RETRIEVERS WILD-FOWL SHOOTING. 199 



reality than it appears to be ; and I have seen many a good 

 shot fairly puzzled by it, and unable to kill these birds at 

 this period of the day with any certainty until practice had 

 taught them the necessity of aiming well ahead. Another 

 great requisite to success in wild-fowl shooting is a first-rate 

 retriever, quick and sagacious in finding and bringing the 

 killed and wounded birds from the swampy and grassy places 

 in which they fall. Long shots ought never to be taken in 

 the evening, as, independently of the time lost in loading 

 (during which operation, by the bye, the birds always con- 

 trive to come over your head) you are sure to lose many 

 which fiy away wounded, to drop several hundred yards off, 

 serving only to feed the foxes and crows, which always seem 

 to be on the look-out for food near the lakes and marshes. 



Some retrievers have a most wonderful instinct in dis- 

 covering whether a wounded bird is likely to fall ; invariably 

 marking down and finding them, without wasting their time 

 and strength in vain pursuit of those which are able to 

 escape. 



Nothing is more trying to the constitution of a dog than 

 this kind of shooting in the winter; when the poor animal 

 spends his time either in paddling or swimming about in 

 half-frozen water, or in shivering at his master's feet whilst 

 waiting for a fresh shot. The master perhaps has waterproof 

 boots and a warm jacket on, a pipe in his mouth, and a 

 mouthful of brandy to keep him warm ; while his poor dog 

 has none of these accompanying comforts, and is made to sit 

 motionless on the wet or frozon ground with the water freez- 

 ing on his coat. For my own part I administer as much as I 

 can to the comfort of my canine companion, by always carrying 

 him some biscuits, and by giving him either my plaid or a 

 game-bag to lie upon. It is amusing enough to see the re- 

 triever wrapped in the plaid, with only his head out of it, 

 watching eagerly for the appearance of a flock of widgeon or 

 ducks, which he often sees before I do myself. 



The best and most sagacious dog of this kind that I ever 

 saw, and whose cunning and skill were unequalled, I sold to 

 make room for a stronger retriever, who, however, never 

 equalled his predecessor in sagacity and usefulness. I the 

 less repented having parted with the dog, as he fell into the 

 hands of a friend of mine, Captain Cumming, a most excel- 

 lent shot and persevering wild-fowl shooter, who fully 

 appreciated the good qualities of the animal. The Loch of 



