60 DESCRIPTION OF A DAy's 



bread, cheese, potted woodcocks, sandwiches, 

 bottled porter and ale, issue therefrom. Half an 

 hour's rest, near a good stream of water, is equally 

 necessai-y for dogs and men. The country is 

 rough, and constant work from nine in the morn- 

 ing till five in the evening is desperate fatigue 

 for the spaniels. The men eat and refresh them- 

 selves; the dogs lie down, and devour a few 

 pieces of bread or biscuit ; each person has some 

 exploit to talk of, or some hopes to indulge in, 

 for the after part of the day : those with bags 

 already well filled exult in their good fortune, 

 and hope to keep the lead in the number of wood- 

 cocks they have shot ; whilst those whose bags 

 are comparatively empty console themselves with 

 reflecting that perhaps a glass of porter may have 

 the effect of straightening their eyes, and look 

 forward to making up in the afternoon for the 

 time lost in the unsteadiness and excitement of 

 the morning's shooting. Anxious sportsmen get 

 fidgetty, and want to be moving ; the steadier 

 hands say, " Rest your dogs a few minutes :" all, 

 however, are more or less in a hurry, some to 

 regain a lost reputation, others to maintain them- 

 selves at the head of the poll. What a change does 



