136 DOMESTICATED DOGS. 
The coat should be soft in texture, but not silky. 
As to colour, I have dilated on it above to a full extent. In the 
present fashion I should range them as—(1.) liver and white, (2.) 
lemon and white, (3.) black and white without tan, (4.) whole 
black, (§.) whole liver, (6.) black, white, and tan (too hound-like 
for modern taste). 
The symmetry of the pointer is considerable, and a judge 
penalises its absence highly. The same may be said of that in- 
dispensable point quality. 
JII.—THE PORTUGUESE POINTER. 
Never having seen this variety, I can only allude to it as 
resembling the Spanish dog, with the exception of the stern, 
which is bushy. 
IV.—THE FRENCH POINTER. 
This dog varies greatly throughout the several provinces of 
France, and is seldom of any pure breed, being crossed with the 
poodle, the dachshund, the basset, or some one or other of the 
French hounds. When he is most pure he resembles the Spanish 
pointer, but is seldom so large and heavy as that dog. For these 
reasons, it is impossible to describe even the typical French 
pointer, since I have shown that no such animal exists. Most of 
the prominent French sportsmen import English dogs, either 
setters or pointers, and as this has now been done for many years, 
no doubt these breeds are to a certain extent established in 
France. 
V.—THE DALMATIAN DOG. 
Though this peculiarly marked variety of the species is only 
used in Great Britain as a carriage dog, in his native country 
he is made to stand very steadily at game, and is employed in 
aid of the gun exactly as are our “ Pontos” and “Dons.” Until 
very recently, his ears were invariably closely cropped, like those 
of the pug, which altered his appearance completely, and deprived 
him of his resemblance to the pointer. I am not aware that he 
has ever been tried in the field in England, where he has contracted 
a fondness for horses and carriages which is a very prominent 
