Modern Breaking 85 



ciated with the muscular and nervous action 

 which constitutes the point proper, and the in- 

 stant the dog feels the scent in his nose the 

 pointing machinery, either as a whole or in 

 part, is set in motion. The dog's judgment or 

 intelligence has nothing to do with this. The 

 nerves and muscles act independently and me- 

 chanically. Sometimes, and in fact as a gen- 

 eral rule, the first attempt at a point will be 

 a- failure. The whole pointing machinery never 

 before having acted in unison, this is to be ex- 

 pected. The dog may get a thrill at the scent 

 of game and his whole nervous being become 

 aroused to a high state of excitement. The 

 muscles may respond moderately and the dog 

 may show signs of stiffening into a point. But 

 all this is new and the dog is in such a high 

 state of nervous excitement that the mechanism 

 of the point is disturbed. Sometimes the dog 

 has a touch of fright mingled with the other 

 nervous expressions, and the hair along the 

 back and tail may rise in consequence. ]Mean- 

 while the birds are flushed and the animal na- 

 ture of the dog will assert itself, and acting 

 under this new influence, unhampered by tne 

 pointing instinct, the dog indulges in a chase. 

 This is a very pleasant performance for the 

 dog, and once it has been tried the matter be- 

 comes fixed in the dog's mind as knowledge. 

 On the next occasion, when birds are found, 



