VARIETIES OF THE DOG. 93 



the sportsman, repressing his cry of joy when he finds his game, and his 

 momentary pause, and gathering himself up in order to spring upon it 

 artificially, converted into a steady and deliberate point. There still re- 

 mains a strong resemblance, in countenance and in form, between the 

 pointer and the fox-hound, except that the muzzle is shorter, and the ears 

 smaller, and partly pendulous. 



Seventy or eighty years ago, the breed of pointers was nearly white, 

 or varied with liver-coloured spots ; some, however, belonging to the Duke 

 of Kingston, were perfectly black. This peculiarity of colour was sup- 

 posed to be connected with exquisite perfection of scent. That is not the 

 case with the present black pointers, who are not superior to any others. 



Mr. Daniel relates an anecdote of one of his pointers. He had a dog 

 that would always go round close to the hedges of a field before he would 

 quarter his ground. He seemed to have observed that he most frequently 

 found his game in the course of this circuit." 



Mr. Johnson gives the following characteristic sketches of the different 

 breeds of pointer : 



THE SPANISH POINTER, 



originally a native of Spain, was once considered to be a valuable dog. 

 He stood higher on his legs, but was too large and heavy in his limbs, and 

 had widely spread, ugly feet, exposing him to frequent lameness. His 

 muzzle and head were large, corresponding with the acuteness of his smell. 

 His ears were large and pendent, and his body ill-formed. He was natur- 

 ally an ill-ternpered dog, growling at the hand that would caress him, 

 even although it were his master's. He stood steadily to his birds ; but it 

 was difficult to break him of chasing the hare. He was deficient in speed. 

 His redeeming quality was his excellent scent, unequalled in any other 

 kind of dog. 



THE PORTUGUESE POINTER, 



although with a slighter form than the Spanish one, is defective in the 

 feet, often crooked in the legs, and of a quarrelsome disposition. He soon 

 tires, and is much inclined to chase the hare. The tail is larger than that 

 of the spaniel, and fully fringed. 



THE FRENCH POINTER 



is distinguished by a furrow between his nostrils, which materially interferes 

 with the acuteness of smell. He is better formed and more active than 



a The author of The Field Book says small dark-brown spots appeared over his 

 that he saw an extremely small pointer, whole body and legs, 

 whose length, from the tip of the nose to This beautiful little animal had an ex- 

 the point of the tail, was only two feet and quisite sense of smell. Some of the same 

 half an inch, the length of the head being breed, and being the property of the Earl 

 six inches, and round the chest one foot of Lauderdale, were broken-in and made 

 and three inches. He was an exquisite excellent pointers, although, from their 

 miniature of the English pointer, being in minute size, it could not be expected that 

 all respects similar to him, except in his they would be able to do much work. 

 size. His colour was white, with dark When intent upon any object, the dog as- 

 liver-coloured patches on each side of the sumed the same attitude as other pointers, 

 head, extending half down the neck. The holding up one of his feet. The Field 

 ears, with some patches on the back, were Book, p. 399. 

 also of the same colour, and numerous 



