116 WILD SPORTS OF 'THE HIGHLANDS. = _|cuap. x1v 
“ he has got beaten off by the deer.” Looking at him, I saw 
that most of the blood was not his own, the wound not being 
at all deep; I also knew that once having had hold of the deer, 
he would not have let go as longas he had life in him. “ Where 
is he, old boy? take us to him,” said I; the dog perfectly under- 
standing me, looked up in my face, and set off slowly with a 
whine of delight. He led us through a great extent of wood, 
stopping every now and then that we might keep up with him ; 
at last he came to the foot of a rock where the stag was lying 
quite dead with his throat torn open, and marks of a goodly 
struggle all round the place; a fine deer he was too, and much 
praise did the dog get for his courage and skill: I believe I 
could have sold him on the spot at any price which I had chosen 
to ask, but the dog and I were too old friends to part, having 
passed many years together, both in London, where he lived with 
my horses and used to run with my cab, occasionally taking a 
passing fight with a cat; and also in the country, where he had 
also accompanied me in many a long and solitary ramble over 
mountain and valley. 
In choosing a young dog for a retriever, it isa great point to 
fix upon one whose ancestors have been in the same line of busi- 
ness. Skill and inclination to become a good retriever are 
hereditary, and one come of good parents scarcely requires any 
breaking, taking to it naturally as soon as he can run about. It 
is almost impossible to make some dogs useful in this way, no 
teaching will do it unless there be a natural inclination—a first- 
rate retriever nascitur non fit. You may break almost any dog 
to carry a rabbit or bird, but it is a different thing entirely to 
retrieve satisfactorily, or to be uniformly correct in distinguishing 
and sticking to the scent of the animal which is wounded. 
In the same way pointing is hereditary in pointers and setters, 
and puppies of a good breed, and of a well educated ancestry, 
take to pointing at game as naturally as to eating their food,— 
and not only do they, of their own accord, point steadily, but 
also back each other, quarter their ground regularly, and in fact 
instinctively follow the example of their high bred and well 
brought up ancestors. For my own part, I think it quite a 
superfluous trouble crossing a good breed of pointers with fox- 
hound, or any other kind of dog, by way of adding speed and 
