfect 

 master of the science. I sprung the birds and permitted my 

 whelp to enjoy the scent. He followed me the next day on a 



