294 The Dog Book 



six inches; round the chest one foot three inches. He is an exquisite minia- 

 ture of the EngHsh pointer, being in all respects similar to him. His colour 

 is white, with dark liver-coloured patches on each side of the head, extending 

 half way down the neck; the ears^ with some patches on the back, are of 

 the same colour, and numerous small dark-brown spots appear over his 

 whole body and legs. This beautiful little animal has an exquisite sense 

 of smell, and it is said that some of the same variety possessed by the Earl 

 of Lauderdale have been broken in and make excellent pointers; although 

 from their minute size it cannot be expected that they will be able to do 

 much work. I have not been able to ascertain the native country of this 

 variety, although I have been informed it is common in the south of Germany. 

 Sir James Colquhon has a dog of the same breed, which is even smaller 

 than that belonging to Mr. Menteith." 



In Colonel Thornton's "Tour through the North of England and 

 Scotland," made in 1 786, we have an occasional reference to other people's 

 pointers in addition to those he took with him. Of the latter he gives no 

 description, but in one place says : " Pero, Ponto, Dargo, Shandy, Carlo 

 and Romp, all whelps, behaved incomparably." The Duke of Hamilton's 

 pointers are mentioned, two of which were brought into the house 

 for inspection on the evening of the Colonel's arrival at Hamilton 

 House. "A brace of finer looking dogs I never saw. The one 

 is a cross from a foxhound, full of bone and strength, and appeared a most 

 capital moor dog, but does not excel for partridge; the other, Pero, is not 

 much better." At Wigton in the south of Scotland he heard of some 

 famous pointers, looked at a brace, and "tried them on the road to Ouse 

 Bridge, but did not approve of them. I scarcely ever found one pointer in 

 fifty answer my expectations, either for shape, bone or action, and the 

 different methods of breaking, if they are not whelps, make them irre- 

 claimable." He makes no mention of any pointers when he visited Captain 

 Fleming at Barochan Castle on more than one occasion, yet in the published 

 account of the tour there is a copy of a painting of Mr. Fleming and his 

 hawks, and in it a very good pointer, undoubtedly a portrait of one of his 

 favourite dogs; the small spaniels and the poodle shown in this painting 

 are also worthy of notice, some of the former being quite Blenheim in their 

 character and size. 



Colonel Thornton's " Tour through France," in 1802, gives a little more 

 doggy news, though it is all too scant; and pointers are only mentioned 



