THE YELLOW SETTER. 145 



my object being still to take them hunting in the 

 forest. 



With the handsome yellow setter called Medor, 

 and a black-tanned water-spaniel nondescript bitch 

 who pointed her game, I made intimate friends, and 

 with them I frequently went for an hour or two each 

 day in the little arable valley to kill some partridges, 

 landrails, and quails. Jules d'Anchald told me that 

 in the end of September and in October was the time 

 that they found landrails most plentiful. Medor was 

 one of the highest naturally-gifted dogs I ever saw. 

 To the greatest possible sagacity he added the finest 

 nose, with plenty of speed and a thorough knowledge 

 of the haunts of game, and how to find them. Like 

 some English dogs that have been in my possession, 

 he seemed to know the likely spot in which the game 

 would be found, and was perfectly certain of making 

 his point. Once on game, he was caution itself ; and 

 as a retriever he teas perfection. The black-tanned 

 spaniel-like bitch was very heavy in whelp ; but she 

 always v»^ent with me, was very steady, and also a 

 good retriever. On Medor's nose and power of 

 winding even a snipe, nothing seemed to have any 

 deteriorating effect. On days of the heaviest gossa- 

 mer-fall I ever saw in any country, with the webs 

 lying like skeins of white silk across his muzzle and 



L 



