46 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN. 



sirable, but not to the extent of being ' reached' or ' wheel-backed/ 

 a defect which generally tends to a slow up-and-down gallop. 

 Stifles well bent and set wide apart, to allow the hind legs to be 

 brought forward with liberty in the gallop. 



" Legs, elbows, and hooks (value 12). The elbows and toes which 

 generally go together should be set straight, and if not, the ' pigeon 

 toe' or inturned leg is less objectionable than the out turn, in which 

 the elbow is confined by its close attachment to the ribs. The arm 

 should be muscular and its bone fully developed, with strong and 

 broad knees, short pasterns, of which the size in point of bone should 

 be as great as possible (a very important point), and their slope not 

 exceeding a very slight deviation from the straight line. Many 

 good judges insist upon a perfectly upright pastern, like that of the 

 foxhound ; but it must not be forgotten that the setter has to stop 

 himself suddenly when at full stretch he catches scent, and to do 

 this with an upright and rigid pastern causes a considerable strain 

 on the ligaments, soon ending in ' knuckling over ;' hence a very 

 slight bend is to be preferred. The hind legs should be muscular, 

 with plenty of bone, clean strong hocks, and hairy feet. 



"The feet (value 8) should be carefully examined, as upon their 

 capability of standing wear and tear depends the utility of the dog. 

 A great difference of opinion exists as to the comparative merits of 

 the cat- and hare-foot for standing work. Foxhound masters in- 

 variably select that of the cat, and as they have better opportunities 

 than any other class of instituting the necessary comparison, their 

 selection may be accepted as final. But as setters are specially 

 required to stand wet weather, it is imperatively necessary that there 

 should be a good growth of hair between the toes, and on this 

 account a hare-foot, well clothed with hair, as it generally is, must 

 be preferred to a cat-foot naked, as is often the case, except on the 

 upper surface. 



" The flag (value 5) is in appearance very characteristic of the 

 breed, although it sometimes happens that one or two puppies in a 

 well-bred litter exhibit a curl or other malformation, usually consid- 

 ered to be indicative of a stain. It is often compared to a scimitar, 



