BREAKING AND HANDLING. 305 



have any scraps left oftentimes the table itself is an infe- 

 rior gathering of scraps, and dogs or cats dependent on 

 leavings are trusting to a forlorn hope. 



Chicken hunting is the hardest of all hunting on a dog, 

 hence he is entitled to every care. The broad prairie offers 

 no obstruction to the highest speed and widest range, the 

 weather is warm, the birds scarce, consequently there is 

 very little to relieve the constant exertion. A wide rang- 

 ing dog is indispensable to good sport, and he must be har- 

 dened by exercise several weeks prior to the opening of the 

 season. 



An experience on chickens is not of much value as a 

 preparatory experience for quail hunting. It brings the 

 dog under control, but it frequently happens that a dog bro- 

 ken on chickens has to be rebroken for quail shooting. Theo- 

 retically the dog begins on quails with the same degree of 

 perfection that he ended on chickens. Practically, it has 

 very little beneficial effect, and in some instances is a disad- 

 vantage. The hard work on chickens, the difference in 

 climate, etc., unfit a clog for several weeks for quail shoot- 

 ing in the South. 



