16 THE SPORTSMAN'S VADE MECUM. 



POINTERS. 



The breed of Pointers, as now generally to be met with, k 

 called " the English," distinguished by the lightness of limb, 

 fineness of coat, and rattishness of tail. Fifteen or twenty 

 years ago this style of dog was seldom seen ; but, in place 

 of it, you had a much heavier animal heavy limbs, heavy 

 head, deep flew-jaws, long falling ears. Which of these 

 breeds was the best 'tis hard to say, but for America I 

 certainly should prefer the old, heavy, English Pointer. Too 

 much, I think, has been sacrificed to lightness, rendering him 

 too fine for long and continued exertion, too susceptible to 

 cold and wet, too tender skinned to bear contact with briers 

 and thorns, in fact, far too highly bred. Not that for a 

 moment I am going to admit that American Pointers are too 

 highly bred ; far from it, for there is hardly one that, if his 

 or her pedigree be carefully traced up, will not be found to 

 have some admixture of blood very far from Pointer in its 

 veins. Now this mongrel breeding will not end well, no 

 matter how an odd cross may succeed, and the plan to be 

 adopted is never to breed except from the most perfect and 

 best bitches, always having in view the making of strong, 

 well formed, tractable dogs, bearing in. mind that the bitches 

 take after the dog, and the dog pups after the dam, that 

 temper, ill condition, and most bad qualities are just as 

 inherent in some breeds as good qualities are in others. 

 Here, then, to begin with, you have a difficult problem to 

 solve ; for, in addition to the defects of your own animal, you 

 have to make yourself acquainted with those of the one you 

 purpose putting to it. Is your dog too timid copulate 



