14 THE AMATEUR TRAINER, 
perience in training and handling bird dogs during 
the past thirty years, the writer has acquired a thor¬ 
ough knowledge of the subject, and if the lover of a 
really good dog will not mind time and trouble, he 
can perfect a bird dog, with which he would not like 
to part for almost any price. Follow the instruc¬ 
tions laid down in these pages carefully, and success 
will be inevitable. 
THE SEEECTIOX. 
The selection of a dog as to breed must be left 
entirely to the fancy of each individual sportsman. 
While the one prefers a Pointer , the other may insist 
upon a Setter. Both breeds have advantages and 
disadvantages over each other as a breed. These 
should be considered as to the special requirements 
for the locality and peculiarities, to obtain satis¬ 
factory results of the work desired of the dog. 
Usually the “pointing” instinct is developed at 
less age in the Pointer than in the Setter. The 
Pointer is far more submissive, hence generally re¬ 
quires less time and patience to train ; can be taught 
to work admirably the first season ; endures greater 
heat with less fatigue, owing to his light coat; is 
also spared the torture of burrs, etc. But, on the 
other hand, he suffers greatly in cold weather, heavy 
thicket and briers. To subjugate a pointer to the 
retrieving of water-fowl (the season of which is 
naturally at a low temperature), even if he be ever so 
