476 AMERICAN GAME BIRD SHOOTING 
quent, and, therefore, know how to work out every inch 
of ground to the best advantage. 
For cover shooting the spaniel is a superior assist- 
ant. His shorter leg and smaller size enable him to 
pass readily through or under cover which would offer 
a real obstacle to setter and pointer, even if it did 
not deter them from attempting it. As he works within 
gunshot he meets an essential of close cover shoot- 
ing. Flushing the birds under such conditions is a 
distinct advantage. Thus, then, the springer may be 
considered as a better worker than the pointing dog 
for rough and cover shooting exclusively. 
It is obvious that a setter or pointer, when standing 
stanchly in dense cover, out of sight of the shooter, is, 
as an assistant, inferior to the spaniel, which flushes 
the birds at once. To overcome this disadvantage, 
some shooters tie a small bell to the collar of the 
pointer or setter, and when its tinkle ceases, the dog 
being hidden from view, the inference is that he then 
is pointing. 
To overcome the disadvantage of pointing stanchly 
in dense cover, some trainers school their setters or 
pointers to flush to order, but such a practice tends to 
disorganize the dog’s training as a pointing dog, as 
he is likely to become unsteady and unreliable in this 
most valuable particular. 
As showing the great popularity of the spaniel in 
England, the following is taken from “British Dogs,” 
written by the late Mr. Hugh Dalziel, and published 
about twenty years ago: “The spaniel is not only 
