4o8 DUCK SHOOTING. 



fallen on the marsh. Often each trip to bring a duck is 

 made in part over soft mud, through which the dog 

 must wallow, as it is too thick for swimming and yet 

 too soft for walking; often the ice must be broken for a 

 long distance to get to the bird ; often the ice is too weak 

 to support the dog, who breaks through every little 

 while, and then must laboriously and carefully clamber 

 out on the breaking ice in pursuit of a cripple which is 

 moving along toward a distant marsh or toward open 

 water. 



I have often seen a dog bringing a bird over thin ice 

 lie down on his belly with widely spread forelegs and 

 drag himself along inch by inch, thus spreading his 

 weight over as great a surface as possible so as to avoid 

 breaking through. Then, when a place was reached 

 where the ice was stronger, he would carefully rise to 

 his feet and trot along until the yielding ice again 

 warned him that he must use especial care. In a case 

 where several trials had shown a dog that the ice would 

 not bear him, and that it was a waste of time for him 

 to try to travel on it, I have seen him advance by 

 bounds, springing out of the water and coming down 

 with all his weight on the ice, thus breaking a lane 

 through it to the bird. In this particular case the dog's 

 stifles were so bruised by continual blows against the 

 sharp edges of the ice that next day he was extremely 

 sore and lame in both hind legs. 



Another bit of ice work done by another dog seemed 

 to me to show great intelligence. A bird had been shot 

 high in the air and had fallen heavily on thin ice 40 



