THE RETRIEVER. 



THOUGH not so essential to the suite of the sports- 

 man in pursuit of game as the water-spaniel to the 

 wild-fowl shooter, the Retriever is a most useful, 

 as well as becoming, companion in the field. In 

 cover, it is not possible to dispense with his services 

 without a vast sacrifice of game : for such is the loss 

 of all badly wounded birds, and, indeed, of nearly 

 every head of game that is hit. In thick under- 

 wood, not only will a dog recover nine birds out of 

 ten that a man would miss, but it disturbs them also 

 just in an inverse ratio. Pointers and setters are 

 both trained to retrieve, but it is a bad economy ; 

 the retriever should be limited to hunting, in or out 

 of cover, for wounded game, and bringing it to bag. 

 There are various opinions as to the best cross from 

 which this valuable sporting servant can be bred. 

 Perhaps as good as any, is that between a strong, 

 low-sized setter bitch and a pure Newfoundland dog. 

 Our own bias leans to a cross with a Newfoundland dog 

 and a pointer bitch ; animals so bred certainly excel 

 in nose. The pointer itself can be taught to retrieve ; 

 but when so used, he must not hunt in company. 



A gentleman, of the name of Callender, an in- 

 habitant of Edinburgh, had not long since a retrieving 

 pointer, which, when bringing to him in its mouth a 

 bird he had just shot, hit upon the scent of another, 

 a wonderful instance of nose. The animal coolly 

 laid the bird on the ground, and putting his foot 



