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to express, in pretty intelligible language, my 

 reprobation of the practice so generally had 

 recourse to for the training of young pointers: 

 and it will be very necessary here to go some- 

 what further into the subject, at a time when, 

 in bringing a young dog into company, we are 

 placing him in a situation, where the defects 

 arising from this method of treatment will 

 become more universally conspicuous. Why is 

 the poacher's dog so frequently superior to that 

 of his lordship, in the great business of " finding 

 game?" The advantages of birth, and of feed 

 too, a circumstance of no small importance with 

 a view to the animal's nose, are altogether in 

 favour of the latter : but, as it has been said of 

 kings, that being born better, they are generally 

 educated worse, than the rest of mankind, so 

 doth it often befall his lordship's dogs, with 

 regard to this object at least; and which makes 

 such infinite difference between the value of 

 one dog and another, when fairly brought into 

 competition in the field together: it is then that 

 the triumph of independent powers is made 

 manifest. 



Let us examine a little the progressive steps 

 of education, by which the class of dogs I am 

 now alluding to, as well as all others, who are 

 put out for this kind of nominal training under 

 some professional gamekeeper, are expected to 



