116 WILD SPORTS OF THE HIGHLANDS. [CUAP. xiv. 



" he lias got beaten off by the deer." Looking- at him, I saw 

 that most of the blood was not his own, the wounct not being 

 at all deep ; I also knew that once having had hold of the deer, 

 he would not have let go as long as he had life in him. " Where 

 is he, old boy ? take us to him," said I ; the dog perfectly under- 

 standing me, looked up in my face, and set off slowly with a 

 whine of delight. He led us through a great extent of wood, 

 stopping every now and then that we might keep up with him ; 

 at last he came to the foot of a rock where the stag was lying 

 quite dead with his throat torn open, and marks of a goodly 

 struggle all round the place ; a fine deer he was too, arid much 

 praise did the dog get for his courage and skill : I believe I 

 could have sold him on the spot at any price which I had chosen 

 to ask, but the dog and I were too old friends to part, having 

 passed many years together, both in London, where he lived with 

 my horses and used to run with my cab, occasionally taking a 

 passing fight with a cat ; and also in the country, where he had 

 also accompanied me in many a long and solitary ramble over 

 mountain and valley. 



In choosing a young dog for a retriever, it is a great point to 

 fix upon one whose ancestors have been in the same line of busi- 

 ness. Skill and inclination to become a good retriever are 

 hereditary, and one come of good parents scarcely requires any 

 breaking, taking to it naturally as soon as he can run about. It 

 is almost impossible to make some dogs useful in this way, no 

 teaching will do it unless there be a natural inclination a first- 

 rate retriever nascitur nonjit. You may break almost any dog 

 to carry a rabbit or bird, but it is a different thing entirely to 

 retrieve satisfactorily, or to be uniformly correct in distinguishing 

 and sticking to the scent of the animal which is wounded. 



In the same way pointing is hereditary in pointers and setters, 

 and puppies of a good breed, and of a well educated ancestry, 

 take to pointing at game as naturally as to eating tiieir food, 

 and not only do they, of their own accord, point steadily, but 

 also back each other, quarter their ground regularly, and in fact 

 instinctively follow the example of their high bred and well 

 brought up ancestors. For my own part, I think it quite a 

 superfluous trouble crossing a good breed of pointers with fox- 

 hound, or any other kind of dog, by way of adding speed and 



