266 MANUAL FOR YOUNG SPORTSMEN. 



more injury than weeks of breaking and flogging will 

 repair. 



2d. Never permit or encourage them at one time to do 

 that for which you rate or punish them at another. Many 

 persons do this ; particularly in hieing them after running 

 birds, without considering the mischief they are doing. 



3d. Never shoot with any person who will not shoot 

 to rule, as to walking steadily and stopping to load, &c. ; 

 much more, never hunt your dogs in company with riotous 

 brutes, which will neither back, stand, nor down charge. 

 Example is notoriously far more effective than precept, 

 and nothing is unlearned so easily as discipline, or learned 

 so easily as riot. 



4th. Never run or hurry up to your dogs when point- 

 ing. You increase their rashness and eagerness by doing 

 so tenfold, and tempt them to rush. If the birds are run- 

 ning before them, and they are reading too fast, by hurry- 

 ing after them you not only excite them yet farther, but 

 run much risk of flushing the birds by the noise you make. 

 Keep your usual pace, or even retard it, advancing so that 

 the dogs can see your motions, with your right hand 

 raised, reiterating the words " Care ! Care ! " or " Steady ! 

 Steady ! " in a calm, slow tone, always using the same and 

 but one word of command, for each case. 



5th. When the birds rise, whether you fire or not, in- 

 variably make your dogs " down ! " or " drop ! " for a 

 second or two. It tends to make them steady ; it gives 

 you time to mark ; and if there be a last hard-lying bird 

 or pair of birds, it increases your chance of a shot. 



6th. If your dog rush in and chase a hare, or even 



