96 REMINISCENCES OF THE LEWS. 



same burn. Tom stopped, and looked me liard 

 in the face : lie was singularly tender-moutlied, 

 and the bird was alive in his mouth; so he shifted 

 him gently till he came to his neck, which he 

 squeezed sufficiently to stop any more running, 

 and then quickly retrieved the other. I could 

 go on, with the garrulity of my years, about 

 my old dog for ever; but I must hasten the 

 burthen of my story and conclude. 



For Tom's pedigree I can only give the 

 assurance of a gentleman's word. At a dog- 

 show no one would have looked at him, for he 

 was not a large " upstanding" dog, as the term 

 is in these days, when dogs are judged by size 

 and weight, as if they were to be eaten ; yet 

 he was probably as highly bred as any pointer 

 in Great Britain, without the disadvantage of 

 any in-and-in breeding. I would not exchange 

 his blood for any in the kingdom, though I 

 have always wished to cross it with some other 

 as good, and as sagacious. You may increase 

 this rare quality of sagacity by proper breeding 

 to a great extent ; you have then only to take 

 care (but how much care !) not to hinder its 

 development by what is called Ireahing. 



Such was the shooting at Soval when I 

 commenced. In my next I shall describe the 

 fishing. 



