DOGS FOR THE MOORS. 13 



though not at all an infallible one, is the manner of 

 finding game. The sportsman must watch most nar- 

 rowly the moment when the dog first winds : if he 

 throws up his head, and moves boldly and confidently 

 forward, before settling on his point, it is a very good 

 sign ; if, on the contrary, he keeps pottering about, try- 

 ing first one side, then another, with his nose sometimes 

 close upon the ground, even though at last he comes to 

 a handsome point, I should think it most probable that 

 he is a badly-bred, inferior animal. 



The purchaser, before taking the trouble to try a dog, 

 should make sure that he has a hard round foot, is well 

 set upon his legs, symmetrically though rather strongly 

 made ; but the great thing is the head. It ought to be 

 broad between the ears, which should hang closely down; 

 a fall in below the eyes ; the nose rather long, and not 

 broad ; nostrils very soft and damp. If these points are 

 attended to, the dog will seldom have a very inferior 

 nose. The above remarks relate .principally to pointers, 

 as I greatly prefer them to setters ; but if the sportsman 

 has a scanty kennel, I should rather recommend the 

 latter, as they are often capable of undergoing more 

 fatigue, and not so apt to be foot-sore. For my own 

 part, however, I find the pointer so much more docile 

 and pleasant to shoot with, that I never use setters; con- 

 cerning the choice of which, as there are so many varie- 

 ties, totally differing in appearance from each other, it 

 would be useless to lay down any rules. 



