POINTERS AND SETTERS. 391 



form must be such as to promote the best staying gait, 

 which is quite different from that which would give the 

 most rapid spurt. 



The action in a staying gallop consists mainly in pro- 

 pulsion from the shoulder. A fore foot moved by mus- 

 cles connected with the shoulder, throws the animal clear 

 of the ground when he makes his spring. As he flies 

 through the air, he reaches forward with his hind feet, 

 and, touching the ground first with one and then the 

 other, carries the body forward until one fore foot has 

 touched the ground, when the hind feet are successively 

 drawn up, and the other fore foot is brought down in 

 position to repeat the spring. I find the popular opin- 

 ion is that the dog springs off with his hind feet, and 

 alights on his fore feet, but this is only true when he is 

 jumping over obstacles, or when pushed to the utmost 

 speed. In the latter case, when he can run no faster on 

 his shoulder action, he begins also to spring off with one 

 hind foot, and alight on one fore foot, but this spring is 

 never as long as the" fore foot spring, which is still kept 

 up. This run consists of alternate springs from fore and 

 hind feet, and represents the extreme of possible speed. 

 No animal can long endure the shock at shoulders and 

 pasterns of alighting on the fore feet after a spring from 

 behind, so this gait is useful only for a spurt; but an 

 animal who is light both in build and actual weight, can 

 endure it longer than a heavier one. The greyhound is 

 especially adapted to this form of running. 



Pointers and setters should be chosen with especial 

 reference to their shoulders, rather than to their hind 

 quarters. 



THE ENGLISH SETTER. 



I have just observed that Webster's Dictionary 

 describes the setter as "a hunting dog of the hound 

 kind." Other authorities describe him as a kind of 



