CH. iv.] THE TRUE NEWFOUNDLAND. 73 



alive in his mouth, it having no other wound that could be perceived 

 than on the pinion of one wing. 



124. With such a nose as "Ben's" could there have been any 

 harm in his being taught to " down charge," and might there not 

 have been much good (119) ? You see that owing to his having put 



up the hare while K g's friend was loading, it might have 



escaped, had it, as is usually the case, at once taken to the hills. 



125. Large retrievers are less apt to mouth their game 

 than small ones : but very heavy dogs are not desirable, 

 for they soon tire. And yet a certain medium is neces- 

 sary, for they ought to have sufficient strength to carry 

 a hare with ease through a thicket, when balanced in 

 their jaws, and be able to jump a fence with her. They 

 should run mute. And they should be thick coated : 

 unless they are so, I do not say long coated, they 

 cannot be expected to dash into close cover, or plunge 

 into water after a duck or snipe when the thermometer 

 is near zero. 



126. From education there are good retrievers of many breeds, 

 but it is usually allowed that, as a general rule, the best land 

 retrievers are bred from a cross between the setter and the New- 

 foundland, or the strong spaniel and the Newfoundland. I do not 

 mean the heavy Labrador, whose weight and bulk is valued because 

 it adds to his power of draught, nor the Newfoundland, increased 

 in size at Halifax and St. John's to suit the taste of the English 

 purchaser, but the far slighter dog reared by the settlers on the 

 coast, a dog that is quite as fond of water as of land, and which 

 in almost the severest part of a North American winter will remain 

 on the edge of a rock for hours together, watching intently for any- 

 thing the passing waves may carry near him. Such a dog is highly 

 prized. Without his aid the farmer would secure but few of the 

 many wild ducks he shoots at certain seasons of the year. The 

 patience with which he waits for a shot on the top of a high cliff' 

 (until the numerous flock sail leisurely underneath) would be fruit- 

 less, did not his noble dog fearlessly plunge in from the greatest 

 height, and successfully bring the slain to shore. 



127. Probably a cross from the heavy, large-headed setter, who, 

 though so wanting in pace, has an exquisite nose ; and the true 

 Newfoundland, makes the best retriever. Nose is the first deside- 

 ratum. A breaker may doubt which of his pointers or setters 

 possesses the greatest olfactory powers, but a short trial tells him. 

 which of his retrievers has the finest nose. 



