A fear has often been expressed that, by breeding for pace, the staunchness of the Pointer would be detrimentally affected. I am pleased to say I do not find this to be the case. He is now, in this respect, all that a sportsman can wish for.

The Pointer, I am fully persuaded, is more readily trained to his duties than the Setter. He seems to take more kindly to his work, and is generally kept up to his training with less trouble. I have seen Pointers that have not been turned into a field for a year or two go and do their work in rare form, as if they had been in full training. I do not think the Pointer is such a companionable dog as the Setter. He is 'all there' when at work, but afterwards the kennel seems his proper place. He does not acquire so much affectionate amiability of character from his association with mankind as does the Setter and other sporting dogs. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, and I know some few Pointers that are remarkable for their attachment and sagacity.

By old sportsmen, and in books too, we have had some truly astonishing accounts given of intelligence displayed by them when at their legitimate work, and I feel bound to say that, after what I have seen, I am inclined to believe quite possible much that I at one time thought wholly incredible. Had it not been for the high authority who stated the fact that a dog, when used by him with a puppy, would worry the puppy because he flushed game, I could not have credited it for one moment; but, since this article first appeared in print, a similar fact has been demonstrated before my eyes; and more, the dog that would do this would also, when told, run after and bite the puppy that persisted in chasing game. I have also seen a Pointer leave his 'point,' and go round the birds that were running from him, apparently to prevent their getting up 'out of shot,' and this without the least instruction.

These facts serve to show what a high degree of sagacity it is possible to obtain in the Pointer. I feel sure that it will be said by many of my readers: 'No matter what you say in favour of the Pointer, he is of less service to the sportsman than he has ever been.' As far as partridge-shooting is concerned, I am compelled to admit that he is the victim of circumstances. The change made in the system of cultivation in England has been such that, from lack of cover to hide his game (which enabled him to get up to it), and not from degeneracy in himself, he has become of less service now than he was in the days of small enclosures and reaped stubbles.

The stubbles, once the chief cover, are now cut by the machine so close that it is next to impossible for game to lie to a dog on them. This, with other changes in agriculture, militates strongly against the dog. He has now to work against very great difficulties, and difficulties which are not, I am sorry to say, likely to disappear. In spite of these disadvantages, I still maintain that a good Pointer can be used during the first month of the season with pleasure and advantage. I have always thus used my dogs, whether I have been shooting alone or in company, and during the first three weeks of the season 1879, in a very rough country, over 100 brace were killed to them, and they did excellent service in finding wounded game. A friend to whom I one season lent my bitch Stella, killed over her 100 brace to his own gun, and in the latter part of September he wrote me : ' I find I can still have good sport with your dog. Stella is all that I can wish for as a Pointer, and I never lose any wounded game with her; she has rendered me excellent services. She does in her work all but talk to me.'

Interesting as the remarks of two such eminent sportsmen cannot fail to be, they, especially Mr. Lort's, are too optimistic in their tendency. Mr. Lort, alas! fell latterly very much under the influence of the dog shows; and even Mr. Thorpe Bartram seems to take it for granted that the trials have always brought out the highest qualities of the Pointer. This is very far from the case; for the fancy work at the field trials of past years was only second to that of the shows. In fact, "Save me from my friends "would have had to be placed as an epitaph on the grave of the Pointer by this time, had not the Pointer and Setter Society arisen, born of the embers of the Pointer Club in 1895.

So far, this Society seems to be struggling manfully for the revival of its breeds, and has already brought back some semblance of reality to both the working and appearance of the public dogs, and to the judging of them both at trials and shows Whether it will persevere until a complete restoration is brought about, of course remains to be seen. It has yet much hard work to do, if it is to be completely successful against the malign influences of vested interests, ignorance, and a Kennel Club that has in its Stud Book unduly exalted mere looks. Anyhow, it has lately allied itself with the Sporting Spaniel and Retriever Societies under the title of the International Gundog League, to which in its work of general reform all sportsmen will wish Godspeed.

Our Society is trying to foster interest in Brace Stakes, which, although they are the only ones that can lay claim to be held under conditions at all resembling real shooting, were till lately looked down on at public trials with profound contempt. It has made a sine qua non that all winning braces shall have been run at least twice in the Stake, thus lessening that undue amount of luck which is such a blot on these institutions. It is also making efforts to reintroduce into trial dogs good and systematic quartering of their ground, an essential that had fallen into complete abeyance at these meetings; and it is seeking to impress on the judges the necessity of penalising all dogs that, in their unrestrained eagerness to push forward into the wind, leave game unfound on their beat.

The reason for good quartering is, of course, to ensure the dogs finding all the game on a given strip of country, and never stumbling on any birds down-wind. Very much depends on the dog's first cast on a fresh beat, which should always be directly across the wind with the head inclined towards it. The head must be carried high, as the body-scent floats in the air with an upward tendency; and, therefore, it is easy to perceive the advantage of that "dished" formation of face which enables the Pointer to gallop at full speed without constricting the muscles of his throat.