42 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPOKESMAN. 



sodainly stop and fall down upon their bellies, and so leasurely 

 creep by degrees to the game till they come within two or three 

 yardes thereof, or so neare that they cannot press nearer without 

 danger of retrieving. Then shall your setter stick, and by no 

 persuasion go further till yourself come in and use your pleasure." 

 From this setting spaniel the setter of to-day has been evolved. 

 Whether crosses were resorted to to perfect the dog, or whether he 

 was simply brought up by careful selection in breeding, is an open 

 question, some writers holding one and others the other theory. 

 The probability is, though experimental crosses were tried in some 

 instances, the main line of the setter family is as nearly pure, in 

 the sense of uncrossed, as any family of dogs we have. Certainly, 

 even the present setter retains the marks of his origin in what 

 would seem an unusual degree in a dog subjected to violent crosses, 

 and the changes which have been made, could result as well from 

 selection and effort to breed out undesirable qualities and perpetuate 

 those which are desirable, as from crossing. 



THE POINTER. 



The pointer was not introduced into England till many years 

 after the setter had come into general use. He was imported from 

 Spain in his pointer form, but is considered by authorities as the 

 descendant of some of the hounds, though how bred no one can 

 say. The Spanish pointer had his merits, and also his radical 

 defects, and to correct the latter foxhound and greyhound crosses 

 were introduced, so that the modern pointer is not only essentially 

 a cross-bred dog, but also materially changed in form and attributes 

 from even his near ancestors. 



THE SPANIEL. 



As the progenitor of the setter this dog would seem entitled to 

 earlier mention, but we have given the various breeds in the order 

 of their comparative relation to present field sports, and the spaniel 

 cannot therefore take precedence of the setter and pointer. Of 

 his origin even the earliest writers give no reliable information, 



