324 
FRANK FORESTER^ FIELD SPORTS. 
puzzle for his scent, which habit is often the result of a defi¬ 
ciency in his olfactory power. 
In my opinion, the Setter is infinitely preferable to the 
Pointer everywhere, unless in dry, barren plains, where water 
is not to be had; as in such places the Pointer can hunt well on 
an allowance of fluid, on which a Setter could not exist. The 
Pointer is more docile, it is true, and has, perhaps, a finer nose, 
though I think his extreme caution, rather than superior scent¬ 
ing qualities, has led to the idea of his superiority in this res¬ 
pect. These qualities are, however, counterbalanced by so 
many other points of superiority on the part of the Setter, that 
I must decidedly give him the palm over his rival, and espe¬ 
cially for this country, in which I am perfectly satisfied that one 
brace of Setters will do as much work, and that work more sa¬ 
tisfactorily, than two brace of Pointers, hunted steadily through 
the season, week in and week out. Individual Pointers may 
be, and have been, of rare excellence, but as a race they cannot 
compete with the Setter. For a mere tyro, who does not know 
how to control his dogs, or for one who lives in a city, and takes 
his dog out five or six times in a year only, a Pointer is un¬ 
doubtedly preferable—for, without work, a Setter is apt to be 
headstrong and wild—but for the every-day shot, the all-day¬ 
long shot, the rough-and-tumble, eager, scientific, keen sports 
man, rely upon it the Setter is the dog. 
Of the Setter, there are three principal varieties. 
The English Setter, which is the animal commonly in use 
in this country, too well known to need peculiar description, of 
which the points described above are the principal characteris¬ 
tics. He is found of all colors—black, black and white, black 
and tan, pure white, liver, liver and white, orange or red, and 
yellow and white spotted; and of all these colors he is found 
good ; indeed, as of the horse, it may be said, that a good dog 
cannot be of a bad color. Nevertheless, I am apt to think that 
liver color is apt to indicate a predominance of Pointer, or Water 
Spaniel blood, though take him altogether, the best dog I ever 
owned was liver and white, and so curly about the head that I 
