92 DOMESTICATED DOGS FOR THE 



The small Danish dog is smaller than the Dalmatian ; but, being 

 spotted in the same way, and characterized by the same fondness 

 for horses, they are generally confounded under the term " Coach 

 Dog." 



SETTERS. 



THE ENGLISH SETTER. THE BLACK AND TAN OE GORDON SETTER. THE 

 IRISH SETTER. 



The setter is, without doubt, either descended from tne spaniel, 

 or both are offshoots from the same parent stock. Originally 

 that is before the improvements in the gun introduced the practice 

 of " shooting flying," it is believed that he was merely a spaniel 

 taught to " stop" or " set" as soon as he came upon the scent of 

 the partridge, when a net was drawn over the covey by two men. 

 Hence he was made to drop close to the ground, an attitude which 

 is now unnecessary ; though it is taught by some breakers, and 

 notably to very fast dogs, who could not otherwise stop themselves 

 quickly enough to avoid flushing. Manifestly, a dog prone on the 

 ground allowed the net to be drawn over him better than if he 

 was standing up ; and hence the former attitude was preferred, an 

 additional reason for its adoption being probably that it was more 

 easily taught to a dog like the spaniel, which has not the natural 

 cataleptic attitude of the pointer. But when "shooting flying' 1 

 came into vogue, breakers made the attempt to assimilate the atti- 

 tude of the setting spaniel, or "setter" as he was now called, to 

 that of the pointer; and in process of time, and possibly also by 

 crossing with that dog they succeeded, though, even after the 

 lapse of more than a century, the cataleptic condition is not so 

 fully displayed by the setter as by the pointer. In the present day, 

 as a rule, the standing position is preferred, though some well 

 known breakers, and notably George Thomas, Mr. Statter's keeper, 

 have preferred the " drop," which certainly enables a fast dog to 

 stop himself more quickly tnan he could do by standing up. It is, 



