OF SPANIELS AND OF THEIR NATURE
Another kind of hound there is that be called hounds for the hawk and
spaniels, for their kind cometh from Spain, notwithstanding that there
are many in other countries. And such hounds have many good customs
and evil. Also a fair hound for the hawk should have a great head, a
great body and be of fair hue, white or tawny, for they be the
fairest, and of such hue they be commonly best. A good spaniel should
not be too rough, but his tail should be rough. The good qualities
that such hounds have are these: they love well their masters and
follow them without losing, although they be in a great crowd of men,
and commonly they go before their master, running and wagging their
tail, and raise or start fowl and wild beasts. But their right craft
is of the partridge and of the quail. It is a good thing to a man that
hath a noble goshawk or a tiercel or a sparrow hawk for partridge, to
have such hounds. And also when they be taught to be couchers,[166]
they be good to take partridges and quail with a net. And also they be
good when they are taught to swim and to be good for the river, and
for fowls when they have dived, but on the other hand they have many
bad qualities like the country that they come from. For a country
draweth to two natures of men, of beasts, and of fowls, and as men
call greyhounds _of Scotland_ and of Britain,[167] so the alauntes and
the hounds for the hawk come out of Spain, and they take after the
nature of the generation of which they come. Hounds for the hawk are
fighters and great barkers if you lead them a hunting among running
hounds, whatever beasts they hunt to they will make them lose the
line, for they will go before now hither now thither, as much when
they are at fault as when they go right, and lead the hounds about and
make them overshoot and fail. Also if you lead greyhounds with you,
and there be a hound for the hawk, that is to say a spaniel, if he see
geese or kine, or horses, or hens, or oxen or other beasts, he will
run anon and begin to bark at them, and because of him all the
greyhounds will run to take the beast through his egging on, for he
will make all the riot and all the harm. The hounds for the hawk have
so many other evil habits that unless I had a goshawk or falcon or
hawks for the river, or sparrow hawk, or the net, I would never have
any, _especially there where I would hunt_.
[166] Setters, from _coucher_, to lie down. G. de F.: "chien couchant"
(p. 113).
[167] Brittany. In Shirley MS. "England" precedes "Scotland." G. de F.
says nothing about Scotland. He says "Bretainhe," meaning Brittany (p.
113).