DOGS 49 1 



is shown by the tail and its carriage, and by the ten- 

 dency to head off birds in manner similar to that 

 employed in herding sheep. In color the Gordon set- 

 ter is supposed to be deep black and tan, though there 

 is good proof that the dogs at Gordon Castle were 

 black and tan, black, tan and white, and liver and 

 white. Laverack, in 'The Setter," wrote of them as 

 follows: "As far as my observation goes, they lack 

 the endurance of the other breeds that I have named; 

 they are coarser and heavier made, and have not the 

 light and agile action of the blacks, the black and 

 whites, the black-grays, or blue and lemon and white 

 Beltons I have tested. . . . Black-tans, as a rule, have 

 sour, coarse heads; shoulders loaded, heavy, and too 

 upright; are heavy and thick-limbed; large feet, often 

 too straight and tilty in the hind quarters; tail thick 

 and ropy. Many of the black-tans have obstinate, stub- 

 born tempers, and are not particularly easy to break." 

 The modern pointer is supposed to be a descendant 

 of the old Spanish pointer which was introduced into 

 England in the early part of the eighteenth century. 

 The Spanish pointer was a coarse, slow dog, sadly in- 

 efficient in the matter of speed and range, to improve 

 which a foxhound cross was introduced. The much 

 racier modern type is said to be the result. In the late 

 '705 and early '8os of the last century many pointers 

 dogs and bitches of excellent blood, and fame as 

 workers, were imported from England ; but, strange to 

 relate, only an exceedingly small percentage of their 

 offspring proved to be noteworthy as workers afield, 



