78 ' SHOOTING. 



fields well. In very bright days, tlie woods should be carefully 

 looked after, for the birds often betake themselves to them in such 

 weather. Cover beating is very essential in pheasant shooting. 

 The grounds 'should be thoroughly tried both with the dogs and 

 the beaters. A nide of pheasants are often found huddled together 

 within a very small compass. Every section and crevice of a cover 

 should be run over ; as they are frequently found at times and oc- 

 casions when the sportsman is not expecting them. It is not 

 sportsmanlike to kill the hen pheasant. 



"But when the hen to thy discerning view. 

 Her sable pinions spreads, of duskier hue. 

 The attendant keeper's prudent warning hear. 

 And spare the offspring of the futui-e year ; 

 Else should the fine, which custom laid of old. 

 Avenge her slaughter by the forfeit, gold." — ^Pte. 



Great attention is requisite to the proper training of dogs. 

 When this is not the case, as Mr. Daniel observes, "they disturb 

 the pheasants, who first fly up, and perch upon the lower boughs ; and, 

 the ground of the covert is in vain traversed, and beat for birds that' 

 are already some yards above it ; in short, a spaniel that foUows a hare. 

 further than whilst in view, is never worth keeping. Other circum-, 

 stances to be minded are, that when a spaniel is once put into covert 

 he is never to quit it to range in the fields, which some slippery onesi 

 win do, whilst their owners are beating within it. When a spaniel 

 owns a haunt, and quests freely, there should be no disappointment j' 

 whenever the notes are doubled, their master should be certain there 

 is game, and accordingly press forward. Much depends upon the 

 practice which spaniels have ; the constant use, and the killing ol 

 game to them is as essential to the steadiness of a high-mettled 

 spaniel, as to a high-bred fox-hound : neither can be worked too 

 hard, if kept well in blood." The writer goes then on to state, that 

 one of the chief conditions of obtaining this desirable end, is, thai 

 the dogs be of pure breed. There must be no cross of the hound 

 in them ; if there be, the contamination will display itself even foi' 

 many generations, and all such dogs will hunt the hare in preference' 

 to winged game of any description. And Mr. Daniel corroborates; 

 this. /'A stronger instance," says he, "could not weU be exhibitec 

 than in the spaniels of the deceased Lord Waltham and Mr. Hoare. 

 A road only parted the seats of the two gentlemen, and then- game-, 

 keepers frequently shot in the woods together • their dogs were 

 equally handsome, but those of the former would drive hares the 

 whole day through, and consequently sprung everything that acci^ 

 dentally lay in their course ; whilst those of the latter no more raij 

 hares than they did sheep ; they would indeed find hares, but foUow 

 no further than they saw them. They were always in then places, 

 twisting round every stub with that agihty, and possessed of such 

 fineness of nose, that neither woodcock nor pheasant could escape 

 their search. Lord Waltham's spaniel bitches had originally a cross 



