28 THE sportsman's vade mbcum. 



and strangers. This gives them courage and confidence. 

 Remember, if you ever should have to select a pup in this 

 early stage, to get them all together, fondle them a little ; 

 the one that does not skulk will be the highest couraged 

 dog, the rest muoh in the same proportion, as they display 

 fear or not. This I have invariably noticed is the case, and 

 on this I invariably act when I have to select a pup, provided 

 always he is not mis-formed. We have now brought our 

 pups on till they can take care of themselves, and while .ney 

 grow and prosper and get over the distemper, we will hark 

 back a little, and say why we object to fall puppies, — simply 

 because they are generally stunted by the cold, unless they 

 are house-reared. They come in better, certainly, for break- 

 ing, but it is not so good to have them after September at 

 the latest, unless it be down South, where, I fancy, the order 

 of things would, or rather should, be reversed. 



POINTER AND SETTER. 



Hitherto I have omitted to comjjare the respective merits 

 of pointer and setter. This I had intended to have done 

 altogether, but fearful lest fault should be found with me for 

 doing so, I state it as my deliberate opinion, that there is 

 nothing to choose between them "year in and year out." 

 A setter may stand the cold better and may stand the 

 briers better, but the heat and want of water he cannot 

 stand. A pointer, I admit, cannot quite stand cold so well, 

 but he will face thorns quite as well, if he be the right sort, 

 and pure bred, but he don't come out quite so well from it 

 as the setter does. The one does it because it don't hurt 



