THE COVERT SPANIEL. 245 



The object in teaching the spaniel the range to hand is, because 

 w'iLhuut tais there will often be difficulty in showing him where 

 a bird lies in the water — the eye of the dog being so little above its 

 level, and the bird very often so much immersed, that when there 

 is the slightest rfflc, he can scarcely see it a yard from his nose. 

 As in all otlier cases, the water-retriever must be strictly " down 

 charge," and he must be thoroughly steady and quiet at heel, or 

 he will be sure to disturb the water-fowl when the shooter is in 

 ambush waiting for them. The slightest whine is fatal, and the 

 dog should, therefore, be taught to be as quiet as a mouse until 

 ordered to move. 



THE ENTERING AND BREAKING OF THE COVERT SPANIEL. 



The breaking of all spaniels should be commenced as early as 

 possible, as they are naturally impetuous, and require consider- 

 able restraint to keep them near enough to the shooter, while they 

 are at work. After teaching them the ordinary rules of obedience, 

 such as to " come to heel," to " hold up," to drop " down charge," 

 etc., which may all be done with the pistol and check-cord, aided 

 if necessary by the spiked-collar, the next thing is to enter them 

 to the game, which they are intended to hunt. These dogs are 

 better taken out, first into small coverts or hedgerows (provided 

 there are not too many rabbits in the latter), as they are more 

 under command here than in large woodlands. The dog should 

 not be allowed to hunt by himself nor for himself, but should be 

 taught that he must keep within shot. For this pm'pose spaniels 

 must learn not to press their game until the shooter is within range, 

 which is one of the most difficult things to teach them. "When 

 they arc to be kept exclusively for " feather," they must be stopped 

 and rated as soon as it is discovered that they are speaking to 

 ** fur." This requires a long time, and therefore few spaniels are 

 worth much until they have had one or two seasons* practice, from 

 which circumstance it should not occasion surprise that a thor- 

 oughly broken Clumber spaniel fetches from $150 to $250. When 



