62 THE COMPLETE WILDFOWLER 
previously said, some gunners advocate cross-bred dogs for 
wildfowling. If we had no suitable breed for the purpose, 
cross-breds would be required ; but in time these cross-breds, 
with care, would become established types, and might be 
termed breeds, which is exactly what has taken place in 
the past. As we already have, however, what we want, this 
breeding nowadays would be unlikely to receive universal 
attention, and a new breed would therefore never become 
general. This state of affairs is exactly what does happen ; 
consequently the present-day cross-bred animals never reach 
the top of the tree as a rule. 
Since a new breed of dog cannot be instituted in a short 
number of years, especially now that we have very suitable 
breeds for all special purposes, this circumstance is not 
regrettable. We may all know that various breeds of useful 
dogs have through the ages past been bred and modified for 
particular purposes, and, as these purposes have slightly 
altered or remained constant, so accordingly has the wise 
breeder selected his animals. The average lifetime of man is 
not of sufficient duration to originate and well establish a 
breed of dogs—one that is noticeably different in appearance 
from our present breeds. Even if a man could breed some- 
thing new within the limits of his life, I very much doubt 
whether he could produce animals of higher perfection in 
working than the existing types. 
All these things being considered, the question resolves itself 
into this: can any cross-bred animals supersede the working 
abilities of those animals which have a long line of special 
breeding behind them, and this, of course, all for the one par- 
ticular purpose? If cross-bred dogs can do so, then all our 
careful breeding is of no use, and has no object. If otherwise, 
then why advance the idea of cross-breds? I have gone 
rather fully into this point in the hope that it may rid the 
young sportsman of the many unfounded and, in short, silly 
